ServicePost
Two-sided services marketplace with provider onboarding, platform fees, payouts and refunds, on web, iOS and Android.
Closest match: the same marketplace money flow
Approach
A real marketplace foundation, not a throwaway MVP
Phase 1 is a responsive web platform that feels like an app on any phone, tablet or computer, exactly as your brief describes. It sets up the marketplace, payments, verification and controls Easy Fix needs to operate and grow, so native apps and new features later plug into the same system.
One account, two modes
You asked for our recommendation on keeping customer and contractor roles separate without duplicate accounts. Each person has one identity. A contractor who needs to hire someone switches to Customer mode, and back to Contractor mode, from the same login. Each mode has its own dashboard, jobs and history, so the two never mix, and staff use a separate web admin panel.
| Layer | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Web platform | Next.js and TypeScript, responsive for phone, tablet and desktop |
| Backend | Node.js API shared by web now and native apps later |
| Database | PostgreSQL |
| Marketplace payments | Stripe and Stripe Connect |
| AI job descriptions | OpenAI API |
| Maps and locations | Google Maps Platform |
| Texts and verification codes | Twilio |
| Transactional email provider | |
| Documents and photos | Private cloud storage with time-limited access links |
| Languages | English and Spanish from day one; more can be added without redesign |
Your Figma is the starting point, not a limit. We design inside Easy Fix's own Figma account, using your concepts as input, and recommend improvements to navigation, flows and screen structure. Everything we produce belongs to Easy Fix.
Marketplace flow
Every job follows the same documented path
This is the Phase 1 lifecycle from your brief. Each step is recorded, so every project becomes a complete digital file.
- The customer posts a job with category, description, photos and approximate location.
- AI asks a few follow-up questions and suggests a clearer description, which the customer edits and approves.
- Eligible contractors review the job and submit quotes.
- The customer compares quotes, ratings and verification badges, then selects a contractor.
- Both parties accept the agreement inside Easy Fix. Contact details and exact address are released only now.
- The customer pays through Stripe, in one payment or in milestones.
- The contractor checks in on site with location, time and before photos, and chats inside the project.
- The contractor checks out with after photos and marks the work complete.
- The customer confirms, the contractor is paid and the Easy Fix commission is recorded.
- The customer rates and reviews the contractor.
Jobs, AI and quotes
Clearer jobs in, better quotes out
Most customers can't describe work the way a contractor needs. The AI assistant closes that gap without ever setting a price.
Customer types
"I need to fix my bathroom."
After two or three follow-up questions
"Drywall repair and replacement of about four damaged tiles around the shower. The quote should include labor and materials."
- Customer stays in controlThe customer always reviews, edits and approves the description before it is published.
- No automatic pricingAI never sets a price or replaces the contractor's professional judgment.
- Contractor-set quotesContractors submit a price, scope notes, availability and conditions. Easy Fix sets no standard prices in Phase 1.
- FilteringContractors see jobs by service category, service area, eligibility and status. More matching logic can be added later.
Keeping deals on Easy Fix
Nothing that helps either side go around the platform
Until a project is formalized inside Easy Fix, each side sees only what it needs to decide. Messages before award stay inside the platform.
| Information | Before award | After award |
|---|---|---|
| Job location | Approximate area on the map | Exact address |
| Customer phone and email | Hidden | Released to the selected contractor |
| Contractor identity | Easy Fix ID, quote, rating, verification badges | Name and business details |
| Contractor phone, email, address, website, social profiles | Hidden | Released as your policy allows |
| Messages | Inside Easy Fix only | Project chat, kept on file |
Before award, we also screen messages and quote notes for phone numbers, emails and links, and flag attempts to share them.
Contractor verification
Verified contractors, simple badges
Contractors complete a fuller onboarding before they can quote. Customers see simple checkmarks, never the sensitive documents behind them.
Identity verifiedNebraska contractor registrationGeneral liabilityWorkers' compensationApplicable licenseCOI verified
- What contractors submitPersonal and business details, EIN or ITIN where applicable, Nebraska registration, certificate of insurance, general liability, workers' compensation, licenses and classifications (A, B, C, D, E and others).
- Staff reviewAdmins approve or reject each item, record expiry dates and add notes.
- Expiry controlContractors are reminded before documents expire and lose eligibility automatically if they lapse.
- Configurable rulesEligibility can require verification, valid documents and an active subscription. You set the rules.
