To use Hearth financing during an in-home estimate, mention monthly payments in the first five minutes, run the soft-pull pre-qualification before you reveal the total, then present the price as a monthly number next to the project total. The whole sequence adds about five minutes to an appointment, and the pre-qual form does not touch the homeowner's credit score.
Key takeaways
- Sequence matters most: normalize financing early, pre-qualify before the price reveal, and quote the monthly payment alongside the total.
- Hearth's pre-qualification is a soft credit pull with no score impact, and Hearth states it finds payment options for about 70% of homeowners who apply.
- Loan offers run from $1,000 to $250,000 with 2 to 12 year terms and APRs from roughly 5% to 35.99%, per Hearth's own rate disclosures.
- Hearth charges contractors zero per-transaction dealer fees; you pay an annual subscription of $1,499 to $4,999 instead.
- A $22,000 project at a mid-range 9.9% APR works out to roughly $290 to $709 per month depending on term length, which is the framing that closes jobs.
What you need before the appointment
The in-home sequence only works if the tools are ready before you knock on the door. You need three things in place:
- An active Hearth subscription. Hearth's pricing page lists three annual plans as of mid-2026: Essentials at $1,499, Pro at $1,799, and Elite at $4,999, plus a one-time $99 setup fee. The full math is in our Hearth cost breakdown, and our plan comparison covers which tier fits your volume.
- The Hearth app on your phone or tablet. The Hearth for Contractors app (iOS and Android) lets you text a pre-qualification link to a homeowner or hand them your device mid-appointment.
- Your financing link saved somewhere instant. Pin it in your notes app or save it as a contact. Fumbling for the link while the homeowner watches kills the moment.
Here are the verified numbers behind the platform, so you can answer questions at the table without guessing:
| Item | 2026 number |
|---|---|
| Loan amounts | $1,000 to $250,000 (Hearth loans page) |
| Terms | 2 to 12 years |
| APR range | About 5% to 35.99%, credit dependent |
| Minimum FICO | 550 |
| Pre-qualification rate | About 70% of applicants, per Hearth |
| Contractor dealer fees | $0 per transaction (annual subscription instead) |
| Funding speed | As soon as 24 hours after final approval |
Step 1: Normalize financing in the first five minutes
Plant the financing seed before you measure anything. The takeaway for this step: homeowners who hear about monthly payments before the price never experience sticker shock as a dead end. One casual line does it:
"By the way, most of our customers do this on monthly payments. We have a financing option that takes a couple of minutes to check. It's a soft pull, so it doesn't touch your credit score, and it shows what you qualify for before we even talk price. We can pull it up at the end."
Say it once, then move on to the walkthrough. You have told them three things that lower resistance: it is normal, it is fast, and checking is risk free. Our kitchen table pitch guide goes deeper on why this early framing changes how the homeowner processes every number that follows.
Step 2: Build the estimate as you normally would
Run the appointment the same way you always do: walk the job, measure, scope, and price it. The takeaway here is restraint. Do not keep bringing financing up during the walkthrough, because repetition makes it feel like a sales tactic instead of a payment option. The single mention from step 1 is doing its work in the background while you do yours.
Step 3: Run the soft-pull pre-qualification before revealing the total
The pre-qualification happens after you have built the quote but before the homeowner hears the total. This ordering is the core of the method. The transition line:
"Before I show you the total, let me pull up that financing link so you can see your options. It takes about two minutes and it doesn't affect your credit score."
Hand the homeowner your phone or tablet with the form open, or text them the link from the Hearth app so they use their own phone. The form collects basic identity, contact, and income details, and it triggers only a soft credit inquiry. According to Hearth's help documentation, its lending partners weigh three factors at this stage: credit score, income, and requested loan amount, and Hearth finds payment options for about 70% of homeowners who apply.
Within a minute or two the homeowner sees pre-qualified offers from Hearth's lender network (17 to 18 partners, depending on which Hearth page you read, since the roster shifts). Each offer shows an amount, an estimated monthly payment, a rate, and a term. Nothing is signed, no money moves, and no hard inquiry has occurred. Say that out loud, because nervous applicants relax when they hear it. If the homeowner's credit is thin, Hearth accepts scores down to 550; our guide to Hearth's 550 FICO minimum covers what approval looks like at the low end.
Step 4: Present the monthly payment options
Present the offers as a choice between payments, not a yes-or-no decision. The takeaway: ask "which payment works?" instead of "can you afford it?" Here is the script for a $22,000 project:
"So for the full project, you're looking at around $364 a month on a 7-year term, or about $466 on 5 years if you want it paid off faster. Most folks pick the term that keeps the payment comfortable. Which of these feels right?"
