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Home services and trades
191 guides · page 3 of 4
How PE roll-ups work in home services
How PE roll-ups work in home services: platforms, add-ons, integration and exit, what each stage means for a selling owner, and where job records get merged.
How to clean up ServiceTitan data before turning on AI tools
ServiceTitan data cleanup in the right order: duplicate customers, job types, tags, equipment, memberships and notes, and why each one matters for AI.
How to export AccuLynx job files, photos and documents
An AccuLynx export guide for roofing operators: what each job file holds, which export routes to confirm, and how to keep photos tied to the right job.
How to export all your data from ServiceTitan
ServiceTitan data export, route by route: what reports, API access and vendor requests reach, which fields need care and how to confirm nothing is missing.
How to export CompanyCam photos in bulk with project details
CompanyCam export photos guide: how to bulk download project photos and keep the project, date, tags and captions that make each image useful later.
How to export customers, jobs and invoices from Housecall Pro
Export data from Housecall Pro by data type: customers, jobs, estimates, invoices, photos and messages, the IDs to keep and the gaps to request from support.
How to export everything from Jobber before switching
Export data from Jobber before switching: client CSVs, full-history reports, notes and photos, plus a verification checklist to finish before you cancel.
How to export FieldEdge service history and agreements
A FieldEdge data export checklist: the records to pull for customers, equipment, work orders and service agreements, and the history migrations usually drop.
How to export Service Fusion data
A Service Fusion data export checklist: what to pull, how to verify it, and why anything you don't migrate belongs in a read-only archive before access ends.
How to export ServiceTitan call recordings
How to export ServiceTitan call recordings in bulk: find where they live, request the export, and keep the metadata that links each call to its job.
How to prepare a commercial mechanical contractor for sale
A sale-prep checklist for commercial mechanical contractors: service agreement files, building automation access and the WIP schedules buyers will test.
How to prepare a fire protection company for sale
A pre-sale checklist for fire sprinkler and alarm contractors: inspection schedules, deficiency backlog, monitoring accounts, licenses and key records.
How to prepare a landscaping business for sale
Prepare a landscaping business for sale with a checklist that pairs each item with its proof record: contracts, retention, crew hours, equipment and licenses.
How to prepare a pest control company for sale
How to prepare a pest control company for sale: route density reports, retention, termite bonds, applicator licenses and treatment records in one checklist.
How to prepare a restoration company for sale
A pre-sale checklist for restoration and roofing owners: carrier program agreements, job file completeness, receivables aging by carrier and owner dependence.
How to prepare an electrical contracting company for sale
Prepare an electrical contractor for sale with the checklist buyers test: backlog schedules, a repeat service base, the license qualifier and job records.
How to prepare an HVAC business for sale two to three years out
Prepare an HVAC business for sale with a year-by-year plan: financials, agreements and team, plus a records track for data quality, rights and retention.
How to test an AI estimating tool against your past jobs
Test AI estimating software before you buy: run it blind on closed jobs, compare line items and totals with your estimates and actual costs, and log misses.
HVAC business valuation multiples in 2026: SDE vs EBITDA
When an HVAC business valuation multiple applies to SDE or EBITDA, why published ranges conflict, and which records buyers check before agreeing to a number.
HVAC industry trends for 2027 that owners should plan around
HVAC industry trends for 2027: AI agents, consolidation, refrigerant changes and the technician gap, each with an owner action and the records it needs.
HVAC warranty claim records: what makes them useful outside your company
HVAC warranty claim records: the fields that make each claim useful outside your company, and the manufacturer terms to check before any outside use.
Illustrative dataset manifest for an HVAC job history
A dataset manifest example for field service: tables, fields, year ranges, placeholder counts and the privacy treatment for each field in an HVAC job history.
Illustrative workflow data package: a home services company's job histories
A workflow data package example for home services: a fictional manifest of record families, fields, linkage keys, removal rules and Evidence Packet items.
Inquiry to invoice: how linked job records become AI training data
Inquiry to invoice records traced through one fictional HVAC call: which links matter most to AI developers and where the chain usually breaks in practice.
