What does not change the price of a job?
A price should track the work, so here is what genuinely moves it, what does not, and what it means when something else does.
Does being polite get me a better price?
No, and it should not, because a price that moves on manners is not tracking the work. Be civil for the ordinary reason. Then ask for a written scope priced line by line: only that scope should move the bid. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Does saying I have other quotes lower the price?
Typically not by itself, and the figures should never leave your hands. Saying you are collecting three bids is normal and keeps the process honest. Handing over another bidder's number invites a price written against that number instead of against the work in your scope.
How do I keep a price tracking the work?
Contractors who take part estimate from your photos and a written scope card, so nobody visits before you see any prices. Homeowners pay InstaBids nothing. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
Does my zip code change the price across one metro?
Not much on its own, because distance inside one metro is already inside a crew's normal travel. What does move is access, and access belongs in the written scope: a narrow street, no driveway, a long carry from the truck, gated entry, parking rules.
Does my own urgency change what the job costs?
No, how you feel about the timeline is not in the scope, though a finish date you require is. Put that finish date in writing as a requirement and every bidder prices the same requirement. Saying it out loud in a sales conversation puts nothing in the bid.
What actually does change the price?
Five things, and all of them are about the work: the scope itself, access to it, the materials named, who removes and disposes of the old material, and whether a permit is required. Write those down and every bid moves for a reason you can read, except a post-visit change, which should stay inside the percentage the bid stated.
What should I make of a number that moves for no reason?
Treat it as information about the bidder, not about your job. A number that drops the moment you hesitate, or climbs when you mention a deadline, was never tied to the written scope. Ask which lines on the scope changed, and read the answer.
What can I write down before I speak to anyone?
Keep two lists on one page: what is in the job, and what is not. Scope, access, materials, removal and disposal, permit on the first. Your budget, your deadline, what anyone else quoted, and how you feel about it on the second, which nobody else sees.
Start a bid card
Describe the job once and contractors who take part bid on that same written scope, so the only thing a number can answer is the work. Contact details stay hidden until the homeowner picks a contractor and they confirm the connection. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.
InstaBids is in an early pilot in Broward and Palm Beach counties. We are still building our contractor network, so a job may not get bids yet. Your request page shows whether any bids have come in.
Last checked: 22 September 2026