Inspection Software

[Russell Buchanan]

Originally Posted by gromicko

There are now dozens of packages out there. But IMHO the top 3 are:

1. Home Inspector Pro
2. Best Inspectors .net
3. HomeGauge

Nick really wants the reader to see HomeGauge last in their memory so they won't forget.

Actually I recommend new inspectors review the software in Nicks order so when they get to HomeGauge they can call us to purchase. Thanks Nick

[Bob Elliott]

Originally Posted by rbuchanan1

Nick really wants the reader to see HomeGauge last in their memory so they won't forget.

Actually I recommend new inspectors review the software in Nicks order so when they get to HomeGauge they can call us to purchase. Thanks Nick

I see yet another copy of HG is being sold by a Inspector for $300 at the moment. .lol

[Linas Dapkus]

Originally Posted by rbuchanan1

Nick really wants the reader to see HomeGauge last in their memory so they won't forget.

Actually I recommend new inspectors review the software in Nicks order so when they get to HomeGauge they can call us to purchase. Thanks Nick

Good strategy Russell. I see you and Sean have been at this for over 10 years!!! How did you come up with the idea for Home inspection report software? Were there any competitors out there at that time?

[Russell Buchanan]

No Linas...as you may know I am a home inspector and our software was developed by a home inspector. Over the last 10 years our software has evolved from thousands of inspectors like you requesting ideas and features so its because of inspectors who contribute like yourself that HomeGauge continues to be the leader in the industry. Regardless of unqualified recommendations we have over 9000 that has purchased HG with 4800 who wants to receive our News Alerts each month!

We want to get out version 5 real soon which will be yet another leap in innovation with interactive reports. Then after that, probably around first of next year in spring we will release 5.x that will revolutionize report writing designed for all to finish the report ON SITE!

[Russell Buchanan]

Originally Posted by belliott

I see yet another copy of HG is being sold by a Inspector for $300 at the moment. .lol

Sounds like a real deal Bob. If I were you i would buy it. or show me the link so i can help sell it.

[George P. Wells, CMI]

Originally Posted by ldapkus1

Good strategy Russell. I see you and Sean have been at this for over 10 years!!! How did you come up with the idea for Home inspection report software? Were there any competitors out there at that time?

Linas and Russ,

When I decided to start selling inspection report software in 1999, there were very few choices. HomeTec's and AHIT's paper reports were still very big at the time. It was the lack of computer based reports that motivated us to create our first computer based reports. There were two or three out there but they were very expensive. A friend of mine who had been selling books on eBay suggested that I try selling on eBay. Anotehr inspector, Marko "Cleveland Mold" Vovk, and I both started selling report software at around the same time for $39.95 on eBay. For the first year or so, we both kept our prices at $39.95. Ebay was growing by leaps and bounds between 2000 and 2006 and so did we. For at least three solid years, we had almost no competition on eBay.

By 2001, it was becoming obvious that there was a demand for more automation with report writing but there were still very few publishers of report software. In a real twist of fate, we were selling a PDF report to compete against AHIT and Hometec's paper reports but they got off to a slow start because hardly anyone knew what PDF was.

In yet another twist of fate, by 2003 we were selling lots of reports in the $100 range but we were also getting lots of requests for more features. I had recently become aware of HomeGauge which cost several hundred dollars more than my software at the time. I had had one or two conversations with Sean on phone. He seemed like a good guy so I started sending inspectors to HomeGauge. I was sending a lot of inspectors to HomeGauge but inspectors were looking for something in between. We did some research, determined that the void in the market could be filled at around the $300 price point and the rest is history.

Russ may not remember this but in February 2007, after I had been selling inspection software for seven years, Russ, Sean and I were having a conversation at a convention. By this time, Russ had known me casually for probably three years. Russ, being the nice guy he is, probably didn't remember me at all from one event to the next but was always polite and friendly to me. During our conversation, Sean said something that made Russ finally realize who I was. He stepped back, looked at me and said something like "You're the guy who sells on eBay!" Sean confirmed that I was "the guy" Russ made a few comments that suggested to me that he still thought we were new to the business. By 2007, the market's perception of eBay and eBay sellers had clearly shifted away from what it had once been. I made the decision right then and there to start putting some distance between myself and eBay.