- No W-9 by defaultNot collected unless your payment structure or advisors require it. Stripe's contractor onboarding can collect tax details and file 1099s, which may remove the need entirely.
- Secure storageDocuments sit in private storage with time-limited access for authorized staff only.
Background checks and automated ID checks are ready when you are. Your brief puts background checks outside Phase 1, so we priced Checkr screening and Persona identity verification as optional add-ons. The onboarding flow is built with a slot for them either way.
Payments
Stripe Connect holds the money, Easy Fix holds the controls
As Andy advised, Easy Fix should not hold funds itself. We recommend Stripe Connect, built for marketplaces that take customer payments, keep a platform fee and pay service providers. Here is our evaluation against each point you asked us to investigate.
| Your question | Stripe Connect |
|---|---|
| API capabilities | Contractor onboarding and identity checks, payments, transfers, payouts and real-time status updates to Easy Fix |
| Transaction costs | 2.9% + $0.30 per card payment, 0.8% capped at $5 for ACH; plus $2 per contractor paid that month and 0.25% + $0.25 per payout |
| Milestone payments | Each milestone is its own payment with its own status; funds move to the contractor when that milestone is approved |
| Payment release | Easy Fix decides when funds go to the contractor, for example after the customer confirms completion |
| Refunds | Full or partial, by staff from the admin panel; Stripe does not return its processing fee on refunded payments |
| Disputes | $15 per chargeback; the project file (photos, check-ins, chat) becomes the evidence |
| Contractor payouts | Standard bank payouts; instant payouts available at 1% if you want to offer them |
| Tax forms | Stripe can e-file contractor 1099s at $2.99 each |
| Admin visibility | Every payment, milestone, payout, refund and dispute shows in the admin panel |
Rates from Stripe Connect pricing and published fee summaries, September 2026.
Milestones for larger projects
Deposit$2,000
Materials$3,000
Progress$3,000
Completion$2,000
Small jobs pay once. Larger jobs split into stages, each tracked with its amount, status, commission and payout.
For Andy's review. The final fund-flow model and wording should be approved before launch. We will not describe the platform as "escrow" unless the approved structure allows that term.
Revenue
Three income streams, all adjustable from the admin panel
1. Tiered commission on every completed job
The platform applies your tiers automatically based on the final project value. Brackets and rates are editable by staff, not hard-coded.
Try a project value
7%
commission rate
$44.80
Easy Fix earns
$595.20
contractor gross
| Project value | Commission |
|---|
2. Contractor subscription
One plan at $19.99 a month, billed through Stripe, with the price set in the admin panel. Free trials, promo codes, discounts and membership levels are designed in and can be switched on later.
3. Supplier advertising
Ad placements for materials, tools and home-improvement suppliers such as lumber yards and big-box stores, managed by staff with dates and placements. Contractors cannot pay to rank higher, so reputation stays based on real work.
Project workspace
Every project becomes a complete digital file
Original postPhotosQuotesSelected contractorAgreementChatPaymentsMilestonesCheck-in / outBefore and afterChangesDisputesCompletionReview
- Project chatOpens once a job is awarded, with attachments and full history.
- Check-in and check-outDate, time, device location and photos on arrival and completion. No all-day tracking.
- Location checkEach check-in is compared with the job address and kept on the project record.
- CompletionThe contractor marks the work done with evidence; the customer confirms or raises an issue.
- AgreementBoth parties accept the project terms in-app, recorded with time and identity. Formal e-signature is an add-on if Andy recommends it.
- NotificationsEmail and text for new quotes, selection, payments, check-ins, completion and expiring documents.
Ratings built only on real, completed jobs
After each project the customer gets a short survey, scored 0 to 5 stars: quality, punctuality, communication, professionalism, cleanliness, scope, value and overall satisfaction. Every category is stored for analysis, while profiles show one clean summary.
