The 5 Home Improvement Sites you didn't know existing (and how they hurt the industry)


My name is Teris, I am contractor but I am also the founder of EFynch.com. EFynch is a Baltimore based, community job board. I created EFynch because of the alternatives that I tried within my own personal business (yes, EFynch is a "I could make a better ____" business). I explain the "other sites" below because there are a few traps you could avoid. These are so big- I actually created EFynch as a "logic based" alternative (meaning, it uses the hiring process I use in property management).

Many sites that you see advertised online are actually advertising sites themselves. They are modern "yellow pages"- with no emphasis being on "modern" (eg. their antiquated). Home improvement is basically a Freelance Economy, but not sites really revolutionized how you hire- they are just band aids.

So, what does Home Improvement Have? You've seen the cheezy commercials, but from my personal experience this is what is "behind the curtain":


5 types of home improvement sites and how they hurt the industry:
1. Pay Per Lead: Homeowner submits request to the "trusted site". Your information is sent to a sales representatives who calls every contractor with a website in your area. They literally SELL your information to the first pro willing to pay $15 to $500 for your personal contact information.

2. Advertising: Trust me, her "list" is simply a modern version of the yellow pages. When you start getting rated, you are afforded the privileged to market your good ratings if you respond when she asks "Got Money?".

3. The Rating Sites: It's nice to see ratings of restaurants or products but what about a handyman? The issue is that restaurants get so many ratings, it is impossible for the owner to sway the overall ratings by calling friends and asking for favorable reviews. Handymen, not so much. Community/ neighborhood sites are filled with biased and fake reviews. (at EFynch, the only way a pro gets a ratings is if we have verified the job took place and money was exchanged).

4. The Neighborhood Site: Building on #3, the "neighborhood site" suffers from the same issues. I've literally seen reviews so detailed they could be written by no other than a contractors mother! Plus, one site has "neighborhoods" which are comprised of 100 square miles and over 10k people-- some neighborhood! It's funny how the guy who cuts you off on the road yesterday now has the perfect plumber to clean your pipes!


5. The Uber Clones: Push a button and get a pro! The problem is I've seen advertisement where a freelancer exclaims "yesterday I made money trimming hedges, today I did crown molding!" Is that what you want? These sites can take up to 49% for their piece of the pie- not good for local economy and blindsides the Pro/ Freelancer who is participating.




So, what did we make in response? EFynch!
With EFynch,  the idea is simple and follows classic freelance models. Homeowners are able to post requests for work on their home (for free), and local contractors can view job information, and then submit a bid or questions for the job (for free). The homeowner can see the information, reply, hire, and even pay using our EFynch Escrow system which keeps everything transparent.  No meetings, no sales calls, etc. EFynch saves time for both the Pro and the Homeowner.
*we hide homeowners information in job post to protect privacy.

If a pro or handyman cannot perform (because of the requested date, price, etc.)- they simply skip over the posting and no time is wasted. No sales, no meetings, etc. Plus, we give the homeowner tools to evaluate pros such as the only True Verified Rating System, and the industries first Social Media Integration which allows you to see who worked for someone in your social network and their reviews, without having to publicly post a request.


So let me know what you think? Give us a try! Always happy to help with new contractors and homeowners.





The information above is distributed by EFynch.com but is not necessarily the opinion of the company. The opinion and descriptions above are based on the experience of an EFynch employee and are his own experience, as a contractor and handyman in Maryland.

Special thanks to a few groups for helping us obtain this information:
- Baltimore TV Mount
- Rehab Construction
- Tenant Build Out





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