Unlike a broken AC, nothing forces a repaint. Homeowners put it off year after year until someone gives them a reason.
For interior and exterior painting companies
Painting leads for exterior and interior jobs, booked before spring.
Spur finds homes likely due for a repaint, new buyers updating interiors, and every house on the street where you just finished a job. It writes a postcard for each owner with a QR to your before-and-after photos and mails it in February, so your exterior season is booked before competitors start advertising.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Denise Howard1426 Briarcliff Rd NEAtlanta, GA 30306Scan to see the before & after
Denise H. viewed your before-and-after photos · 3 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
5–10 yrstypical exterior repaint cycle
Feb–Marwhen exterior calendars fill
2 daysfrom approval to USPS first-class
The problem
Painting is a want, not an emergency, so homeowners wait until someone asks.
Platform leads go to several painters, and the homeowner picks the cheapest quote.
A freshly painted house sells the next job, but yard signs only reach people who drive by.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
The same five steps every time, set up for painting contractors.
app.usespur.com
Plays for Painting
Painting plays you can run in Spur today
Exterior painting by home ageCabinet refinishing
Owners who haven't repainted in 7+ years.
Owned 7+ yrsWood siding
See the full play →Neighbor campaignsMail every home within 4 blocks of a finished job.
Radius 0.25 miOwner-occupied
See the full play →Pre-sale paintingLong-time owners getting ready to list.
Owned 15+ yrsOwners 60+
See the full play →New buyer interiorsRecent buyers repainting to their taste.
Sold last 90 daysOwner-occupied
See the full play →Seasonal campaignsExterior pushes before each window, interiors and cabinets in winter.
Auto-scheduleService area
See the full play →Landlord turnoversRental owners repaint between tenants.
Absentee owner2+ properties
See the full play →Past client reactivationInterior clients come back for exteriors.
Your listJob 3+ yrs ago
See the full play →Leads without AngiExclusive painting leads from homes you chose.
ExclusiveQR tracked
See the full play →Painting postcardsA card for each home with a nearby before-and-after.
Per-home copyQR tracked
See the full play →Direct mail programFour standing lists that keep crews busy all year.
Postcards + lettersCost per job
See the full play →Kitchens old enough to update without a full remodel.
Built 1990–2010Equity 40%+
See it in Spur
What a neighbor painting list looks like in Spur
A sample list within a quarter mile of a finished exterior job: owner-occupied homes owned 7+ years. Names are partly masked.
Radius 0.25 mi of jobOwner-occupiedOwned 7+ yrsSingle-familyBuilt pre-2000
- Denise H.1426 Briarcliff Rd NEBuilt 1925 · wood siding3 doors downOwned 12 yrs
- Marcus & Lea J.1438 Briarcliff Rd NEBuilt 1928 · brick and trimSame blockOwned 9 yrs
- Ruth A.1011 Lanier Blvd NEBuilt 1922 · wood sidingNext streetOwned 31 yrs
- Ben C.1047 Lanier Blvd NEBuilt 1930 · stuccoNext streetOwned 8 yrs
- Yvonne & Jim P.1402 Briarcliff Rd NEBuilt 1926 · wood sidingSame blockOwned 17 yrs
AI draft for Denise H. · 1426 Briarcliff Rd NE
Hi Denise,
You may have seen our crew a few doors down last week. We just finished a full exterior repaint on a 1920s home on Briarcliff: scraped, primed, caulked, and two coats on the siding and trim.
Homes on your block were built around the same time and share the same wood siding, which usually needs fresh paint every 5–7 years in Atlanta's humidity. If yours is due, we'd be glad to give you a free estimate while we're in the neighborhood.
Scan the code on this card to see the before-and-after photos. We're booking April and May now, and neighbors get first pick of dates.
Jordan Mills · Peachtree Painting Co. · (404) 555-0171
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
How to get painting leads without waiting for referrals
Painting is one of the few home services without a failure event. No one's paint stops working on a Tuesday night. That makes it an aspiration purchase: homeowners decide to repaint when something makes them notice. A neighbor's freshly painted house, an upcoming sale, or a well-timed postcard can be that trigger.
Exterior paint wears on a fairly predictable cycle. Wood siding in humid or sunny climates often needs repainting every 5–7 years, and fiber cement and stucco tend to last longer. Owner-occupied homes held seven or more years, especially in older neighborhoods with wood siding, are the core exterior list. Long-time owners preparing to sell are another strong group, because fresh exterior paint is one of the most visible ways to improve curb appeal before listing.
Interior work follows life events. New buyers repaint within months of moving in, families repaint when kids move out, and kitchens built from about 1990 to 2010 are good candidates for cabinet refinishing, a high-margin alternative to a full remodel.
Neighborhood campaigns are the most efficient mail you can send. A finished exterior is a showcase that neighbors see every day. Mail every owner-occupied home within a few blocks with a QR code to the before-and-after photos. Proof is right there, and you can schedule nearby jobs back to back.
Timing decides your season. Exterior calendars fill in February and March in most markets. Mail before then with a clear booking window. If you paint homes built before 1978, you must follow the EPA's Renovation, Repair and Painting (RRP) rule for lead-safe work, and saying you're RRP-certified on your card is a trust signal for owners of older homes.
Don't forget past clients. Interior customers are the most likely to hire you for an exterior, and exterior customers come back for decks, fences, and trim touch-ups. A yearly card to everyone you've worked for, with a photo of a recent job, keeps your company the obvious first call when the next project comes up.
5×return on a year of Spur Team from one $3,000 exterior
One exterior job pays for years of Spur.
- Spur Team: $49/mo billed annually = $588/yr
- 250 postcards on Team at $0.94 each = $235
- One $3,000–$8,000 exterior repaint = 5–13× your annual subscription
Example math. Your job size and close rate will vary. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual painting marketing stack
What you needThe usual waySpur
Find homes near your jobsYard signs and door hangers✓ Built in
Owner name and mailing addressList broker✓ Built in
Copy that references the nearby jobGeneric printer template✓ Built in
Design, print, and mailPrint shop and post office✓ Built in
See who viewed your photosNot available✓ Built in
Follow-up on estimatesManual calls✓ Built in
From painters using Spur
Results from the mailbox.
“After finishing a big exterior job on a cul-de-sac, I used Spur to mail AI postcards to every home within 4 blocks with a QR to the before-and-after photos. Got 14 scan alerts in 3 days. Booked 6 on-site estimates. Closed 4 exterior jobs from one campaign. That's how I fill my calendar now.”
FAQ
Questions from painting contractors
How do painting contractors get more leads?
Mail the neighbors of every finished job with a QR code to the before-and-after photos, and run a pre-season exterior campaign in February to owner-occupied homes held 7+ years.
When should I send exterior painting postcards?
Late winter, typically February and early March, before homeowners start collecting estimates for spring. Spur can schedule the campaign to repeat every year.
Do I need to mention lead-safe practices?
If you work on homes built before 1978, the EPA's RRP rule requires certified lead-safe practices. Mentioning your certification on mail to older neighborhoods builds trust.
Can I target homeowners getting ready to sell?
Spur can't see listing plans, but long ownership (15+ years) and older owners are good proxies. Pair that list with a pre-listing paint offer focused on curb appeal and fast turnaround.
What does Spur cost for a painting company?
Solo is free forever with no card. You pay per postcard when you mail. Team is $49/mo billed annually with more searches, QR codes, automations, and lower postcard pricing.
Keep exploring
Related trades and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Your spring calendar fills in February. Start it today.
Build a neighbor list around your last job and mail your first painting postcard today.
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