Offering Financing as a Contractor: How to Close Bigger Jobs Without Discounting

A survey of more than 1,000 contractors by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America found that average close rates jump from 38% to 49% the moment financing enters the conversation.

Without financing, you are handing price-sensitive customers a reason to say no. That is 11 more jobs closed out of every 100 estimates you run.

Why Are Contractors Still Not Offering Financing?

Only 37% of contractors consistently remind customers that financing is available. That means nearly two out of three contractors are sitting on a tool that could close double-digit more jobs - and not using it.

The most common excuse is “my customers don’t want financing.” That’s almost always wrong.

60% of homeowners say they can’t afford to fix something that currently needs repair in their home, according to a Today’s Homeowner survey of 1,000 American homeowners published in February 2024. And 31% of those homeowners have $1,000 or less saved for home emergencies. Your customer isn’t saying no to the job. They’re saying no to writing a check they don’t have.

How Much Does Offering Contractor Financing Actually Cost You?

Financing through a third-party platform isn’t free, but it’s usually far cheaper than discounting.

Here’s how dealer fees break down across common platforms:

Platform / Loan Type	Dealer Fee Range
Standard rate loans (general)	0% - 6%
Promotional 0% APR loans	8% - 15%
Wisetack (interest-bearing loans)	~3.9%
GreenSky	0% - 26.6%
Synchrony	0.99% - 15%

Most programs have no monthly fees and are free to join. You pay a dealer fee only when a customer actually finances a job.

Compare that to the alternative. If you’re knocking 10% off a $10,000 job to close it, you just handed back $1,000. A 3.9% dealer fee on the same job costs you $390. Financing beats discounting almost every time.

Does Offering Financing Really Increase Your Average Job Size?

Short answer: yes, by a lot.

Wisetack’s own platform data shows that financed projects are 4.5 times larger than non-financed ones - moving the average job from $1,000 to $4,500. Ergeon, a fencing and driveway contractor, saw sales grow 20% after adding Wisetack financing to their sales process.

Contractors across HVAC, roofing, and remodeling report a consistent pattern: when a homeowner isn’t writing a check, the mental ceiling on the job goes up. They say yes to the upgrade. They add the second zone. They replace the water heater while you’re already there.

Hearth reports that their contractor clients close 17% more jobs and see a 12x annual ROI after adding financing. Leap and Handoff.ai both report average job size increases of 30% to 50% when payment plans are available, though that figure is widely cited across multiple industry sources rather than tied to a single named study.

Braga Brothers, a tri-state HVAC contractor, shifted from price-first selling to financing-first selling and increased their average ticket from $23,000 to $37,000 - a 62% jump - while achieving a 95% one-call close rate. That’s not a rounding error. That’s a business transformation.

How Do You Present Financing Without Sounding Like a Car Salesman?

The framing matters more than most contractors think.

ACCA survey data shows that contractors who lead with monthly payment options see 42% of new or replacement system sales financed, compared to only 21% when they lead with the total price. Same job. Same customer. Completely different result based on what number you say first.

Ron Hall, sales manager for a residential heating and cooling company in the Philadelphia area, makes financing part of every single sales conversation - not a fallback for customers who push back on price. His company now finances more than 150 projects per year and uses financing as part of their advertising to attract customers before the estimate is even scheduled.

The script doesn’t have to be complicated. “Most of our customers prefer to spread this out over time - we can get you approved in about two minutes right now” is enough to open the door.

If you’re already working on follow-up systems for unsold estimates, adding a financing reminder to that follow-up sequence is one of the easiest wins available.

Which Financing Platforms Should You Actually Use?

The three most commonly used platforms in the home service space right now are Wisetack, Hearth, and GreenSky.

Wisetack is popular with smaller contractors because it integrates cleanly with CRMs like Builder Prime and Workiz, approval takes 30 seconds to 5 minutes, and the contractor gets paid within 2 to 3 business days of job completion. Dealer fees run around 3.9% for interest-bearing loans.

Ashly Deese, COO of Deese Elite Concrete Coatings in Florida, couldn’t find a financing partner she trusted until a local business recommended Wisetack. She made them her exclusive provider and cited the Builder Prime CRM integration as a key reason the whole thing actually got used in the field.

Hearth positions itself more toward the sales enablement side, offering a payment calculator contractors can embed on their website so customers can estimate monthly payments before the appointment even happens. That pre-sell is worth something when your website visitors aren’t filling out forms the way you want them to.

