Prices Look Too High or Too Low
Why estimates can land a size above or below what you'd install, how to rule out a one-off, and how we fine-tune the sizing for your account.
Before the estimator can price anything, it works out what size system the home needs, then uses your prices at that size. If homes keep landing a size bigger or smaller than you'd actually install, every price moves with them. That's an easy fix — and it's one we make for you.
How your sizing is set
The estimator sizes each home from its square footage and age, using a set of sizing assumptions held on your account. We call them your Load Calculation Defaults.
- They start from a nationwide average — the same baseline for every account.
- We tailor them to your region when your account is set up. The estimator doesn't ask each homeowner about climate or insulation, so your account's assumptions carry that for your market.
- Most contractors never need to change them. The sizes they produce line up with what most contractors would install.
- Some contractors need them fine-tuned. Local building practice, the age of the housing stock and how you like to size all vary. If yours sit outside the norm, we adjust your account to match.
They aren't in your Price Book, so you can't change them yourself — email us and we'll take care of it.
Scenario 1: prices look too high
What you'll notice: homes come out a size bigger than you'd install — a 2,000 sq ft home getting a 3-ton system where you'd put in 2.5 tons, for example. Every option is priced on the bigger equipment, so the whole estimate runs high. Large homes also get sent to a home visit sooner than you'd expect.
What we do: adjust your Load Calculation Defaults so the same homes size smaller.
Scenario 2: prices look too low
What you'll notice: homes come out a size smaller than you'd install, so every option is priced on smaller equipment and the estimate runs low. Large homes you'd want to see in person may get a price instead of a home visit.
What we do: adjust your Load Calculation Defaults so the same homes size larger.
Rule out a one-off first
A single estimate that looks wrong usually comes down to the homeowner's answers, not your sizing. Open the lead from Estimates and check the Property Details card. The Recommended tonnage line at the top of the Estimate Summary further down shows the size the home came out at.
- Home Age reads Built before 1970, but the home is newer. A homeowner who answers Not Sure about their home's age is treated as having an older home, which can mean a bigger system. Compare it with Year Built on the same card.
- Square Footage is wrong. It's pre-filled from the property record, and the homeowner can change it. A bad record or a typo sizes the home wrong.
If the answers are right and the size is still off — and it keeps happening across leads — it's your sizing. Email us.
When the size is right but the price isn't
If the size matches what you'd install and the price is still off, the cause is in your Price Book, and you can change it yourself:
| What you're seeing | Where to look |
|---|---|
| One size is off, the others look right | Your equipment cost or flat price at that size — see Equipment, Tiers & Prices |
| Every price is off by a similar proportion | Your margins — see Business Pricing (Calculator mode only) |
| Attic, crawlspace or rooftop installs run high | Your surcharges — in Calculator mode they're marked up with everything else. See Location Surcharges |
| Homeowners see a range that starts higher or lower than your price | Your Pricing Range amounts |
Use Preview pricing at the top of the Price Book to check a change before homeowners see it — see Previewing your prices.
Asking us to fine-tune your sizing
Email support@instantestimatehq.com with:
- Whether sizes are running high or low.
- Two or three example leads, and the size you'd have installed for each.
We'll adjust your Load Calculation Defaults and let you know when it's done.
The change applies to new estimates only. Prices are worked out when the homeowner submits and saved with their estimate, so leads you already have keep the size and price they were given. Once we've made the change, run a test estimate to see the new sizes.