# Why will nobody give me a price over the phone?
Nobody prices blind because of what they have not seen yet, and there is an actual list of what that is for each trade.

## Why will a contractor not price a job by phone?
Usually because of what they have not seen yet, and the list is short and specific per trade. A water heater is priced off one nameplate. An electrical job needs the panel door open, the panel brand and the wiring type.

## What does a contractor have to see before pricing?
Every trade has its own list, and the intake names what each one needs:
- a roof: wide shots from the ground plus a close-up of the problem
- a water heater: the whole unit and its nameplate
- panel work: the panel with its door open so the breakers and label are readable

## How do I get bids without a phone call? <!--method-->
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.

## Can photos really carry what a visit carries?
Usually most of it, for the items on the pack, because a nameplate photographs perfectly and an open breaker door photographs perfectly. What photos do not carry is anything hidden behind a wall or under a deck. The contractor you pick may visit once before settling the final price against the percentage the bid stated.

## Why does the water heater nameplate matter so much?
Two facts sit on that plate and both move the job: the fuel it burns and the year it was made. Gas, electric and tankless are different installations, and the age tells a plumber whether the venting and the connections are likely to meet current code.

## Why would an electrician ask about the panel brand?
Three names change an electrical job before anyone quotes it: Federal Pacific, Zinsco and knob-and-tube. Each one changes what can be added to the panel and what has to be replaced first, so an electrician who has not seen the panel is pricing a guess.

## Why does nobody publish this list?
Nobody has needed to, because the list has always lived in the head of whoever came out to look. Written down it stops being a reason to book a visit and starts being a short errand you can run yourself in one afternoon with a phone camera.

## What can I photograph today without waiting for anyone?
Photograph the nameplate on your water heater, your electrical panel with the hinged door open so the breakers and label are readable, and wide shots of anything you want replaced. Never open a panel cover or climb a roof. Those three photos answer most of the first call.

## Start a bid card

Describe the job once, add the photos the pack asks for, and contractors who take part bid on that same written scope. 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.

[Start a bid card](/intake)

Last checked: 22 September 2026