- HomeKeepr app wasn't loved at first but its updated version fixes all of my concerns
- Real estate related apps have to appeal to consumers for the long haul
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HomeKeepr is an app initially designed for agents to help homeowners find the best service professionals to work on their properties.
The advantage to agents is that you can brand it and the vendors recommended to the user come from your “preferred list.”
Here’s what I wrote about the app in April, 2015:
“I have a very hard time believing that in five years, that app is going to remain in place on users’ phones, regardless of how many push notifications are sent out.
“Almost weekly, I’m doing a quick scan of unused apps just for ways to free up some phone storage. Apps I thought were awesome last night turned out to be attractive icons with slow-to-load, buggy content under the tap.”
HomeKeepr’s Rob Morrelli called me last week to discuss some updates to his product.
Not only was it very magnanimous of him to not be ticked off about my opinion, but he acknowledged the issue and, like an experienced business leader, made some really smart changes to his product.
HomeKeepr has pushed its capabilities into the total home management realm.
With a series of updates to be rolled out first for consumers early in August, then agents shortly after, HomeKeepr is now an ongoing journal of sorts for everything you need to know about your house.
HomeKeepr has pushed its capabilities into the total home management realm.
At final walk-through, agents can snap images of appliances and systems and after closing, share the information with clients. They’ll need to download the app.
HomeKeepr then gets to work.
Within 24 to 48 hours, every picture record will include its appliance’s serial numbers, warranty info, a PDF version of the manual, and any other appropriate documentation.
This is what also makes the updates so compelling.
While you can choose to upload all the information yourself, why would you? Apps shouldn’t make you work that hard. Morelli recognizes that.
Homeowners can then quickly peruse the details of their new washer and dryer and finally put an end to the kitchen junk drawer jammed with cumbersome manuals and paperwork.
Should a repair need go beyond what the manual suggests, HomeKeepr’s familiar list of area repair pros will be a tap away.
The updated app sustains the nice interface and overall user experience I liked in the first edition.
Some additional features include a receipt capture for home repairs, the details of which will also be populated by the team behind HomeKeepr. All the user does is snap the picture.
This is a productive, smart evolution of the software. One that I would have reason to keep on my phone for as long as I’m in the house.
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