Hearth Review — Customer Financing for Contractors Who Want to Close Bigger Jobs

Real Pricing

⚠ Hearth is free for contractors — they make money from the lending partners. Customers pay interest on financed amounts (rates vary by credit). Some lenders charge merchant fees (1-3% of financed amount), which you can eat or pass to the customer. Multiple lender options mean different rates and terms.

What It Actually Does

Hearth lets your customers finance their project instead of paying upfront. You present financing options right in your estimate — the customer sees monthly payment amounts, applies in 60 seconds, and gets approved (or declined) instantly. You get paid the full amount upfront (minus any merchant fees). The customer pays the lender over time.

The key pieces:

• Financing Integration — Embed financing options directly in your digital estimates and proposals
• Instant Pre-Qualification — Customer fills out a short form and sees their options immediately — no hard credit pull at this stage
• Multiple Lenders — Hearth shops rates across multiple lenders, so customers get competitive options
• Payment Calculator — Customers see monthly payment estimates on every proposal — $12,000 pool = $175/month
• Digital Application — Full application takes minutes, not days — faster close
• Contractor Portal — Track applications, approvals, and funded deals
• No Recourse — Once the lender funds the loan, you’re paid. The customer’s repayment is between them and the lender.

Pros for Trade Contractors

• Free for contractors — no monthly subscription, you only pay if there are merchant fees (and you can pass those on)
• Closes bigger jobs — customers who hesitate at $15,000 rarely hesitate at $150/month
• Instant pre-qualification during the estimate visit — customer knows their options before you leave
• Multiple lender network means better approval rates — if one lender declines, another might approve
• The payment calculator in proposals sells the job for you — monthly numbers feel manageable
• Funds fast — typically 1-3 business days after approval, not weeks
• Integrates with Jobber, Housecall Pro, and other CRM/estimating tools
• Works for all credit levels — prime, near-prime, and sub-prime lenders in the network

Cons for Trade Contractors

− Merchant fees (1-3%) on some lenders eat into margin if you don’t pass them to the customer − Not all customers qualify — sub-prime applicants may get high rates (20%+ APR) that feel predatory − You become partly responsible for setting expectations — “it’s only $150/month” can lead to buyer’s remorse − Integration setup with your estimating software takes a few hours — not as instant as the marketing suggests − Customer confusion about the difference between pre-qualification and full approval — manage expectations − Some lenders have minimum project sizes ($1,000+) which excludes smaller service calls − You’re promoting debt — some contractors are philosophically uncomfortable with this

Setup Difficulty

Apply for a Hearth account (requires business verification), get approved, integrate with your estimating software (or use Hearth’s standalone proposal tool), and you’re ready to offer financing. The integration setup — connecting to Jobber or Housecall Pro — takes a few hours. After that, financing options appear automatically on your estimates.

Best For Which Trades?

From the Trenches

Financing changes the sales conversation completely. Without financing, you’re asking “can you afford $12,000?” With financing, you’re asking “can you afford $175/month?” Those are two completely different conversations. Every pool contractor, HVAC company, and landscaper selling big projects should offer financing. Period.

But here’s what the Hearth sales rep won’t tell you: financing cuts both ways. Yes, it closes more jobs. But it can also create problems if customers don’t understand what they’re signing. That $175/month pool payment is great until the customer loses their job and the lender starts calling you because the customer listed you as a reference. You’re not on the hook financially (no recourse means exactly that), but the emotional fallout lands on you.

Be responsible about how you present financing. Don’t lead with “it’s only $150/month!” Lead with the value of the work, the quality of the installation, the warranty. Present financing as a payment option, not a sales tactic. The customers who finance because they want to — not because they were pressured — are the ones who refer you to their friends.

For the practical side: Hearth vs GreenSky vs Wisdom is a coin flip for most contractors. They all do the same thing — connect your customers with lenders. Hearth’s interface is the cleanest. GreenSky has the largest lender network. Wisdom is contractor-focused. Try whichever integrates best with your estimating software. You can always switch — you’re not locked into one financing partner.

One final tip: always present the cash price first, then mention financing is available. “This system is $12,000 installed. If you’re interested, we have financing options that work out to about $175/month.” Cash price anchors the value. Monthly payment makes it accessible. In that order.

Alternatives

• Cheaper: Not offering financing (free, but you lose jobs to competitors who do)
• Simpler: Wisdom (similar concept, different lender network)
• More powerful (and more expensive): GreenSky (larger lender network, more options, but more complex setup)