Podcast Summary: Owned and Operated

Episode: "The Ultimate Home Service Trivia Show (What Homeowners Really Think)"

Date: November 25, 2025
Host: John Wilson
Guests: Brandon Nyro & Zach Dearing (Mantle)

Overview

This special episode transforms the "Owned and Operated" podcast into a fast-paced, trivia-style game show. Host John Wilson faces off against his partner Brandon Nyro, with Zach Dearing from Mantle serving as moderator, quizmaster, and data expert. Using insights from Mantle’s fresh annual survey of 500+ U.S. homeowners, the group debates what homeowners really think about contractors, buying habits, pricing, trust, discovery channels, and much more. They reveal key surprises and bust some industry myths along the way—all with plenty of laughs and friendly competition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. How Many Contractors Do Homeowners Reach Out To?

• Average Number Contacted: 2.1 contractors per project (rounded to 2).
• Millennials reach out to 0.2 more than non-millennials, but still surprisingly close to average.
• Host John Wilson:

  "Who reaches out to four? Who has time for that?" [02:23]

2. Quote Recipients vs. Follow-Up Reality

• Only 2.5% of homeowners reaching out to contractors never receive a quote.
  • Industry perception is that many more are lost due to poor follow-up, but data suggests otherwise.

3. Where Do Homeowners Find Contractors?

• Top Channels (All Homeowners):

  • Google/Google Maps: 39%
  • Previously Used Contractor: 33-34%
  • Recommendations (Friends, Family, Neighbors): 25%
  • AI Search (ChatGPT, Perplexity, etc.): 3%

• Generational Notes:

  • Millennials: 62% use Google, 4.6% try AI, 3.45% discover at big box stores.
  • Boomers: 23% use Google, 0% big box stores, highly favor previous contractors.

• Notable Quote (John Wilson, on Google):

  "I'm surprised how close that is. I would have thought like three to four for millennials. Just because they're like digitally native." [05:45]

4. The State of AI Search

• Only 3% of verified 2025 homeowner shoppers used AI search to find a contractor.
• Discussion: AI is getting fatigue and distrust, with most homeowners preferring Google or personal recommendations.
• Memorable Moment:

  "The amount we talk about AI search and how it's changing everything... for a millennial, it's about as popular as walking into Home Depot." — Zach Dearing [46:46]

5. The Myth of Big Box Store Discovery

• 1% of homeowners overall discover their contractor in a big box store.
  • Millennials are slightly more likely (3.45%); boomers 0%.

6. How Homeowners Assess Contractor Quality

• Top Ways:

  • Looked up online reviews: 52%
  • Relied on prior experience: Next most common
  • Recommendations: Slightly less
  • Saw examples of past work: Only 8%

• Industry puts heavy weight on showing past work or yard signs, but data shows reviews and experience matter far more.

• Quote (John Wilson):

  "I can ask my mom or I can read 5,000 people's opinions... that's enough information to move forward." [16:24]

7. Pricing Transparency: What Homeowners Find & Want

• Attempted to Research Online Pricing:

  • Overall: 69% tried to look up pricing
  • Millennials: 83%
  • Boomers: 57%

• Clarity of Pricing Found:

  • Very clear: 15%
  • Rough idea: 46%
  • Not clear at all/couldn’t find: Nearly 39%, and 20% couldn't find any at all.

• Quote (John Wilson):

  "Anytime I've looked... it's so, like, 'the tile could be $10 a foot or $200 a foot.' It's like, that wasn't helpful at all." [20:40]

8. What Matters Most in Contractor Selection?

(Most important to homeowners, as per survey)

• Upfront cost: 31% (the top single factor)

• Reputation: 19%

• System comfort/efficiency: 11%

• Manufacturer/brand: 9%

• Perceived installation quality: 5%

• Note: 69% had a different top priority than upfront cost.

• Quote (John Wilson):

  “Whether or not we want it to be, [price] just is. Everything else we have to teach them.” [22:46]

9. Most Valued Qualities in Chosen Contractor

• Professional in-home visit: 70%

• Quick and responsive: 49%

• Thorough in explaining options: 39%

• Gave control to customer: 36% (with millennials valuing it more: 44% vs. boomers’ 27%)

• Memorable Exchange:

  "It's going to be communication... quick and responsive. Like who showed up, who called back."
  — John Wilson [28:21]

10. Trustworthiness

• Felt trustworthy: 58% (as the top quality for the contractor ultimately chosen)
• Trust is less discussed than price but is a key decision driver, especially given lack of pricing transparency and the “unknowns” of home service work.

11. Extended Warranties: What Will Homeowners Pay?

• Average amount homeowners said they'd pay to extend a 1-year to a 10-year labor warranty: $563

  • Median: $250
  • Responses had a wide range; most contractors guessed much higher.

• Key Insight: There's a big gap between perceived value and typical industry pricing for extended warranties.

• Quote:

  "That is really surprising to me… 500 is kind of a shocking [number]." — John Wilson [43:43]

12. Notable Surprises & Takeaways

• Most surprising to John: How little value is placed on extending warranties, and just how little homeowners use AI for contractor discovery.
• Most surprising to Brandon: The difference in channel preferences between generations, and how much lower AI/box store use was than expected.
• Industry Mythbusting: Many “standard” sales tactics (yard signs, pushing brand, etc.) have far less real-world influence than contractors believe.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• "Who reaches out to four? Who has time for that?" — John Wilson [02:23]
• "I'm surprised how close that is. I would have thought like three to four for millennials." — John Wilson [05:45]
• "The amount we talk about AI search... for a millennial, it's about as popular as walking into Home Depot." — Zach Dearing [46:46]
• "Anytime I've looked... it's so, like, 'the tile could be $10 a foot or $200 a foot.' It's like, that wasn't helpful at all." — John Wilson [20:40]
• “Whether or not we want it to be, [price] just is. Everything else we have to teach them.” — John Wilson [22:46]
• "It's going to be communication... quick and responsive." — John Wilson [28:21]
• “That is really surprising to me… 500 is kind of a shocking [number].” — John Wilson [43:43]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:07] - How many contractors do homeowners contact?
• [03:38] - How many never receive a quote?
• [06:00] - Most popular channel for finding contractors
• [07:44] - AI search: reality vs. hype
• [13:02] - How do homeowners assess contractor quality?
• [16:44] - Online pricing: who looks, what do they learn?
• [22:03] - What factors matter most (cost, reputation, etc.)?
• [27:42] - What qualities matter most in the chosen contractor?
• [32:01] - Trustworthiness: How important is it?
• [37:36] - Home warranty: how much will people actually pay?
• [44:37] - Recap: "What surprised you most today?"

Tone & Style

• Conversational, candid, playful competition tone
• Regular, lighthearted jabs between John and Brandon
• Zach as an engaging, neutral moderator
• Lots of real-world, actionable analysis but plenty of humor and humility as industry “best practices” are put to the test.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a must-listen for HVAC, plumbing, or electrical pros interested in real homeowner insights that cut through industry assumptions. The discussion shows just how differently homeowners think versus what most contractors expect—especially around search behavior, price transparency, trust, and decision-making priorities. The “game show” format keeps it entertaining while revealing critical data for those wanting to adapt their sales and marketing for today’s market realities.

Find full survey results: usemantle.com/survey