Contractor here — just moved to Houston and can’t seem to close a single deal on Thumbtack

Hey everyone, I’m a contractor who just moved to Houston recently, and I’ve been trying to get some local traction through Thumbtack. But man, it’s been brutal.

I respond to leads right away, keep my quotes fair, and even attach photos of past projects — yet I can’t seem to close a single deal. Every lead either ghosts me after I quote or says they’re just “getting estimates for now.”

It’s starting to feel like half the people on Thumbtack aren’t serious buyers anymore. Some of them post jobs that aren’t even what they described — like I’ll quote for a small painting job and then find out they actually want a full repaint, ceilings, trim, everything.

Is it just me? Or has Thumbtack gone downhill lately? For those of you already working in Houston, are you getting real clients off it, or have you switched to something else like Facebook groups, Nextdoor, or Google Ads?

I’m really trying to figure out what works best around here because, honestly, Thumbtack hasn’t been worth it so far.