To follow up on an estimate by text, send a short check-in the day after the quote goes out, a second text a few days later asking what is holding up the decision, and a close-the-loop text about a week after that. Stop the moment the customer replies, and keep prices and scope for the call or the written estimate.
This guide covers why estimates need a follow-up, what consent you need, when to send, ready-to-paste sequences for small and large jobs, a close-the-loop text, and answers to the replies contractors hear most. It is the home services chapter of our guide to SMS for sales and customer follow-up. Every number links to its source and year.
Why follow up on an estimate by text?
Because the homeowner is usually comparing you with other firms, and a short, polite text keeps your quote in front of them. The FTC's advice to homeowners is to "Get multiple estimates", and adds: "Don't automatically choose the lowest bidder. And ask for an explanation if there's a big difference among the estimates" (FTC, How to avoid a home improvement scam, 2022). A follow-up that offers to explain your price answers that question before they ask it.
Texting suits this job: 91% of US adults own a smartphone (Pew Research Center, 2025), and a homeowner can answer "Any questions on the estimate?" between other things.
What the evidence does and doesn't show:
| Claim you'll see online | What we found |
|---|---|
| "Most replies come from follow-ups" (often given as 42%) | Repeated on vendor blogs with no study or method behind it. We leave it out |
| Two well-timed texts beat one | Shown in reminder trials: in a randomized trial of 54,066 patients, reminders 3 days and 1 day before a visit led to fewer missed visits than either alone (American Journal of Managed Care, 2018). Different setting, same mechanics |
| Estimate follow-up texts win more jobs | No independent study measures this. Treat the sequences below as good practice to test against your own close rate |
What consent do you need to text about an estimate?
You need the customer's agreement to receive texts from you, recorded with where and when they gave it. Most home services leads give it while booking the estimate, which makes it the easiest point to ask. This section summarizes public rules as of October 2026. It is not legal advice, so ask a lawyer about your own program.
| How the estimate was booked | What to check | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| They texted you first | You can reply. CTIA's carrier guidance says that when the consumer starts the conversation, "no additional permission is expected" (CTIA, 2023) | The first message |
| Your website booking form | A checkbox or clear line by the phone field saying you will text about their estimate, with how to opt out (opt-in wording examples) | Page, date, wording |
| A phone call | Ask "Is it OK if I text you the estimate and follow up by text?" CTIA says informational permission can be given "verbally" | Who asked, the date, their answer |
| A lead from a home services marketplace | Whether the form they filled in named your business and covered texts. CTIA says an opt-in "should apply only to the campaign(s) and specific Message Sender for which it was intended or obtained" | The marketplace, the date, the form's wording |
Two more rules matter here. In the US, texts that advertise, sent with an autodialer to a mobile number, need "prior express written consent" (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(2)), so a follow-up that adds an offer or a discount needs the stricter consent. In Canada, a message that "solely" provides a quote or estimate "if the quote or estimate was requested by the person" skips CASL's consent requirement (CASL s. 6(6)(a)), though it must still identify you and include an unsubscribe mechanism (s. 6(2)). The request itself also gives implied consent for six months (s. 10(10)). The full picture is in our business texting rules guide.
When should you send estimate follow-up texts?
Start the day after the estimate arrives, give the customer a few days between texts, and finish within about ten days for most jobs. Bigger jobs, such as a roof, a furnace replacement or solar, take longer to decide, so stretch the waits.
| Job size | Texts | Timing | Ends with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Small job (repair, cleaning, a single service call) | 3 | Day 1, day 3, day 7 | A close-the-loop text |
| Mid-size job (replacement, remodel of one room) | 4 | Day 1, day 3, day 6, day 10 | A close-the-loop text |
| Large job (roof, HVAC system, solar, addition) | 4 | Day 1, day 5, day 12, day 21 | A close-the-loop text that offers a later check-in |
| Customer said "not this season" | 1 | About 30 days later, if their consent covers it | One check-back text |
Send during the day in the customer's time zone. US federal rules bar telephone solicitations before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. local time (47 CFR 64.1200(c)), and Florida, Oklahoma and Maryland end at 8 p.m. with at most three attempts in 24 hours on the same subject. A window of 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday to Saturday, fits those rules and the way homeowners plan projects. Our quiet hours guide quotes the statutes. If your office is closed on weekends, count waits in business days so replies don't land when nobody can answer.
Estimate follow-up sequence
Every template in this guide fits in one segment (160 characters) with the fields filled in, before the opt-out line is added. Swap "Sam" and "Northwind" for your name and business. Fields in double braces, like First name, come from the columns on your list.
Text 1, the day after the estimate goes out:
Hi First name, it's Sam from Northwind. Did the estimate for Service come through OK? Happy to walk you through it.
Wait 2 days. If no reply:
Any questions on the Service estimate? If the price or timing needs to move, there are usually options. Just ask.
Wait 3 days. If no reply:
Is anything holding up a decision, like timing, budget or scope? One word is plenty and I'll take it from there.
Wait 4 days. If no reply:
I'll take it you've gone another way for now, First name. If plans change, text me and I'll get you on the schedule.
