Facebook can help you find the perfect plumber

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Marketplace
Facebook Marketplace has a useful new feature.
Photo: Facebook

Whether you’re looking to hire a cleaner or a plumber, Mark Zuckerberg is your hookup! No, Facebook’s CEO isn’t moonlighting as a tradesperson, but his Facebook Marketplace service is branching out in a potentially handy new direction.

From today, users in the U.S. can use Marketplace to find the right professional for the job, starting with home services. Facebook has partnered with Handy, HomeAdvisor, and Porch for the new feature, which offers thousands of available professionals right now.

“More people ask for recommendations related to home services on Facebook in the U.S. than any other topic,” said Deb Liu, vice president of Marketplace. “Since the beginning of the year, millions of people have asked their friends for suggestions related to home services, such as house cleaners, plumbers and contractors.”

The service promises to be particularly useful, since not only can you find the right cleaner, plumber or home renovation expert in your area, but you can also quickly contact them via Messenger for a quote. To help find the right person for you, the feature will guide you through the process by asking you the right questions about the size of the job and the timeframe you are working on. You can also filter available professionals by ratings.

At present, the service is only available to users in the United States. Hopefully that will change in the near future, though. If you do live in the U.S., you can check out the new offering by visiting Marketplace on your Facebook app.

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