After 20 years, a faded, dented, or drafty front door becomes invisible to the people who walk through it every day.
Door play · Entry door replacement
Entry door leads from long-time owners still opening the builder's door.
A new front door is one of the fastest, most visible upgrades an owner can make, and one of the few home projects that has recently recouped more than its cost at resale. Spur finds long-time owners of homes old enough to have their original door, writes a card with a nearby install, and alerts you when they scan.
Free forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
USPSFirst-Class
Claire Donovan6104 Tanglewood DrAlexandria, VA 22310Scan to see the nearby door
Claire D. scanned your front door card · 12 min ago
AI-written for this owner · Mailed in 2 days
1 daytypical install time for a single entry door
Owned 15+ yrsowners most likely to have the original door
Top tiersteel entry doors rank near the top for cost recouped
The problem
Front doors only get replaced when owners notice them, and most don't.
Most window and door companies only advertise windows. Owners don't know a door is a separate, one-day project.
When doors do come up, it's as an add-on at the end of a window sale, after the budget has already been spent.
How it works
From list to mailbox in one workflow.
Five steps from a tired front door to a one-day install.
app.usespur.com
See it in Spur
An entry door list in Spur
Sample Alexandria homes built 1985–2004, owned 15+ years, above the area's median value. Names are partly masked.
Zip 22310Built 1985–2004Owned 15+ yrsValue $650K+Owner-occupied
- Claire D.6104 Tanglewood DrBuilt 1999 · colonialOwned 24 yrsLikely original door
- Ray & Bev H.6120 Tanglewood DrBuilt 1999 · colonialOwned 20 yrsSidelights
- Nkem O.5911 Lanier CtBuilt 1993 · split foyerOwned 18 yrs
- Joan & Bill A.6302 Franconia RdBuilt 1987 · colonialOwned 33 yrsStorm door
- Stephen K.6015 Edsall RdBuilt 2002 · townhome end unitOwned 16 yrs
AI draft for Claire D. · 6104 Tanglewood Dr
Hi Claire,
Homes on Tanglewood Drive were built around 1999, and most of them still have the front door the builder installed. After 25 years, those doors tend to fade, swell, leak air around the edges, and lock less smoothly than they used to.
We just replaced one a few streets over with a fiberglass door and a keypad smart lock. Scan the code to see the before and after. Steel and fiberglass entry doors have consistently been among the best home projects for the money at resale.
Most single-door installs take one day. We'll bring samples to your porch and give you a written price on the spot.
Paul Reyes · Old Town Door & Window · (703) 555-0158
Sample data for illustration. Your results depend on your market and filters.
Playbook
How to find and sell entry door replacements
The front door is the most visible single element on most houses, and on many homes it's the one the builder hung on day one. Over 20 or 30 years, wood doors swell and crack, steel doors dent and rust at the bottom, weatherstripping flattens, and locks wear. Owners stop noticing because they see it every day. A specific, well-timed card makes them notice again.
Entry doors have an unusually strong value story. In recent editions of Zonda's Cost vs. Value report, steel entry door replacement has recouped more than its cost at resale, which is rare among home projects. That gives you an honest, credible reason to start the conversation, especially with long-time owners who may sell in the next few years.
Build the list from ownership, not just age. Owners who've lived in the house 15 or more years are the most likely to still have the original door. Homes built 20 or more years ago are the core market, and higher-value homes are more likely to want fiberglass, decorative glass, and sidelights. Combining those filters gives you a short, high-intent list.
Show a nearby install. Builders often used the same door across a subdivision, so a before-and-after from a few streets away shows the owner exactly what their entry could look like. Put a QR code on the card that opens the photo and your quote form. Never name or show the customer's address.
Make it easy to say yes. A door is a single-day project at a fraction of the cost of a whole-house window job. Offering to bring samples to the porch and quote on the spot fits how owners buy doors: quickly, once they've seen one they like. Adding a smart lock or a matching storm door is a natural upgrade.
Use doors to open window conversations. An owner whose front door is original almost certainly has original windows too. After every door install, follow up with a window assessment offer. Doors are often the smaller first project that earns you the bigger one.
9×+return on a year of Spur Team from four doors and one window project
Door installs add up fast, and lead to windows.
- Spur Team: $49/mo billed annually = $588/yr
- 500 postcards on Team at $0.94 each = $470
- 4 entry doors at ~$2,500 ($10,000) + one follow-on window project (~$9,000) ≈ $19,000
Example math. Your pricing and close rate will vary. Run your own numbers →
One tool, not four
Spur vs. the usual way doors get sold
What you needThe usual waySpur
Doors marketed as their own projectAdd-on at the end of a window sale✓ Built in
Long-time owners of older homesEvery home in the zip✓ Built in
Nearby before-and-after on every cardCatalog photo✓ Built in
Scan alerts to your sales teamUnknown interest✓ Built in
Window follow-up after every doorOne job and done✓ Built in
Entry Doors by the numbers
Why entry doors are worth marketing on their own
100%+
of cost recouped at resale by steel entry door replacement in recent national averages
1 day
is the typical install time for a single prehung entry door
9×+
return on a year of Spur Team from four doors and one window project
FAQ
Entry door replacement questions
How do I find homeowners who need a new front door?
Target owner-occupied homes built 20+ years ago and owned 15+ years. Those owners are the most likely to still have the builder's original door.
Is a new entry door a good investment?
Steel entry door replacement has recouped more than its cost at resale in recent Cost vs. Value reports, which makes it one of the strongest projects for the money.
How long does an entry door replacement take?
Most single prehung entry doors are installed in one day. Doors with sidelights or custom sizes can take longer.
Should window companies market doors separately?
Yes. Owners rarely think of the door as its own project. A separate card gets doors sold on their own and opens the window conversation.
Keep exploring
Related plays and guides
Start in minutes. No card required.
Sell the front door they stopped noticing.
Find long-time owners with original entry doors and mail a card with a nearby install. Free to start.
Find homes ready for a new front door — freeFree forever plan · No card · 20 property searches a month
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