We are excited to introduce Joist Homeowner Financing!
What is Joist Homeowner Financing?
Joist has partnered with leading personal loan financing companies to offer your clients access to personal loans for their home improvement projects.
- Make your client's dream projects more affordable
- Help clients pay for unexpected major repairs
- Ensure clients have the cash flow to cover any change orders or project scope increases
The financing options are presented professionally on the estimate and invoice web pages.
Offering financing is intended to help increase your job winning rate and average project size.
How much does this cost?
Homeowner financing costs you nothing. There’s nothing for you to sign up for and nothing for you to pay. The whole idea here is we want to make sure your client has the money needed to pay you for the job -- they do the applying, they pay back the loan, and you get paid directly by them.
What do I need to do to get started?
Nothing! All you need to do is issue estimates and invoices with the financing option turned on, and your clients will be able to view their financing options when they view your documents online.
How does Joist Homeowner Financing work?
- Turn ON financing on your next Estimate or Invoice
- Your client will see a ‘View Financing Options’ button when they view your estimate or invoice online
- They can click the button and follow the steps to find their personalized financing rate within minutes
- If there is a financing offer that is suitable to your client, they can complete the application process and receive their funds within a few business days
- The client deals directly with the lender, meaning you can proceed with getting estimate approvals and invoice payments as you normally would!
- No work or registration required by you the contractor!
Will offering Joist Homeowner Financing impact my credit score?
Absolutely not. The client will deal directly with the lending company, and their financing offers will be presented based on their own credit score and financial standing.
Who is offering the financing?
Joist has partnered with Acorn Finance, a marketplace of lenders that connects customers to lenders, to explore fast, easy, home improvement loan options.
What loan sizes are offered?
Personal Loans are available from $1,000 to $100,000.
What is the loan interest rate and term length?
Interest rates and terms depend completely on the client’s profile, loan dollar amount, and term. Loans are available with APRs as low as 4.49% APR.
How long does it take for the loan to be issued?
Loan approvals can be made within minutes. Once a client is approved for a loan, they should expect to receive the funding within 1-2 business days.
What happens if a client defaults on their loan
If a client defaults on their loan, this would not affect you. Assuming you have already been paid for your work, the money you have been paid will remain yours.
Will we be able to see if the client was approved or declined when they apply for financing?
Lending decisions are made completely between the client and the lender. To ensure we protect the privacy and security of your clients, information about client loan approvals are kept confidential.
Will we know which company approves the loan and when the client receives the funds?
Your client will be directed to any one of our supported lending partners based on the job size and location. The specific partner they are referred will be kept confidential to protect their privacy and security.
What will my client see when they click the financing button on the estimate or invoice?
Your client will be directed to one of our partner’s websites, where they can check their rates within minutes. If pre-approved, they will have the opportunity to formally apply for a loan online.
Can the client do something different with the funds and not proceed with the home improvement process?
Yes. The client can spend the funds any way they want to as if they received a loan from a bank or a family member. The loan itself is between the client and the lender, and is unrelated to your company's existing estimates, invoices and terms of service - you should be receiving estimate approvals and invoice payments as you normally do, as if the client had the cash up front.
The product has been built this way to keep things as simple and cost effective as possible for contractors.
Can I still accept credit card payments
Absolutely! Homeowner financing and credit card payments are two independent features designed to help ensure you win more jobs and get paid more reliably. You don’t have to choose one over the other.
What countries or states have access to the Homeowner Financing option?
Currently, Homeowner Financing is not available outside of the USA, or in the following US states: MA, MD, NV, RI, VT, WV; and the following US territories: AS, FM, GU, MH, MP, PW, PR, VI.
Acorn is available in 43 States, plus DC, and Acorn is working on adding support for all states later in 2022. You can see their most up to date coverage map here: https://www.acornfinance.com/acorn-finance-coverage
Do you offer contractor business financing?
We currently only support Homeowner Financing. If you are interested in financing options for your business, please email us at hello@joist.com.
What if I have more questions?
We’re always here to help. Reach out to us over Live Chat in the Help section of Joist or drop us an email at hello@joist.com.
What if my clients have questions about the Acorn application?
Your clients get top notch support as well. Have them reach out directly to Acorn by phone, email or chat:
Phone: (916) 404-1982
Email: support@acornfinance.com
Live Chat: Click the chat icon at the bottom right of the loan application
Are we the contractor liable for the client's financing decision or actions?