Most people don’t have a plan for what to do when their ceiling starts leaking or when their furnace shuts off in the middle of the night. There’s usually a moment of panic, and then an attempt to fix the problem fast.
Our latest survey of 1,068 consumers shows just how much urgency plays a part in how people choose home service providers.
A Crisis at Home and the First Search for Help
Almost half (49%) of homeowners start their search for a home service provider in the same place: Google.
Only 21% start by asking their family and friends for recommendations.
When it comes to emergencies, response time is the most important factor. 33% of consumers state it’s their top priority when choosing a provider. Ratings, recommendations, and price transparency are lesser concerns here.
Two-thirds of consumers expect providers to respond within a few hours. And those that respond the fastest usually win the job.
How Consumers Build (or Lose) Trust in Seconds
When they reach Google’s search results, consumers start filtering. And their first filter is a business’s reputation.
51% of consumers don’t consider providers that have less than a 4-star rating. And more than a quarter (26%) have an even higher requirement: 4.5 stars or more.
Reviews have such a big influence that 74% of respondents say they’ve chosen a more expensive provider at some point because they had better reviews.
But consumers don’t just look at star ratings. They want to see that a provider has had a decent number of satisfied customers before them. Most consumers want to see at least 6-20 reviews before trusting a provider.
How recent the reviews are is also important. 68% of respondents state that they find it very important that a provider has recent reviews.
Surprisingly, negative reviews aren’t always a dealbreaker. 80% of consumers read them when evaluating a provider, and pay attention to how the business responds.
The way a negative review is handled can help build trust with potential customers or destroy it completely.
When it comes to which platforms consumers use to read provider reviews, Google is the clear winner. 73% of respondents use it to check business reviews. Yelp (27%) and Facebook (17%) take second and third place, respectively.
The Red Flags That Make Customers Walk Away
At the top of the list of red flags that consumers look for when evaluating providers are poor reviews. Other common ones include missing licensing or certification details, unprofessional communication, and unclear or hidden pricing.
These are all tied to past frustrations.
And the biggest one consumers quote is poor-quality work, followed by a lack of price transparency, slow responses, and no-shows.
The data makes it clear: consumers’ threshold for trust is high, but the threshold for losing trust is incredibly low.
The Competitive Reality: Most Consumers Compare Multiple Providers
Consumers rarely contact just one provider. 85% reach out to 2-4 providers before making a decision. And they make decisions quickly, often guided by how providers handle these early moments.
Those that reply clearly and promptly stand out and can even win against competitors with higher ratings or more reviews.
This shows how response time has become a powerful differentiator. When consumers have an emergency, response time outranks all other factors, including price and rating.
Improve your online reputation
Use ReviewsOnMyWebsite to manage and improve your home service business's online reputation with ease.
What It Takes to Win a Customer as a Home Service Provider in 2026
Today’s consumers are cautious and demanding. To earn their trust, home service providers need to:
- Maintain strong, recent reviews
- Respond quickly and professionally
- Offer transparent pricing
- Demonstrate adequate licensing and proof of quality
- Stay accountable when things go wrong
Consumers aren’t looking for perfection. They need reliability.
The providers that inspire confidence in times of emergency are those that will come out ahead in today’s market.
