The contractors who close the most financed jobs do not introduce financing after the homeowner hears the price and chokes. They introduce it before. The timing is everything. This guide walks you through the exact step-by-step process for using Hearth during an in-home estimate, from the moment you walk in to the moment the homeowner applies.
The Timing Principle That Changes Everything
When a homeowner hears a $22,000 price tag, that number becomes an anchor. Every question they ask after that is colored by sticker shock. But when a homeowner hears “most people do this on monthly payments, it usually comes out to a few hundred dollars a month” before they hear the total, they start thinking about the project differently. They compare it to a car payment. They mentally move from “can I afford this?” to “does this fit my monthly budget?”
Industry data from multiple home improvement sales training programs consistently shows that introducing financing before the total price increases funded deal rates significantly, often doubling them in in-home sales environments. The Hearth platform is designed for this exact moment.
What to Say When You Walk In
Normalize financing in the first five minutes, before you have measured anything, before you’ve opened your laptop. A simple one-liner works:
“By the way, most of our customers do this through monthly payments. We have a financing option that takes two minutes to check. It’s a soft pull, no impact on your credit, and it shows you what terms you qualify for before we even talk about price. We can pull it up at the end.”
That is it. You have planted the idea. You have removed the mystery. You have told them it is soft-pull (no credit risk), fast (two minutes), and non-binding (they are just checking). Do not make a big deal of it. Drop it and move on to the estimate.
The Pre-Qual Moment
After you have walked the job, taken measurements, and built your quote, but before you reveal the number, bring up financing again. Here is the transition:
“Before I show you the total, let me pull up that financing link so you can see your options. It literally takes two minutes and it doesn’t touch your credit score.”
Then either pull up your Hearth contractor dashboard on your phone or tablet and share the customer-facing pre-qual link, or text it directly to the homeowner so they fill it out on their own phone. The homeowner enters: name, address, date of birth, and the last four digits of their Social Security number. That is all that is needed for the soft pull.
What Happens on Screen After Submission
Within seconds of submitting the soft-pull form, the homeowner sees a list of loan offers from Hearth’s lending network. Each offer shows the loan amount, estimated monthly payment, interest rate, and term. They typically see multiple options at different term lengths (2 years, 5 years, 7 years, 10 years, 12 years) so they can choose the monthly payment that fits their budget.
Nothing is committed at this stage. The homeowner is just seeing what they qualify for. No funds are moved, no hard pull has hit their credit, no contract has been signed. This is a critical point to emphasize to homeowners who are nervous about credit.
How to Present Monthly Payment Options
Once the homeowner has their offers on screen, walk through the options with them:
“So you can see here, for the full project at $22,000, you’re looking at around $340 a month over 84 months, or $520 a month over 48 months. Most people go with the longer term to keep the payment manageable. Which of these feels comfortable?”
Notice what you are not doing: you are not asking “can you afford this?” You are asking “which payment works for you?” The framing assumes they are moving forward. You are just negotiating the monthly number, not the total.
Handling “I Need to Think About It”
If a homeowner says they need to think about it after seeing the financing options, financing is your response, not backing off:
“Totally fair. The one thing I’d mention is that these loan offers are good for a limited window, and rates can shift. If the $340 a month works for your budget, it might be worth locking that in today rather than risking a different rate later. What part of it do you want to think through? I’m happy to answer anything right now.”
Most “I need to think about it” objections dissolve when you address the specific hesitation. Sometimes it is a spouse who is not present. Sometimes it is fear of commitment. Financing makes commitment feel smaller. Use it that way.
The Upgrade Conversation
Monthly payment framing also opens the door to upgrades that would never land in a cash conversation. When a homeowner is already at $340/month for the base project, adding a premium option becomes a question of incremental monthly cost:
“The upgrade to the heated floor is about $2,800 more on the project. That works out to around $42 more per month. For $382 a month, you get the heated floor you’ve been looking at for five years. Want to add it?”
At the kitchen table, $42 a month is an easy yes. $2,800 upfront rarely gets approved without discussion. Financing changes the math entirely.
Step-by-Step Process Summary
- Walk in and plant the financing seed with a single casual sentence in the first five minutes
- Run your estimate normally: measure, scope, price
- Before revealing the total, transition to the financing check (“takes two minutes, soft pull”)
- Pull up the Hearth pre-qual link and hand the homeowner your phone, or text them the link
- Homeowner completes the soft-pull form (name, address, DOB, last 4 SSN)
- Review the loan options together on screen
- Present the monthly payment options: “Which of these works for your budget?”
- Reveal the project total alongside the monthly payment: “$22,000 total, $340 a month”
- If they say yes, they accept a loan offer and a hard pull occurs to finalize
- You get paid in 2-3 business days after project funding
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Introducing financing after the price shock. The whole point is to present monthly before total. If you say “$22,000” first and financing second, you’re fighting an uphill battle.
- Making it sound optional or unusual. Say “most of our customers do this” even if only some do. Normalize it as standard.
- Forgetting to mention the soft pull. Homeowners who think a credit check is being run without their permission will refuse. Always lead with “soft pull, no credit impact.”
- Not having the link ready. If you have to search for it in your phone while the homeowner watches, the moment dies. Save it in your notes app or as a contact in your phone labeled “Hearth Link.”
Bottom Line
The in-home estimate is where Hearth either pays off or collects dust. The platform only works when you make it part of your sales conversation, not a fallback for homeowners who are already saying no. Learn the one-liner, have the link ready, and make the soft pull a normal step in every estimate. Contractors who do this consistently report material increases in close rates and average ticket sizes within a few months.
Ready to See If Hearth Makes Sense for Your Business?
Hearth gives contractors access to 18 plus lenders at a flat annual rate with no per-job dealer fees. If you finance more than $36,000 in projects per year, the math almost always works in your favor.