Root canals, mosquito bites on your scapula, climate change — all of these things are easier to live through than home renovations.
If you’re considering making some changes to your home, either find a reason not to or find another place to be for the entirety of the project. It’s no wonder they edit most of the work in home improvement shows, no one would ever again hire a contractor.
From the utter ubiquity of drywall dust to unexplained five-figure budget increases, there’s simply nothing enjoyable about what happens between old linoleum and new hardwoods. So do yourself a favor and at least think about how one of the following software products might be able to help manage or analyze the value of a construction project, whether related to inspections, pre-market fix-ups or the general desire to put yourself through a living, dusty hell.
A home fix-up is no time to leave your client holding the nail bag, so each of the products listed below includes ways for agents to better their own business, too. After all, it is Agent Tech Month.
Eano
It’s name is an amalgamation of “easy, affordable home renovations,” and the app’s purpose is to digitize remodeling. Features help users serve, in a sense, as their own GC (general contractor), approving every step from provided checklists for each room or area in which work will be done.
The app also has room design templates for inspiration or to be used to exact standards. Once a project design is selected by the user, it can be converted quickly to an executable contract with every dollar clearly assigned.
Eano also carefully selects the folks who will be handling the labor, and they’ll be using the app, too, vital for ensuring all conversations are documented and come across clearly.
Revive
This software was built to help agents, contractors and sellers work together on pre-sale home modifications. It leverages data on market comps and project cost trends to arrive at an ROI.
Each user has their own view into what’s happening, and its communication channels keep everyone in the loop when it’s time for a discussion on what’s next.
Revive isn’t leaning entirely on software to automate what is obviously a very hands-on process. It instead blends its technology with salaried advisers assigned to each agent’s needs upon setup. It also uses video explainers at major steps along the way.
Plunk
Plunk’s role is to help its customers determine home pricing after some upgrades. It uses live market data to analyze how homes with similar finishes and amenities are selling. Agents at any level who work with investors or have a client wanting to update a home before listing would have a reason to download it.
Like Eano, each project includes a detailed description of what’s involved, allowing the user to indicate what’s in the home. Users can upload images and give the home a Condition Score, as an appraiser would: Disrepair, Economy, Stock, Semi-Custom, Custom, Luxury. The Improve module, for example, is where you can apply renovation scenarios and see expected value increases, such as a new bedroom, updated primary bathroom or new deck.
PunchList USA
This app is centered around the inspection process. It
provides quick pricing estimates of recommended inspection fixes and facilitates pre-listing inspections to address problem areas before the open market can do it for you.
The folks behind PunchList have decades of combined residential sales and contracting experience, helping them understand and alleviate the many pain points that burden the steps between contract and close.
Repair Pricer
Repair Pricer is a web-based service that translates inspection reports into actual cost estimates. The company claims its repair pricing solution is 98 percent accurate and can be turned around in less than a day.
The process is pretty simple: Once the home inspection is complete, and should there be issues of contention, the buyers can upload their report to Repair Pricer.
The PDF pricing reports go a long way toward humanizing what is often a very clinical, tough-to-swallow technical document. It color-categorizes repairs thusly: Defective, Cosmetic and Potential (warrant ongoing evaluation, such as tree branches reaching along the siding).
Each item is summarized in the pages that follow in spreadsheet format, with item costs and category totals.
So, if you’re determined to tear things apart in your home or encouraging your client to make some changes, know that it won’t be at all fun for anyone but the contractor. Be ready to send help, and find every way possible to streamline it.