Admin panel
Full visibility without taking on the liability
Easy Fix staff see what happened on any job quickly, while payment disputes stay with Stripe.
| Area | What staff can do |
|---|---|
| Contractors | Review applications, insurance, COIs, licenses and verification; watch expiry dates; manage subscriptions; suspend or remove |
| Customers | Search profiles, jobs, projects and transactions; flag or suspend accounts |
| Jobs and projects | See posts, quotes, selected contractor, scope, chat (per your policy), check-ins, photos and completion evidence |
| Money | Payments, milestones, commissions, payouts, subscriptions, refunds and disputes, with Stripe references |
| Reviews | Ratings and reviews, with moderation |
| Settings | Service categories, commission tiers, subscription price, verification rules and ad placements |
Now vs. later
What belongs in Phase 1, and what can wait
You asked which integrations are essential now and which only need room in the architecture. Everything in the right column plugs into the same backend later without a rebuild.
| Included in Phase 1 | Optional add-on now | Designed in, built later |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe and Stripe Connect | iOS and Android apps | Suggested price ranges from job history |
| Twilio texts and verification | Checkr background checks | Automated insurance and license lookups |
| Transactional email | Persona identity verification | Advanced contractor matching |
| Google Maps | Formal e-signature (DocuSign or similar) | Membership levels, trials and promo codes |
| OpenAI job assistant | Pre-launch marketing website | More languages and more states |
| English and Spanish | Advanced fraud scoring |
What would significantly raise cost or time
- Native mobile appsAdds about 4–6 weeks plus app store review; priced as an add-on.
- Continuous GPS trackingNeeds background location and extra privacy work. Phase 1 uses check-in and check-out only.
- Holding funds in-houseBrings money-transmitter licensing questions. Avoided by using Stripe Connect.
- Automated license and insurance dataDepends on reliable data sources by state; manual review is faster to launch.
- Multi-state rulesDifferent licensing and tax rules per state add configuration and testing.
- Late structural changesNew features after the prototype is approved, such as group chat or video, are quoted separately.
Investment
One fixed price for Phase 1
Design, build, testing and launch of the responsive web platform and admin panel, split so you can see where the cost goes.
Build your total
Optional add-ons are not in the Phase 1 price. Select any you want now; each can also be added after launch.
Phase 1 platform
Add-ons selected$0
Your total
Ongoing costs
Monthly running costs
All accounts are opened in Easy Fix's name and billed directly, with no markup from us. Most costs grow only with usage.
| Service | Covers | Estimated cost |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud hosting, database, storage | Platform, photos, documents, backups | $80–200/month at launch |
| Stripe and Stripe Connect | Payments, payouts, subscriptions | Per transaction (see Payments); no monthly fee |
| OpenAI API | AI job descriptions | Usage-based; low at launch volumes |
| Google Maps Platform | Maps and address lookup | Usage-based |
| Twilio | Texts and verification codes | About $11/month per 500 texts, plus carrier registration |
| Transactional email | Notifications | $0–20/month |
| Checkr / Persona | Only with those add-ons | Per check, per vendor pricing |
| Apple Developer / Google Play | Only with the mobile add-on | $99/year / $25 one-time |
Timeline
Live in 14–16 weeks
Workstreams overlap. The timeline assumes timely feedback, access to third-party accounts and legal documents from Andy on schedule.
Payment schedule
| Milestone | Share | Amount |
|---|
You will never wonder where things stand
- Test site from week oneUpdated as features land.
- Daily written updateWhat was done, what is next, what we need from you.
- Weekly demo callDuring US Central business hours, with same-day answers to questions.
- Task board accessSee progress at any time.
Scope stays clear. We build a clickable prototype of every screen first. Once approved, that is the build. Small adjustments are absorbed; anything new is written up with hours and cost before work starts.
Support and ownership
Supported after launch, and everything is yours
We fix any bug in the agreed scope free for 45 days after launch.
After that, we recommend the Care Plan at /month: monitoring, security updates, fixes when Stripe or other services change, and up to 8 hours a month of improvements based on real user behavior. Pause or cancel any time.
Ownership and confidentiality
On final payment, Easy Fix owns the source code, database, designs and all data. Code, hosting, Stripe, Figma and every service account are in Easy Fix's name from day one, and we sign your NDA before kickoff. Another developer can take over at any time.
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The path for Easy Fix's mobile phase
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Client references are available on request.
Getting started
What we need from Easy Fix
- Logo, color palette and brand assets as they are finalized.
- Initial service categories and contractor eligibility rules.
- Commission tiers, subscription price and payout and refund policies.
- From Andy: Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Contractor Agreement and project agreement, in English and Spanish.
- Easy Fix LLC details to open Stripe, Twilio, OpenAI and Google accounts.
- Access to your Figma concepts and the Easy Fix Figma account.
Next steps
- Confirm the Phase 1 scope and any add-ons.
- Sign the NDA and agreement; kickoff within 2 business days.
- Clickable prototype of every screen for your review by the end of week 5.