AUSTIN, Texas — Trusting someone to work on your home can be tough, and Realtors know that more than most. Not knowing who to go to or someone taking too long can be a nightmare for a real estate agent.
That's part of the reason why Sarah Biggerstaff created Homease, an app for Realtors by a Realtor. This allows Realtors and contractors to find each other and communicate quicker.
"Obviously, there's other sites and places where Realtors are able to find these types of places but I wanted to build something that was specific to real estate, specific for Realtors and their clients, and really streamline the process," said Biggerstaff.
She also wants to make sure that Realtors are getting the best work possible. That's why she vets each contractor personally and only allows five in each of the 35 categories on the app.
Even though the everyday consumer is not using the app, Biggerstaff says they still reap the benefits.
"The idea is to help equip Realtors with the tools that they need to better serve their clients," she said. "So the Realtor is the user on Homease, however, it's truly adding value to the clients of the Realtors."
With hopes of growing, Homease just launched with Austin as its first market a week ago. The monetization comes at the expense of the contractors, not the Realtors, who can use the app for free.