How to Offer Financing as a Contractor: 7 Steps
To offer financing, partner with a financing platform or lender program, then present a monthly payment alongside the total price on every quote. Your customer applies with a soft credit pull and picks a lender offer; the lender funds the job and you’re paid in full. Setup takes days, not months — the real decisions are your cost model and how consistently your crew quotes the payment.
- Setup takes days — no lending license needed
- Multiple lender offers, not a single yes/no
- Train one sentence, close more jobs
The 7 steps
Most contractors are live within a week.
Count your financeable jobs
Look at last year: how many jobs over $5K did you bid, and how many died on price? That’s your financing opportunity — and the volume number that decides step 2.
Pick your cost model
Per-loan dealer fees (GreenSky, Service Finance, Wisetack: 0.5%–15.75%/job) vs flat subscription (Hearth: $1,499–$4,999/yr, no per-loan fee) vs free marketplace (Acorn). Break-even: roughly 3–10 financed jobs/yr. Under it, pay-per-use; over it, flat. Full comparison: Customer Financing for Contractors.
Verify what your customer sees
Soft-pull prequalification (no score impact to browse offers), multiple lender offers not a single yes/no, and coverage for your ticket size — a $25K cap is useless for a $40K roof-plus-solar job. Hearth’s marketplace: $1K–$250K, 2–12 yr, from 7.99% APR, credit to 550. Rates and terms vary by lender and credit.
Put the payment on every quote
“$18,400 — or from ~$310/mo (illustrative)” on the proposal line itself. The payment isn’t a fallback for when the price gets rejected; it’s how the price gets accepted.
Train one sentence
“Would a monthly payment make this decision easier?” — at presentation, before the objection. Crews who ask every time outperform “financing available” stickers by miles.
Send the link before you leave the driveway
Text or QR while you’re standing there. Prequalification takes ~60 seconds; momentum is the close.
Track it for 90 days
Close rate with payment quoted vs without; average ticket financed vs cash. The lift tells you what financing is worth and whether your cost model still fits your volume.
The mistake that costs the most
Treating the dealer fee as invisible. If you’re on a per-transaction program and don’t price the fee into the bid, you’re donating 4–16% of your best jobs to the financing company. Price it in, or pick a model where it doesn’t exist. The math: Customer Financing for Contractors.
Your top questions, answered
How long does it take to start offering financing?
Days. Platform signup and a short onboarding; no lending license needed — third-party lenders underwrite and fund.
Do I need good business credit to offer financing?
No — the customer is underwritten, not you. You’re never the creditor.
What does it cost?
Dealer-fee programs: 0.5%–15.75% per financed job. Flat platforms: $1,499–$4,999/yr. Free marketplaces: $0 with lighter tooling.
What if my customer has poor credit?
Multi-lender marketplaces widen coverage (Hearth’s network serves scores down to 550). Approval is never guaranteed; terms vary by lender and credit.
Send your first financing link this week.
Flat annual subscription. 18+ lenders. No per-loan dealer fee, no matter how many jobs you finance.
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