Home Depot has a pro service.
Very hard to even use their services.
Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
31–40 of 96 posts
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#32Earlier quoted context omitted.
You think that the type of contractor who is already unreliable will be do better having to log into an app to do things, than literally answer a call or text from their phone!?
We need to unpack what makes someone “unreliable” because we’ve found every single contractor runs late, ghosts some leads, misses some scopes, etc. The root cause is that it’s a complex job to manage and they may not excel at those small business tasks, despite having excellent craftsmanship. We simplify their job. Normally they would have to field leads, visit homes to scope jobs, find suppliers who can deliver the…
I think the big unreliability I have seen, and often hear people complain about is, work gets done 90% of the way then they just basically stop showing up. Or some of the work is bad, and they have no desire to show back up and fix it.
I guess the issue being that, it is more profitable to ghost them. Is HomeBreeze going to insure the jobs?
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#33As a homeowner for 8+ years, this is a HUGE problem. Like really huge. Companies like thumbtack, home advisor, angie's list, craigslist etc are mostly not useful (I have tried them all). I hope you guys succeed. The issue is however not just about price or cost. It is mostly about finding reliable, knowledge and honest contractors which for some reason is not that easy. The great contractors are usually very busy alr…
We found that Angie’s List was useful, until it became popular. Then too many people started using it and less reputable people started gaming the system, and then it all went down the toilet.
Same with Craigslist before that.
I would say that the same sort of problem will occur with all these services, unless you can bring new functionality to the problem where you can guarantee the level and quality and speed of service.
See also “tragedy of the commons”.
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#34I will use this when you go live in the Bay Area.
Side note: I would also pay for a "Landlord as a Service". I want to treat a company like my landlord, even though I own my house. "Hi Bill, my roof is leaking" and they say "Someone will be there next week" and then send me a bill.
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#35Earlier quoted context omitted.
We need to unpack what makes someone “unreliable” because we’ve found every single contractor runs late, ghosts some leads, misses some scopes, etc. The root cause is that it’s a complex job to manage and they may not excel at those small business tasks, despite having excellent craftsmanship. We simplify their job. Normally they would have to field leads, visit homes to scope jobs, find suppliers who can deliver the…
I think the big unreliability I have seen, and often hear people complain about is, work gets done 90% of the way then they just basically stop showing up. Or some of the work is bad, and they have no desire to show back up and fix it. I guess the issue being that, it is more profitable to ghost them. Is HomeBreeze going to insure the jobs?
We’ve seen similar things for general contractors and construction, which is a market we don’t yet serve. Today we target jobs that are completed within one day. We find our jobs get prioritized because we drive material volume to contractors.
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#36us only, iphone only?
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#37As a homeowner for 8+ years, this is a HUGE problem. Like really huge. Companies like thumbtack, home advisor, angie's list, craigslist etc are mostly not useful (I have tried them all). I hope you guys succeed. The issue is however not just about price or cost. It is mostly about finding reliable, knowledge and honest contractors which for some reason is not that easy. The great contractors are usually very busy alr…
We found that Angie’s List was useful, until it became popular. Then too many people started using it and less reputable people started gaming the system, and then it all went down the toilet. Same with Craigslist before that. I would say that the same sort of problem will occur with all these services, unless you can bring new functionality to the problem where you can guarantee the level and quality and speed of se…
We have a few ideas on how to manage this but totally agree that maintaining quality is critical (and hard!)
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#38Guys, you are onto the same thing I want to solve as a real estate developer. Take a look at HomeLux.ai We should connect and chat about this market place. David DavidS@HomeLux.ai
Great! Will reach out
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#39Earlier quoted context omitted.
My brother is an honest contractor in the Bay Area and he gets called several times per day by potential clients. The problem is that he can't scale to meet demand because of a dire shortage of labor and subcontractors (painters in particular at the moment). The contractors that will answer your call and give you an estimate tend to be what he calls "paper contractors" that don't have their own crew and subcontract o…
What type of contracting does your brother do? We see what you’re describing with general contractors but rarely with plumbers who are our initial focus
Mostly kitchen and bathroom remodeling.
For some reason, plumbing is one of the few types of work where it doesn't seem to be as hard to find someone (at least in the Bay Area). Unless, as happened recently to me, you have a leaking shower drain in which case you are completely hosed.
Re: Launch HN: HomeBreeze (YC W21) – Easy booking of home repairs
#40I’ve used a similar app (Jiffy) and it’s awesome. Payment is fixed hourly and goes through the app so no money is exchanged with the contractor. Got my dishwasher fixed next day no problem. Good luck guys it’s a good market to be in
Good to know. So much room for innovation in this market. Appreciate the support!