GreenSky is often used by larger contractors and remodelers doing higher ticket work, though the dealer fee range is wide (0% to 26.6% depending on the promotional terms offered).

Dean McManus of Action Steam Cleaning LLC landed a $16,000 job simply because he had financing available. His exact words: “By far the best financing company I’ve used for my customers. Integrated into my CRM and makes for ease of use.”

Do You Need a License to Offer Financing as a Contractor?

No. You do not need a lending license.

The financing company - Wisetack, Hearth, GreenSky, whoever you partner with - holds the license. You register as an authorized dealer. Your job is to introduce the option and send the customer a link. The lender handles the credit check, the disclosures, and the regulatory compliance.

Your only real obligation is not misrepresenting the loan terms. Don’t tell a customer it’s 0% if it isn’t. That’s it.

When Should Financing Come Up in Your Sales Process?

Not at the end. Not when the customer flinches at the price. Every time.

Joist reports that 65% of projects over $5,000 are financed. If you’re running a roofing company, an HVAC business, or any trade where jobs regularly exceed that threshold, you should be treating financing like scheduling - it’s part of the conversation, not a rescue move.

Lindsey Baker of Local Guy AC put it directly: “Wisetack has helped me close multiple jobs where the customer could not afford to pay upfront.” Welsch Heating and Cooling Co. started selectively offering financing two years ago, and their close rate climbed from 77% in 2024 to 83% in 2025 without discounting a single job.

If you’re running seasonal campaigns, adding a financing message to your spring and fall HVAC pushes is a natural fit. The seasonal email strategies that work for HVAC and plumbing pair directly with a “payments as low as $X/month” hook.

For contractors building out a slow season marketing plan, financing is often the lever that keeps revenue moving when homeowners are watching their budgets tightest.

Does Financing Help You Win Jobs You’d Otherwise Lose Entirely?

The data on this is pretty blunt. 87% of businesses that offered monthly payments reported winning jobs specifically because of that option, according to Contractor Accelerator citing Wisetack platform data from August 2025.

A MarketSharp survey cited by Joist found that 50% of home improvement contractors have seen firsthand increases in financing demand. Approximately 25% of home improvement customers who finance are specifically interested in financing through their contractor rather than going to a bank themselves.

That last point matters. If you’re not offering it, they’re not going to call their bank. They’re going to call a competitor who does offer it.

Pairing financing with solid SEO for your home service business means customers searching “replace HVAC payment plan” can actually find you. Once they land on your site, a financing calculator on your service pages does real pre-sell work before you ever pick up the phone.

Contractors who track where leads come from after adding financing often find it affects speed to lead too - customers who’ve already checked monthly payments online are more motivated to book fast. Combining financing with a strong website traffic strategy turns more of your existing visitors into paying customers without spending more on ads.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost a contractor to offer financing?

Most financing platforms are free to join with no monthly fees. You pay a dealer fee only when a customer finances a project - typically 4% to 15% of the financed amount depending on the loan type. Promotional 0% APR offers carry the highest fees (8% to 15%), while standard interest-bearing loans run closer to 3.9% to 6%.

How fast do customers get approved for contractor financing?

Approval through platforms like Wisetack and Hearth typically takes 30 seconds to 5 minutes. The customer fills out a short application on a tablet or a link texted to them, the lender runs a soft credit check, and the decision comes back almost immediately. Once the job is complete, the contractor is paid within 2 to 3 business days.

Should you present the monthly payment or the total price first?

Lead with the monthly payment. ACCA survey data shows contractors who present monthly payment options first see 42% of sales financed, compared to only 21% when leading with the total price. That shift costs you nothing to implement and changes close rates significantly.

Do you need any special license to offer financing as a contractor?

No license is required. The third-party financing partner holds the lending license and manages all credit decisions, disclosures, and regulatory requirements. Your role is to introduce the option and direct the customer to the application - nothing more.

What types of projects benefit most from contractor financing?

Any project where upfront cost creates hesitation benefits from financing. The most common categories are HVAC, roofing, remodeling, windows, energy efficiency upgrades, fencing, and decks. Joist reports that 65% of projects over $5,000 are financed, so if your average job clears that threshold, financing should be a standard part of every estimate.

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Pick one financing platform today - Wisetack, Hearth, or GreenSky - and sign up. Most applications take under 30 minutes and cost nothing upfront. Run financing on your next five estimates and track what happens to your close rate. If 87% of contractors who tried it won jobs they would have otherwise lost, the math is already working in your favor.