Each text changes the angle: check it arrived, offer to explain the price, ask what is in the way, close the loop. For the reasoning behind the number of texts, see how many follow-up texts to send.
Variations by trade
After a site visit, before the written estimate. Confirm when it will arrive, so the first follow-up isn't a surprise:
Thanks for having us at Address today, First name. Your estimate for Service will be in your inbox by Date.
Large jobs. Offer a second visit or a call with the person who will run the job:
Hi First name, Sam at Northwind. Would a quick call with our project lead help you decide on the Service?
Seasonal work. For customers who said "next season," one check-back text is enough:
Hi First name, Sam from Northwind. Is the Service back on the list this month, or should I check in later?
What should the close-the-loop text say?
Say you'll stop following up, leave the door open, and make replying easy. A closing text asks for nothing, which makes it easy to answer, and it often brings the reply the earlier texts didn't: "Still deciding" tells you to stay in touch, and "We went with someone else" lets you close the job and ask what decided it.
Two more options:
Should I close out your estimate for now, First name? A quick yes or no helps me plan the schedule.
No need to reply if you've moved on. If you'd like the Service estimate updated later, just text me here.
How should you answer common replies?
A reply ends the automated texts, and a person answers from the same number in the same thread. These are the replies contractors hear most:
| Reply | A good answer |
|---|---|
| "Price is higher than I expected" | Offer the explanation the FTC tells homeowners to ask for, and one or two options: "Happy to explain the difference. We can also look at a smaller scope. Want a quick call?" |
| "Need to talk it over with my partner" | "Of course. Want me to check back on Friday, or would you rather text me when you're ready?" |
| "We went with someone else" | "Thanks for letting me know. If you're willing, what made the difference? It helps us improve." |
| "Who is this?" | Your name, your business and the estimate: "It's Sam from Northwind. We quoted your Service on Date." |
| STOP | Send only the single confirmation your system sends, then nothing more |
Opt-outs must be honored within 10 business days under US rules (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10)) and CASL (s. 11). Stopping at once is the safe practice. Our STOP and opt-out guide covers the details.
What should an estimate text leave out?
Keep each text short and easy to trust. People are right to be careful: they reported $470 million lost to scams that started with a text in 2024 (FTC, 2025).
- Pressure. The FTC lists "Scammers pressure you for an immediate decision" among its home improvement warning signs. If your quote has a real expiry date, state it once, plainly, and leave "today only" language out.
- Requests for card numbers or deposits by text. Send deposits through your invoicing system and say so.
- Links on domains customers won't recognize, including shared public link shorteners, which carriers filter. Use a link on your own domain.
- Line-by-line pricing. It belongs in the written estimate; the text points to it.
- Offers and discounts, unless the customer agreed to promotional texts.
What comes after the estimate is accepted?
A new sequence with a new goal. Confirm the job date and send reminders the day before (our reminder sequences guide has the timing that tested best), then ask for a review once the work is done, using the review request texts guide. Keep each customer in one live sequence at a time, so a review request never overlaps with a job reminder. More wording for quotes and other moments is in our follow-up text templates.
Where does Textually fit?
Textually runs estimate sequences like these for home services teams in the US and Canada. You import estimates by CSV or paste them into a table, push them into a campaign (new rows can join automatically), and write Text, Wait and Condition steps with any column, such as Service or Address, as a field. Waits count days, with an option for business days only. Textually registers your number for 10DLC in the US and verifies a toll-free number for Canada, keeps each customer on the same number, and sends only inside the sending days and hours you set. A text goes out only with a consent record or a campaign-wide confirmation, carries the opt-out line until the customer replies, and stops at once on STOP. A reply ends that customer's sequence and lands in one shared inbox with the full history and suggested replies. There is a monthly platform fee ($99, or $49 at the founding price for the first 1,000 teams), with texts charged per segment and replies free (pricing). See why text and how the rules are built in, or apply for access.
Questions
How soon should I follow up on an estimate?
The day after it reaches the customer. That gives them time to read it, and a short "Did the estimate come through OK?" catches problems like a quote in a spam folder. Then wait two or three days before the next text.
How many times should I text about an estimate?
Three or four texts over one to three weeks, depending on the size of the job, ending with a close-the-loop text. No independent study sets the right number for estimate follow-ups, so track your own close rate and opt-outs and adjust.
What should I say when a customer says the price is too high?
Offer to explain the difference and give one or two options, such as a smaller scope or a different material, then suggest a quick call. The FTC tells homeowners to ask for an explanation when estimates differ, so having one ready helps.
Do I need permission to text a customer about their estimate?
Yes. Ask when they book the estimate, by a checkbox on your form or a quick question on the phone, and record where and when they agreed. In Canada, a message that solely provides a requested estimate is exempt from CASL's consent requirement but must still identify you and offer an unsubscribe. This is not legal advice.
Should I offer a discount in a follow-up text?
Only if the customer agreed to promotional texts. An offer turns a service text into a marketing text, which in the US needs prior express written consent when sent with an autodialer. A plain question about what is holding up the decision usually does more.
When should I stop following up on an estimate?
When the customer replies, opts out, or doesn't answer the close-the-loop text. A slow check-back a month or a season later suits customers who said "not now", as long as their consent still covers it.
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