The way homeowners find contractors has shifted faster than most of the industry has noticed.
A meaningful and growing segment of homeowners, especially buyers and homeowners under 45, are no longer starting their contractor search on Google. They’re asking AI tools directly. ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overview. They type something like “best custom home builders in Maine” or “who does ADU additions in Portland” and they get a direct answer. Named contractors, summaries of what those contractors do, reasons to call them.