To keep your own mental math honest, here is what a $22,000 loan costs per month at 9.9% APR, a mid-range rate inside Hearth's published 5% to 35.99% band. We calculated these with a standard amortization formula; the homeowner's real offers will vary with credit.
| Term | Monthly payment | Rough total interest |
|---|---|---|
| 3 years | $709 | $3,500 |
| 5 years | $466 | $6,000 |
| 7 years | $364 | $8,600 |
| 10 years | $290 | $12,800 |
Some qualified applicants also see 0% introductory APR credit card offers lasting 6 to 18 months in their results. Know how those work before you present one; our 0% APR financing explainer covers the fine print.
Step 5: Reveal the total next to the monthly number
Reveal the project total only after the monthly payment is on the table, and say them together: "$22,000 total, which is that $364 a month we just looked at." The anchor is now the payment, not the lump sum.
This is also the moment for upgrades. A $2,800 heated floor add-on sounds big as a lump sum, but on a 7-year term at the same rate it is about $46 more per month:
"The heated floor adds about $2,800 to the project, which works out to roughly $46 a month on the plan you picked. Want me to include it?"
If the homeowner stalls with "I need to think about it," ask what specifically they want to think through, and remind them that lender offers reflect current rates, which move. Do not invent a fake deadline. Our breakdowns of the "think about it" objection and the 10 most common financing objections give you word-for-word responses for each variation.
Step 6: From acceptance to funding
Once the homeowner picks an offer, they complete the full application with the lender, and a hard credit inquiry happens at that point, not before. Tell them this up front so nobody feels blindsided. After final approval, Hearth states funds can land in the homeowner's bank account in as little as 24 hours. The homeowner then pays you directly, the same as a cash customer, so your deposit and progress payment schedule stays whatever your contract says. There is no dealer fee subtracted from the job.
Common mistakes that kill the financed close
- Introducing financing after the price shock. If the homeowner hears "$22,000" before they hear "monthly payments," you are climbing back out of a hole.
- Making financing sound unusual. "Most of our customers look at monthly payments" normalizes it. A hesitant, apologetic pitch signals that something is off.
- Skipping the soft-pull reassurance. Homeowners who think you are running a credit check without consent will shut down. Lead with "no impact on your credit score" every time.
- Quoting rates from memory. Offers vary widely across the 5% to 35.99% band. Present what is on the screen, not what last week's customer got.
- Overpromising approval. Roughly 3 in 10 applicants do not pre-qualify, per Hearth's own figure. Have a fallback, such as a co-applicant or a smaller scope, instead of an awkward silence.
How we put this together
The pricing, loan terms, APR range, FICO minimum, and funding speed above come from Hearth's own pricing, loans, and help pages at gethearth.com, cross-checked against Hearth's Capterra listing, all reviewed in July 2026. The monthly payment table is our own amortization math at an illustrative 9.9% APR, not a quote. The scripts are composites of what working contractors report using; adapt the wording to your voice.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Hearth pre-qualification hurt the homeowner's credit score?
No, pre-qualification uses a soft credit inquiry, which never affects a credit score. A hard inquiry only happens later, if the homeowner accepts an offer and completes a full application with the lender. Our guide to how contractor financing affects credit scores covers what to tell cautious customers.
How long does the Hearth pre-qualification take during an estimate?
Plan on two to three minutes for the form plus a minute for results. Hearth advertises that homeowners see whether they pre-qualify within a few minutes of submitting, which is why the step fits naturally between building your quote and revealing the total.
What if the homeowner does not pre-qualify?
Move to a fallback without drama: suggest applying with a co-applicant, phasing the project into a smaller scope, or revisiting after they address a credit issue. Hearth reports pre-qualifying about 70% of applicants, so roughly 3 in 10 conversations will need one of these paths.
Should the homeowner use my device or their own phone?
Either works, so offer both. Handing over your tablet keeps momentum in the room, while texting the link from the Hearth app lets privacy-minded homeowners enter income details on their own screen. What matters is that the form gets completed before the price reveal, not whose device it is on.
When do I get paid on a Hearth-financed job?
You get paid by the homeowner on your normal contract schedule, because Hearth loans are unsecured personal loans funded directly to the customer. Hearth states funds can arrive in as little as 24 hours after final approval, and no dealer fee comes out of the job amount.
Do I need the Pro plan to run financing at an estimate?
No, every Hearth tier includes customer financing, so the $1,499 Essentials plan covers the workflow in this guide. The higher tiers add quoting, contracts, and team features rather than better loan access.
