May 23, 2018

Facebook Marketplace now lets you find home service pros

Kim Hart

Roofer fixing tiles onto a new roof. Photo: Education Images/UIG via Getty Images

Facebook Marketplace users in the U.S. can now search for vetted home service professionals like plumbers, handymen, home cleaners and contractors, with the workers populated by partners Handy, HomeAdvisor and Porch, TechCrunch reports.

The bigger picture: This is one of the ways Facebook's Marketplace is trying to become a stronger competitor to Craigslist — by working with partners to bring in new listings for items like cars. Amazon, Walmart and Google are also expanding in this area to connect consumers with nearby services, TechCrunch notes.

Why it matters for users: Facebook says millions of people ask for home service recommendations every year, and a lot of them are asking for them on the social network. The feature on Facebook Marketplace matches a users' needs with professionals offering the services.

Why it matters for the service professionals: The home services pros may be able to start finding customer and job leads more easily via Facebook.

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Coronavirus dashboard

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  1. Global: Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 665,164 — Total deaths: 30,852 — Total recoveries: 140,225.
  2. U.S.: Leads the world in cases. Total confirmed cases as of 3 a.m. ET: 124,665 — Total deaths: 2,191 — Total recoveries: 1,095.
  3. Federal government latest: President Trump announces new travel advisories for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, but rules out quarantine enforcement. Per the CDC, residents of those states must now "refrain from non-essential domestic travel for 14 days," with the exception of critical infrastructure industry workers.
  4. State updates: Alaska is latest state to issue a stay-at-home order — New York is trying to nearly triple its hospital capacity in less than a month and has moved its presidential primary to June 23. Some Midwestern swing voters who backed Trump's handling of the virus less than two weeks ago are balking at his call for the U.S. to be "opened up" by Easter.
  5. World updates: In Spain, over 1,400 people were confirmed dead between Thursday to Saturday.
  6. 🚀 Space updates: OneWeb filed for bankruptcy amid the novel coronavirus pandemic.
  7. Hollywood: Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson have returned to U.S. after being treated for coronavirus.
  8. What should I do? Answers about the virus from Axios experts — What to know about social distancing — Q&A: Minimizing your coronavirus risk
  9. Other resources: CDC on how to avoid the virus, what to do if you get it.

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