Home Renos a Two-Way Street

Well I'm not sure if this is a test post or a real one. But what I do know is, Mike Holmes isn't the only home improvement expert with a blog! Now HomeStars has one too!

In any case, Mr. Holmes has an excellent article in this weekend's Globe and Mail: Can't Get a
Good Contractor? Maybe You're the Problem.

One of the interesting points resonates with me, as a consultant in another industry entirely (web advertising). Contractors may walk away from a job quote request under conditions where it seems impossible for them to deliver a high-quality job. They know they're recognized for their recent work, and if their ability to deliver will be hampered, they'll be wary. One of the potential roadblocks is if you've hired subcontractors in the semi-skilled areas who may not be communicative, qualified, etc. Once you lose control of the outcome of a job, you can be held responsible for the bad work. So I can see where the top contractors are coming from. Like you, they want the job to succeed, and they may have considerable background knowledge about the factors and budget that determine success.

Although the primary purpose of a site like HomeStars is education, protection, and communication for consumers in the home improvement arena, it's also a great opportunity for the vendors to tell their stories. Not every homeowner complaint is equally valid, to be sure. And judging by the many positive reviews on HomeStars, contractors and retailers take pride in their workmanship and service. It's important to allow them an opportunity to reply directly to complaints, so that's a feature of the website.

If you see me posting here along with HomeStars founder Nancy Peterson and other members of the editorial team, that's because I'm part of that team - unofficially, as Web Strategist, and on the record, as a huge fan of what this site offers to consumers. Welcome to the blog!

Posted by Andrew Goodman
0 comments | Permanent Link

 

HomeStars Blog is Rolling

Hi all, I'm Andrew Goodman, one of the early team members of HomeStars, a website founded by Nancy Peterson to help homeowners sift through the good, the bad, and the ugly of home improvement contractors and retailers. There are already thousands of reviews on the site, and more are being added every day. We've had great media mentions (thanks!) and have met hundreds of homeowners at recent local home shows.

But we're only getting warmed up.

As this small team has grown together, we've learned a lot about the exploding interest in consumer reviews and "peering and sharing" online as people empower themselves to make smarter purchases - and sometimes get to know one another in the process. (What d'yall think? Should HomeStars have a Meetup type event in Toronto for frequent users of the site, in fall 2007?)

For the time being, we'll just be jotting down little notes about the progress of the company here on the blog. Longer term the site will be rolling out North America wide and will encompass more collaborative user features, user Q&A, and so forth. So we hope our pithy little comments here will be drowned out by a loud chatter of "homeowner empowerment".

A running joke here at HomeStars seems to be my title, as I've been helping Nancy with strategy in a range of areas. It was Web Strategist, the Search Engine Guy, Chief Traffic Officer for awhile as I decided we'd get nowhere if nobody came to the site, and now, I would like to call myself Chief Content Producer or VP, Content. Of course, I don't produce the content, users do, in collaboration with local city-based content "producers" who will be meeting, greeting, sharing, and encouraging homeowners. (Can I say we're going to be like Yelp! for grownups?)

Labels: blog, contractors, home improvement, home renovation, homestars, ratings, reviews

Posted by Nancy Peterson
1 comments | Permanent Link