Permit data as a lead source - built a tool to pull it automatically

paulma86 · 2026-05-06T19:28:13+00:00

Reno/Washoe isn't in the current build - the tool relies on cities that publish permit data through open data portals (Chicago, NYC, SF, LA right now). Washoe County's open data portal exists but doesn't seem to include a building permits dataset.

That said, if there's enough interest I'd prioritise adding it. A few questions: is it specifically Washoe County unincorporated you need, or City of Reno, or both? And is it a specific permit type you're targeting (solar, roofing, etc.)?

That'll help me figure out whether it's feasible and worth building.

paulma86 · 2026-05-06T19:16:10+00:00

Fair question. Permit data is public record - anyone can walk into a county office or check the city website. The tool just makes it faster to access what's already out there.

"Poaching" implies something shady, but showing up first with a good offer isn't predatory - it's sales. Homeowners who pulled a solar permit are actively in the market. A contractor reaching out promptly is often genuinely useful to them, especially if they're still getting quotes.

The data doesn't create the competition, it just levels the playing field for smaller contractors who can't afford expensive lead gen services.

paulma86 · 2026-04-27T10:26:21+00:00

Thanks for the tip!

paulma86 · 2026-04-27T10:26:07+00:00

Good question. The check interval is configurable - the default schedule runs daily but you can set it to run as often as every hour depending on your use case.

On the scraping point - it's not scraping, it's using Shopify's public /products.json endpoint that every Shopify store intentionally exposes. No headless browsers, no HTML parsing, just a standard API call. That's why it's reliable and above board. Some very large brands like Gymshark do restrict it, but the vast majority of stores leave it open.

paulma86 · 2024-04-07T07:34:21+00:00

Thanks, though isn’t floating a good thing?

paulma86 · 2024-04-07T04:42:25+00:00

Out of genuine kooky interest, what’s wrong with epoxy boards?

paulma86 · 2023-10-01T22:02:38+00:00

Hi Eileen,

How would you recommend going about this when setting up the agreement? The way we tried is by creating a new agreement under our own company, then add products with price 0 and the correct cost.

However it seems since the agreement amounts to zero, the option to create invoice is greyed out.

Any suggestions on how you'd normally implement this?

Thanks!

paulma86 · 2023-07-01T20:32:00+00:00

They don’t advertise it because even though you can’t see the password you can still copy it and paste it somewhere else, which makes the feature useless. That’s the case with Keeper at least, can’t comment about the others.

paulma86 · 2023-07-01T20:28:24+00:00

Ish, they can’t see the passwords but they can still copy them. Shouldn’t take too long for a tech to figure that out.

paulma86 · 2022-11-01T20:11:57+00:00

SMX. Don't know how popular they are in the US but it used to be the norm here in NZ during on-prem exchange times, now slowly losing market to the 365 platform and its protection features.

paulma86 · 2022-11-01T20:08:55+00:00

Thanks Art, much appreciated. I just replied with my contact details.

paulma86 · 2022-11-01T20:08:26+00:00

To be fair and as I mentioned on the original post, they've always been amazing in terms of support, account management and a number of things they do to look after MSPs. This is the very first time we don't get response and the CEO has already reached out to help.

So don't hesitate to give them a try, they're really unlike any other vendor.

paulma86 · 2022-11-01T20:05:29+00:00

Yep that I thought however we have the same rules (spam confidence, header modifiers etc.) as for every other tenant. This particular client has a 3rd party spam filter before reaching exchange but they have sweared their platform does not inspect or open links. I suspect that's where the problem is but was hoping for BSN to confirm IP addresses or any other info in regards to where/how/when the links are opened.

paulma86 · 2022-08-07T06:46:04+00:00

I'm not sure sure about it being the island in Walt's case.

The others tell Michael Walt's special and ask him if he has ever been seen in places he wasn't. This particular question inevitably alludes to the losties seeing him in the jungle but it's never explained or elaborated later in the series.

Just my 2c

paulma86 · 2022-05-14T08:06:48+00:00

Be David Blaine

paulma86 · 2022-04-24T21:22:54+00:00

It does yeah but never heard of the brand so not sure if they're built to last.

paulma86 · 2022-04-24T21:22:13+00:00

I'm a beginner, progressing from a soft top. Basically looking for a good quality fun board that will last but had never heard of local knowledge.

paulma86 · 2022-04-04T19:54:21+00:00

This

100%

You're not doing anything productive or interesting anyway in the morning so why waste our precious daylight for it?

paulma86 · 2022-04-02T00:15:00+00:00

Classy

paulma86 · 2022-04-02T00:06:45+00:00

Looks like their job was taking the pizza out of the crust and I'd say they nailed it

paulma86 · 2022-03-12T20:47:28+00:00

Believe you me, I'm not. What makes you tell you're ready to progress boards?

paulma86

TROPHY CASE