For years, platforms like Thumbtack and Angi have shaped how homeowners find service professionals. Their approach is familiar: users submit a service request, their information is sent to multiple professionals, and whoever responds fastest hopes to win the job.
Deal Connect took a fundamentally different approach—especially when it comes to pricing, visibility, and control.
At the center of that difference is Deal Connect’s bidding-based matchmaking system.
The Traditional Model: Fixed Pricing, Shared Leads, and Forced Competition
On Thumbtack and Angi, professionals typically:
- Pay preset prices determined by the platform
- Receive the same lead as multiple competitors
- Compete on speed, not relevance
- Have little control over cost relative to deal value
Visibility is largely controlled by the platform, not the professional. You don’t decide what a lead is worth to you. You accept the price—or you don’t participate.
This model creates volume, but not precision.
The Deal Connect Model: Property-First Matchmaking With Professional-Controlled Bidding
Deal Connect starts with a property search, not a service request. Professionals appear directly on property pages based on:
- Property location
- Service category
From there, visibility is determined by Pro Rank, which includes a bidding system that puts control back in the professional’s hands.
Instead of fixed lead prices, professionals decide:
- What a connection is worth to them
- How aggressive they want to be in their market
- How much they want to spend monthly
How the Bidding System Works
In Deal Connect, professionals can bid on connections within their city and service category.
Higher bids increase visibility relative to other professionals in the same market—but bidding is only one part of the equation.
Visibility is influenced by multiple Pro Rank factors, including:
- Bid amount compared to others in your city and category
- Profile completion
- Optional verification
- Auto-Lead enabled or disabled
- Monthly budget
- Location coverage
- Service relevance
This creates a balanced ranking system, not a pay-to-win auction.
A professional with a strong profile and moderate bid can outperform a higher bidder with a weak profile. Quality still matters.
Auto-Lead vs. Manual Control
Deal Connect also gives professionals flexibility in how bidding is applied.
With Auto-Lead enabled, professionals:
- Set a bid amount and monthly budget
- Allow connections to be accepted automatically
- Are billed weekly or when the budget is reached
- Gain access to up to three cities instead of one
With Auto-Lead off, professionals:
- See interest first without contact details
- Pay a flat amount per connection only if they choose to proceed
- Maintain full manual control
Neither Thumbtack nor Angi offers this level of pricing and visibility customization.
Who Controls Visibility?
Thumbtack / Angi
- Platform sets pricing
- Platform controls distribution
- Speed often outweighs fit
Deal Connect
- Professionals choose what to bid
- Visibility is relative, transparent, and adjustable
- Fit, trust, and timing matter more than speed
This shift changes professional behavior. Instead of racing to respond, professionals compete by being relevant, trusted, and properly positioned.
Why This Matters in Real Estate
Real estate services are not commodity tasks. They are tied to:
- Specific properties
- Legal and financial timelines
- High-trust decisions
A fixed-price, shared-lead system wasn’t built for that complexity.
Deal Connect’s bidding-based matchmaking system reflects how real estate actually works: deal value varies, urgency varies, and professionals should be able to price accordingly.
Not a Better Lead Platform — A Different Economic Model
Deal Connect didn’t just improve lead pricing.
It replaced it.
By combining property-based discovery, professional-controlled bidding, and Pro Rank optimization, the platform created a marketplace where:
- Users choose first
- Professionals pay what makes sense for their business
- Visibility is earned, not forced
That’s not how Thumbtack or Angi were designed.
And once professionals experience controlling both cost and visibility inside real property activity, the old model starts to feel less like competition—and more like a limitation.