Online services such as Houzz and HomeAdvisor can be a helpful tool for remodeling companies in finding new leads, but what if a website matched you directly to a project based on both your company’s needs and the client’s? Sweeten, a free renovation matchmaker, does just that in the New York City and Philadelphia metro areas.
Clients looking to renovate in New York City, northern New Jersey, Long Island, southern Connecticut, Philadelphia, or four adjacent Pennsylvania counties can access the website to compile their project details, meet their contractor match, and begin their project.
“Simply put, we match great contractors with great homeowners,” says Sweeten founder and CEO Jean Brownhill. “GCs who qualify for our network know that our mix of technology and client service delivers real renovations with real budgets.”
The company, started in 2011 by trained architects, aims to make the remodeling process easier on the homeowner and the contractor by focusing on trust and transparency. To do so, the service performs an in-depth vetting process to confirm contractors are licensed and insured, have the relevant experience, are good communicators, and have verified reviews.
“They have to post projects that they have previously completed so we get an understanding of the projects they do,” said Patrick Flanagan, senior vice president of account management. “Then they have to send three to four personal referrals, which we call directly.”
After the application process and the initial phone conversations, contractors will request an interview with a Sweeten professional to discuss their company. An in-person meeting may be scheduled as well, where contractors can show their current jobsites. Once approved, Sweeten will start sending matches.
With a minimum set budget of at least $15,000 and upward of $3-5 million, Sweeten allows approved remodeling companies to choose what type of projects they want to do, at certain price points, and in what locations. Plus, they won’t match a project to a contractor until the project itself has been vetted for readiness, budget, and scope.
“The contractors that we work with, we know them very well,” said Flanagan. “There’s a high level of back and forth communication on these projects because we are talking to the homeowner and the contractor.”
When the company officially lands the job, they will pay Sweeten a “success fee” for their marketing efforts. The service will continue to monitor the remodel until completion to ensure the project progresses as planned and any communication or other issues are resolved.
The company also recently launched a mobile app for contractors, architects, and designers in their network to help keep their potential leads organized and provide additional insight into projects they match with.
Although the service is only available in the northeast, the company is set to expand its network of 1,000 current contractors to eight other cities by 2020.
