Construction Contractor Resources on the Web

My research involved with discovering the best methods for reaching construction contractors on the Web has caused me to stumble across a large variety of resources aimed at the contracting community. There really are some great sites out there that have the contractors’ best interests in mind, but there are also plenty of domains which are focused on simply getting at the contractors’ pocketbooks. It is my stance that sites which are driven by any motivations other than content, openness, usability, and community are destined for failure in the very near future. The burgeoning Internet populace just won’t stand for it. That being said, here are some of my observations/thoughts on some of the leading contracting resources on the Web:

• Servicemagic.com : The behemoth site which solicits home owners to enter details about a project which they need performed, and then Servicemagic disseminates these leads to “relevant” contractors in the same geographic region as the homeowner. The contractor then pays a fee to acquire the contact information for the homeowner. From what I understand, the per lead fee varies between $20 and $50 or so. Servicemagic themselves say that about 1 in 10 leads should pan out for the contractor. My research shows that it is more like 1 in 20. Just look around the Web to see how contractors feel about Servicemagic. Contractors overwhelmingly seem to loath them, but they also seem to see no alternative. In my opinion, Servicemagic is the epitome of what we don’t want jobtrio.com to be. Servicemagic controls the flow of information between client and contractor, they throttle back the ever important human aspect of business so the homeowner likely ends up with a contractor who doesn’t really match their specific needs, and they place the entire burden on the contractor. Everyone is gets stuck holding the tab except Servicemagic, of course. Servicemagic is doomed for the same reason that ebay.com gets ten times the traffic as shopping.com: consumers want uninhibited access to information and products so that they can make an educated selection.
• Buildingnetwork.com : This is probably the most contractor-friendly resource on the web right now. The Building Network owns 10 or so different forums (contractortalk.com, electriciantalk,com, etc.), all revolving around construction or home improvement. And, they are all free. The advertisers foot the bill. I have absolutely no critiques on their business model or they manner in which they conduct themselves . . . I just wish I had thought of it.
• Bidclerk.com : this is a very professionally-geared site. I believe it is $40 a month, and a contractor then has access to different projects which get posted in their geographic region. The projects tend to be posted by project managers or general contractors. From what I have heard, Bidclerk is really a toss-up. If you live in a small town, you can go months without having a relevant project appear on Bidclerk. But, on the flip-side, I have also personally interviewed very successful contractors who get all of their work off of Bidclerk. I would say, set some ROI limits, and then give it a shot.
• Craigslist.com : Don’t get me wrong, I love Craigslist, but I would never recommend using a contractor found via a Craigslist ad. In my personal experience, contractors advertising on craigslist or responding to craigslist ads have fallen on very hard times and are desperate — this is never a good thing. OK, I’ll say it: I’ve been burned by a couple contractors I located via craigslist.

I could continue, but it is getting late (for me) and I have probably angered enough people already with these statements. The short of it is: business only works if everyone is winning and happy. Contracting is the most organic form of business, so make sure that you are picking the right contractor for your project and make sure that you are paying them a very fair wage. Any website which muddies the waters of contracting is doing the whole industry a disservice.

Josh Groves
President
jobtrio.com
Profiles and reviews of California contractors.
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