Overview
Estimates and contracts are two tools for closing residential sales.
Estimates let a technician quote a job, present pricing, and collect the homeowner’s approval, and they handle the majority of residential jobs across all trades.
Contracts is a tool for sales that require a formal legal document, not just a price approval. It combines estimates, a contract template (terms and conditions, warranties, and similar), and e-signatures into a single package using DocuSign.
This article explains when to use contracts versus estimates.
Who uses this feature
Administrators, office employees, and sales representatives
Primarily benefits Residential Service and Replacement business types
Primarily benefits Roofing and Exterior business types, but can be applicable to other trades as well.
Feature configuration
Contracts is currently in early access and available for specific accounts. It is subject to change. If you want to enable this feature for your account, reach out to your customer success manager or implementation manager.
When to use estimates only
When is the estimates-only workflow the right choice?
Use standalone estimates for a standard service or repair call. This is the kind of job where a technician arrives, diagnoses the issue, quotes the fix, and closes on the spot. It covers the majority of residential jobs across all trades.
Estimates are the right choice when:
The homeowner only needs to approve a price, not sign a legal contract.
The job is a single-visit close (repair, tune-up, replacement, or system install).
You are using a Good/Better/Best presentation with Proposal Templates.
You have a simple paragraph for project authorization.
Selling from an estimate is fast, mobile-friendly, and designed for the kitchen table close. The homeowner's signature on the estimate serves as the sale authorization.
What does the estimates-only selling flow look like?
A technician builds an estimate in the Field Mobile App from Pricebook templates. They present it to the homeowner using Presentation Mode, optionally showing Good/Better/Best options. The homeowner selects an option and signs. The estimate status changes to Sold, and the job moves forward. No contract document is created.
For more on this workflow, see Build and sell estimates in ServiceTitan Mobile and Present and sell estimates in ServiceTitan Mobile.
When to use contracts
When should you use contracts instead of estimates only?
Use contracts when the job requires a formal contract document in addition to an estimate, not just a price approval. Contracts is best suited for roofing and exteriors jobs where legal documentation, multi-party signatures, countersignature, or multi-document packages are part of the sales process.
Contracts is the right choice when you:
Need to bundle multiple documents (main contract, state terms and conditions, warranties, and similar) into one PDF.
Have one or more customers who need to sign (for example, married couples or co-borrowers).
Require a countersignature from the sales representative.
Want real-time visibility into who has and has not signed.
Need the option to sign in person or later by email.
Need the homeowner to choose between estimate options before signing the contract, or need multiple estimates sold in a single contract.
Currently use external tools such as DocuSign, Adobe Sign, or PandaDoc and want to consolidate into ServiceTitan.
Tip: Contracts function as a combined proposal and final contract. You can include multiple estimate options in one contract and let the homeowner choose their selection during the signing experience. The contract price updates automatically based on their choice.
What if you only need simple estimates with no contract documents?
If you are doing simple roofing jobs with no formal contract requirements, use the estimates-only workflow. Contracts is not required just because you are in roofing and exteriors. The estimates workflow is faster and better suited for straightforward approvals.
As a general rule, if a legal document with terms, warranties, or multiple signers is not involved, use estimates only.
Important behaviors and limitations
What happens if a sold estimate gets edited after a contract is sent?
You can sell an estimate in a contract, collect signatures, and later make an edit to the estimate without losing previously collected signatures. You can then choose whether that contract needs to be edited and resent for new signatures or not, depending on the scope of the change, or send a second, simplified contract to capture the changes.
Can you include multiple estimate options in one contract?
Yes. When creating a contract, you select which estimates to include and mark one as Recommended. The homeowner sees all options during signing and can choose their preferred selection. The contract value updates automatically in real time.
This is useful when the homeowner has not yet decided between options. The contract acts as both the proposal presentation and the final legal agreement.
Does the homeowner need to download an app to sign?
No. Homeowners sign through the Customer Portal, which works on any device: desktop, tablet, or mobile. In-person signing is also available on a tablet in the field.
What do I need to do before I can create contracts?
Before you can create contracts, you must:
Build at least one contract template in Settings
> Operations > Document Templates.Set up email templates and Customer Portal settings in Settings
> Invoicing > Email > Contract.
For more, see Set up Contract Builder.