How we rank
Before anything else, every pro has to clear a check. Each badge says exactly what we checked, so it can't be read as more than it is.
Who gets listed
State-licensed Texas licenses the trade (AC, electrical, plumbing, pest control; solar installers need an electrical contractor license and water softener pros a plumbing license). The pro is listed only with an active license, matched in the state's own file and checked again on the state's schedule. We show the license number so you can look it up too.
Registered business Texas doesn't license the trade (roofing, tree work, lawn, cleaning, grooming and more). The business has an active Texas registration. Until the pro uploads proof, the listing says “Insurance not verified.” With a $300k insurance certificate it becomes Registered and insured. We never call these pros “licensed.”
Not verified Holiday lighting only. Many crews work just this season under a person's own name, so we list them even when we can't match a Texas business registration, after the registered ones, with what to ask before you hire.
Hub Verified The pro runs their business on ServicePros Hub, has an active account with at least 10 finished jobs in the last year, and chose to share their records. Their reply time (to booking requests and new texts), how often they arrive on time (within 30 minutes of the scheduled start, from the crew's Arrived tap) and how many accepted quotes they finished come from those records, not from guesses. Each number shows once there's enough behind it. Hub Verified pros are listed first.
The order on each list
Hub Verified first, then state-licensed pros, then pros whose insurance we've checked, then registered businesses, then (holiday lighting only) crews we couldn't verify. Within each group:
- If you gave us your ZIP or location, the nearest first: within 2, 5 and 10 miles, then farther. You choose how far to look (3, 5 or 10 miles, or all).
- Owners who claimed their listing and posted their fees.
- How often callers reached them, once at least 5 people have told us.
- A to Z.
When pros have scores, the score takes the place of steps 2 and 3. Star ratings from other sites never count toward the order.
Scores come from four things: speed (how fast they answer and call back), reliability (on time, finished what they quoted), reviews written here by people we can tie to a real job, and cost (fair prices and every fee shown up front). We don't copy stars or reviews from Google, Yelp, Facebook, Angi or Thumbtack.
How speed is measured
Call buttons dial the pro's own number; nothing sits in between. When you come back, we ask one question: did you reach them? Only people who tapped Call count, once a day per pro. For Hub Verified pros, we also show their reply time from their own records.
What never counts
Money. Nobody can pay for a better score or a higher spot, and pros never pay per lead. Find a Pro is made by ServicePros Hub; Hub Verified pros are listed first because their numbers are measured, and their scores are worked out the same way as everyone else's.
What to ask before they come
- Is there a trip charge? Is it waived if I hire you?
- Is there an after-hours, weekend or holiday fee?
- Do you charge to find the problem?
- What's the least you charge for a visit?
- Will I get a written price before work starts?
- For trades Texas doesn't license: can you send proof of insurance?