Charlotte and I have had plenty of experience with home improvement projects. Our most recent trip to remodel heaven landed us on HGTV.
Reality TV aside, home improvement or home repair projects can make you a little nuts. In this crazy digital age, you'd think somebody would come up with a way of taking at least part of the hassle out of home improvement. Well Boomers, somebody has.
Say hello to the Redbeacon App. Redbeacon helps you compare prices and book appointments for local services in a way that goes far beyond returning business listings with ratings & reviews.
It actually returns price quotes for your job from qualified local businesses and professionals and lets you schedule your appointment with the service provider you like best.
The mobile app lets you shoot a video, take a photo or record a voice memo to show what you need done. You upload it to the Redbeacon site so the service professionals can give you an accurate quote without scheduling a home visit.
Redbeacon's iPhone App lets you select from home service providers like Handyman, Electrician, House Cleaner, Plumber and Yard Worker and others to make a request for services. It uses the phone's GPS to locate the job and matches the request with quality pros in the area who then compete for your job and provide quotes.
You can browse through all the quotes received, home service providers' Redbeacon scores, profiles, prices and user reviews and book an appointment to get the job done from your phone. Redbeacon is rolling out nationwide soon and right now it's available in 13 U.S. cities including Atlanta, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, Houston, Dallas, Austin, Denver, Boston, Portland, New York and Washington D.C.
What I like about it
It's an intuitive App that's easy to use and has a wide range of service professionals who compete for your job. It's better than using Google, because you don't have to follow up with each service provider to check price and availability. With Redbeacon, you get back price quotes, appointment times and full provider profiles. When you see one you like, you click a button to accept the quote and book an appointment.
What it costs
It's FREE and available in the iPhone App Store.
What's our recommendation?
Check out Redbeacon for your next home repair/home improvement project. It's easy to use and having the ability to get in multiple quotes from qualified service professionals can save you time, money and ultimately a lot of headaches.
Prepare your own Mexican quick fix with this Chipotle-inspired bowl. Carbs are moderated by filling the bowl with beans, extra veggies and chicken. No need for rice, since the beans count as carbs.
Tips:
If you love tomatoes, increase the quantity to 1/2 cup, but note that the carbohydrates will also increase.
If preparing this recipe for one person, cut all of the ingredients in half. Or simply prepare the full recipe up to the end of step 2 and store leftover chicken and vegetable-bean mixture in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave on High for 1 to 2 minutes, or until heated through, and continue with step 3.
Health Bite: The iron, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc in black beans help to keep bones strong and healthy.
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