Modernization leads · Updated September 6, 2026

Elevator modernization leads: the aging equipment in your territory, as a ranked list

Modernization is where the money is, and it is the hardest project to find. A consultant writes the specification, the incumbent gets the first call, and the company that has serviced the building for years learns about it from the bid list. Smarterlift finds it first: 62,950 elevators on the Texas and Florida registries were installed 25 or more years ago, across 32,608 buildings, and every one of them is a search away.

How it works

1. 1

   Search by building, not by prospect

   Find Candidates reads the state registry grouped by building. Choose the age band you sell into, a city, a building type and a minimum number of units; your existing customers are excluded by default. Each row shows the tier for the dominant age band, the fleet by passenger, freight and escalator, the oldest install year, and the estimated modernization revenue range.

2. 2

   Open the building

   The detail view lists every unit with its own tier, install year and certificate status, and in Florida the service company of record. One click writes the AI modernization brief: a headline, the reasons the timing is right, the equipment story, a phased scope that follows the real certificate dates, and a talk track. Export it as an opportunity brief for the rep who is walking in.

3. 3

   Build the owner’s case

   Run ROI opens the calculator already seeded with the building’s install year, floors, capacity and manufacturer. Add your pricing and it returns the payback period, net present value and annual savings, then a branded ROI analysis you hand to the owner. Every building you quote is tracked, so you can see which cases converted.

4. 4

   Add it to the pipeline

   Add to Pipeline creates the prospect. AI scoring reads the same record and picks the tier to lead the conversation with, cosmetic, mid or full, with its reasoning shown on the prospect. The proposal generator drafts a tier-aware proposal and an intro email in your voice, ready to edit and send.

The three tiers

The bands rank the list; they are not quotes. Each tier has a different buyer and a different conversation, from the property manager who wants the cabs to match the lobby, to the owner who is looking at a controller nobody supports any more. The AI picks the tier to lead with and says why, and the ROI calculator refines the estimate with your own parts catalog pricing.

What the registries hold today

Measured September 6, 2026. Units by equipment age, from the install year the state publishes:

New York publishes no install year, so Smarterlift reads the city’s equipment specifications instead: relay-era control, whether resistance, multi-voltage or generator field control, with no regenerative drive, marks a full-modernization candidate. That is 2,260 units in New York City today, each with its machine type, capacity and stop count on the record. Minnesota publishes an install year on 40% of its records, so the Minnesota list is real but partial.

Why the registry beats a purchased list

A list broker sells addresses. The state registry records the equipment: install year, type, capacity, manufacturer, and the certificate history that shows whether the building has been keeping up with inspections. The buildings that are both old and behind are the openings, and they change every night as certificates lapse and renewals post. Smarterlift refreshes every covered registry nightly, so the list you work is the list that exists.

The service contract usually comes first. Expiring certificates are how you get into a building; the modernization is the project you win once you are in. Maintenance contract leads are the other half of the same pipeline, and both run on one CRM.

Questions people ask

Which states does modernization prospecting cover?

Texas and Florida publish the install year of every registered unit, so both are searchable by age band today. New York publishes no install year; Smarterlift classifies New York units by the city’s equipment specifications instead, where relay-era control without a regenerative drive marks a full-modernization candidate. Minnesota is covered where the registry carries an install year. Outside those states, Lead Search Discover finds buildings nationwide and the same AI tiering runs on every prospect you add.

Are the revenue figures quotes?

No. They are the standard tier bands: cosmetic refresh $5,000 to $25,000 per cab, mid-modernization $20,000 to $60,000 per unit, full modernization $50,000 to $150,000 per unit. They rank the list. The ROI calculator refines the estimate with your own parts catalog pricing and produces the payback case you put in front of the owner.

Does it tell me who services the building today?

Where the state publishes it. Florida’s registry names the service company of record on nearly every unit, and Texas registers a compliance contact for each building. Both appear on the building’s record, so you know before the first call whether you are displacing an incumbent or filling a gap.

What does the AI brief actually use?

The building’s own registry record: unit count and composition, install years, equipment type and capacity, certificate and inspection dates, and the building type. The brief states why now, tells the equipment story, proposes a phased scope keyed to the real certificate dates, and gives your rep a talk track. Everything in it can be checked against the public record.

Is modernization prospecting included on both plans?

Yes. Find Candidates, the AI modernization brief, the ROI calculator and the tier-aware proposal generator are part of the core lead-generation and CRM bundle on Outbound at $499 per month and on Platform at $699 per month. Platform adds the branded customer portal.

Sources

• Smarterlift free elevator compliance lookup: the state registries behind the figures above, measured September 6, 2026
• Install years and equipment specifications as published by TDLR, DBPR, DLI and the New York City Department of Buildings

Registry data is sourced from state regulatory agencies and provided for informational purposes only. Smarterlift is not affiliated with or endorsed by any state agency. Revenue bands are estimates for ranking, not quotes. To request a correction or removal, contact support@smarterlift.app.