HomeStars
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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Home improvement |
| Founded | 2006 |
| Founder | Nancy Peterson |
| Headquarters | Toronto, Ontario , Canada |
Area served | Canada |
| Services | Online marketplace, review site |
Number of employees | 200+ (2021) |
| Website | homestars |
HomeStars.com is a Canadian company which publishes reviews written by homeowners about home improvement professionals such as repairman, contractors, renovators, and retailers.
HomeStars was formed in 2006 by Nancy Peterson.[1] The company began as an online community of homeowners, sharing reviews based on their personal experience to help other homeowners find reputable contractors.[2][3] Each review can contain details on the delivery of the work, the contractor's work habits and the quality of the follow-up.[4] Similar to other review sites such as TripAdvisor, contractors are able to respond to any reviews that are written about them.[5]
The National Post announced in 2015 that HomeStars had over two million companies listed on its website and hundreds of thousands of consumer reviews about those contractors.[6] In 2015, ProfitGuide ranked HomeStars as the 77th fastest growing company in Canada.[7] Its founder and CEO, Nancy Peterson, won an award in 2015 as one of Canada's top female entrepreneurs, where she ranked in 71st position.[8]
HomeStars was acquired by HomeAdvisors parent company IAC, in February 2017. HomeAdvisor offers similar services in the US.[9][10]
Operation
[edit | edit source]Homeowners can submit a service request or need, and the Homestars system will send three proposals from three different companies ready to provide the requested service.[11] The homeowner then has the option to choose one of these three companies to hire based on their HomeStars profile, online portfolio, and customer ratings, among other factors. [citation needed]
Signing up on HomeStars as a homeowner is free, while professionals have two options: a base account that is free, and a premium account that the professional pays for on a monthly basis. Only professionals with a premium account are acknowledged by the HomeStars rotation system. [citation needed]
Reception
[edit | edit source]HomeStars was criticized for publishing a high rating on a contractor who then went bankrupt and left customers who had made large down-payments with unfinished work.[12]
References
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