Is a contractor's price book a trade secret?
Is a price book a trade secret? Only if pricing stays private, gains value from secrecy and is protected. What qualifies and what to exclude from data deals.
Is it legal to record in-home sales conversations with customers?
Is it legal to record conversations with customers in the home? One-party vs all-party rules for in-home visits, a disclosure script and where to log consent.
Job site photos linked to work orders: AI value and privacy
Job site photos data is worth more when each photo links to its work order. See which photos AI teams use and which faces, addresses and plates come out.
KPIs PE buyers track in home services and where they live in your data
Home services KPIs private equity buyers track, with definitions, formulas, source reports and the data errors that change results during diligence.
Lawn care business valuation: treatment routes vs mowing
Lawn care business valuation turns on revenue mix. See how treatment routes and mowing compare on recurrence, seasonality and the records buyers ask to see.
Licensing quote records without exposing your price book
Worried about pricing data leakage when licensing quotes? Compare five treatments, from removing prices to delaying release, and what each costs in value.
Lost quotes and estimates: why the jobs you did not win matter
Lost quotes have data value: unsold estimates show where price, options and follow-up stop working. The fields to keep on every lost estimate, and why.
Mechanical contractor valuation: service base vs construction backlog
Why buyers value a commercial mechanical contractor's service base and construction backlog differently, and the records that prove service revenue recurs.
Mechanical or electrical contractor succession: keeping job records valuable
Contractor business succession planning for mechanical and electrical firms: which job records hold value, where they go missing, and a handoff checklist.
Membership and maintenance agreement histories as a dataset
Maintenance agreement history data follows the same equipment visit after visit. The fields to keep, what renewals and findings reveal, and who studies them.
Owner dependence in trade companies: how buyers measure it
Owner dependence lowers business valuation in trade companies. See the scorecard buyers use, who sells, estimates and approves, and the records that prove it.
Painting company valuation: residential repaint vs commercial work
Painting company valuation depends on work mix: how residential repaint, commercial MSA work and new construction change buyer interest, and the proof needed.
Physical AI and the skilled trades: what's real in 2026
Physical AI in the skilled trades, sorted into here now, emerging and distant, plus why real job footage and linked records matter to robotics teams.
Platform vs add-on: what your role in a roll-up means for systems and data
Platform vs add-on acquisition explained for owners: how each role changes field service systems, migrations and record handling, and what to secure first.
Plumbing company valuation: what drives the multiple
Plumbing company valuation turns on earnings quality, service mix, recurring revenue, management depth and records. See the evidence buyers ask for on each.
POTS sunset: the communicator records alarm buyers check
Alarm account buyers check how every panel communicates. See how they view POTS, cellular and IP paths, which records to pull, and what to fix before a sale.
Predictive maintenance for residential HVAC: what data it really takes
Predictive maintenance for residential HVAC starts with visit records, not sensors. Compare what visit data predicts alone and what device data adds.
Questions to ask any AI vendor before connecting your field service software
AI vendor questions contractors should ask before connecting ServiceTitan or similar software: access scope, retention, training use, subprocessors and exit.
QuickBooks Desktop to Online: what to do with old company files
QuickBooks Desktop discontinued for many buyers? Compare options for old company files: convert, keep read-only, export reports or review history for value.
Recording employees on calls and job sites: handbook language for contractors
Employee recording policy handbook language for contractors: illustrative clauses for CSR calls, in-home audio, van cameras and de-identified records.
Repair vs replace decision records in HVAC: why they are reasoning data
Repair vs replace decision data captures equipment age, the fault, quoted options and the customer's choice. See which HVAC fields make it reasoning data.
Repeat service history: why years of visits to the same site matter
Service history per location shows how equipment at one address ages, fails and gets fixed. See the fields to keep and what breaks years of site records.
Residential solar after 25D: options for installers in 2026
The residential solar tax credit ended for homeowners. A decision tree for installers in 2026, plus the records that keep each option open.
Restoration job files (estimates, photos, moisture logs) as AI data
Restoration job file data links Xactimate estimates, photos and moisture logs into one record of a loss. See the file structure, uses and rights to check.