Kitchen Remodel Financing: How to Explain Options Without Becoming a Lender

Half your $30k+ kitchen quotes will get the financing question. The shops winning these jobs have an answer ready that doesn't put their balance sheet at risk.

Don't be the bank

Never carry the customer's loan yourself. The collection risk and accounting overhead crushes any margin you'd capture.

Partner with one or two third-party financers

Hearth, GreenSky, Synchrony — pick one, integrate the application into your quote PDF. They take 4-6% off the top, you get paid on day one of install.

The customer pitch

"We work with [X] who can finance the project at competitive rates. You'd apply through them; the funds come to us; we install. Want me to send you the application link?"

When to push back

If a customer needs financing and won't qualify, that's a credit-risk customer for collections. Politely walk away from jobs where the customer is asking you to wait for funds.

Disclosure

Always tell customers the financing fee is built into the price. Hiding it is a regulatory and reputational landmine.