I recently spoke with Derek Smith, CEO of HomeSpot (www.homespothq.com).  HomeSpot is like an online user manual for your house.  Helping homeowners maintain, protect and manage their property.   HomeSpotHQ has had a lot of attention in the news lately and I am happy Derek made the time for this interview.

Derek Smith, CEO of HomeSpotHQ.com

CHUCK: Tell me a little about your background and training.

DEREK:  I am originally from Spokane, Washington, and I’ve been doing software development in some form or another as long as I can remember. My first ‘product’ was developed in high school as a flash card system for basic Japanese characters. In college I developed a system to manage our college’s radio station, and also did internships for a multinational chemical company as well as a regional gold mining company. Since then I have worked for privately held and publicly traded companies, non-profits, state government, and had a 6 year season doing freelance software development and consulting.

CHUCK: How did you come up with the idea for HomeSpotHQ?

DEREK:  When I bought my first home in 2005 I immediately started doing various projects. Everything from replacing light fixtures, repainting rooms, and plenty of landscaping. I had always had in mind creating some type of electronic knowledge base so I could have a record of before and after pictures or just notes about some little oddity that occurred when doing a project. In 2009 I was working for a software company that was having a lot of trouble bringing a product to market, which led to a very tumultuous work environment. A co-worker and I would end up having regular brainstorming sessions for new businesses that we could start on the side. HomeSpot was probably the 3rd or 4th idea that we tossed around, but after getting some feedback on the idea, we decided to move forward to start building the product and see if we could get it to market. Our first release occurred 4 or 5 months later, and within a few months we had several hundred registered users. That was enough validation for us to keep pursuing it.

CHUCK: Please explain how you came up with the name HomeSpotHQ.

DEREK:  Well, we knew we needed some variation on home or house in the name. We mostly just brainstormed and then would check to see what domain names were available to register. We added the HQ to make it a bit more distinct.

CHUCK: Any big challenges in developing or testing HomeSpotHQ?

DEREK:  As it turned out, I started the development of HomeSpot HQ the same week that my 2nd daughter was born, so in those early days the biggest challenge was fatigue. I would stay up late coding and go to bed right about the time my wife would wake up to feed the baby.  So lack of sleep was a big challenge.

CHUCK: Who is the typical user of HomeSpotHQ?

DEREK:  Our typical user is a home owner that is oriented towards  organization.  Many also enjoy  do-it-yourself home repair and improvement. We have users from nearly all 50 states as well as a handful of other countries. They recognize the importance of routine maintenance for their home, and like having a system that will help them plan and organize the work that needs to be done.

CHUCK: Can you offer a preview of new features planned for your product?

DEREK:   Sure – we get almost all of our feature suggestions from our users, and we try to incorporate as many as we can in each release. Probably our biggest request is the ability to manage multiple properties under one account. This feature is under development now and will be released in 2012. We also are looking at ways to incorporate the routine maintenance tasks for vehicles into the product as well.

CHUCK: Any plans on the drawing table for new products?

DEREK:  We have been working on planning out apps for the various mobile and tablet platforms like Android and the iPad and iPhone. Also we’re working with remodeling and handyman contractors on a platform they can use to offer HomeSpot HQ to their clients called HomeSpot Pro.

CHUCK:  Anything else you would like to share?

DEREK:  I always love to take the opportunity to thank our users. Every time you use HomeSpot you encourage us to keep developing new features and ideas. Without our users, we would not have the story to tell that we do. So to the more than 5,000 homeowners who have joined HomeSpot, I personally offer my sincere thanks.

CHUCK:  Thanks Derek for taking the time with me!

Learn more at www.homespothq.com.

Coming to the Triangle next weekend is the Raleigh Fall Home, Spa & Landscape Show
September 10, 11, 12, 2010 at the Raleigh Convention Center. Tickets are $9 and children under 16 are free.

Learn more at Raleigh Home Show.

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The Surplus Warehouse is having a 20% discount off their entire store on April 15-17, 2010.  Learn more at  www.surplus-warehouse.com

See full report in NYT article.

One low VOC paint that wasn’t covered in the article that deserves a look is Harmony made by Sherwin-Williams.

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Boulder Colorado is a city challenging itself to be ‘greener’ Read more in article from WSJ.

EnergStar Logo

Google is entering into the social media fray by creating Google Buzz.  It operates within your GMail email account or on your smart phone.  It allows you to share among friends or with the world.

See  www.google.com/buzz or watch video below for more details.

Offers from Lowe’s, Home Depot, Surplus Warehouse and many others.  Click to learn more.

I wrote about this earlier this year but feel it bears repeating. Get federal tax credits for energy efficiency improvements to the your home. Improvements such as installing a storm door, new exterior door and windows and adding insulation can qualify.

For further details, please see the EPA’s Energy Star website

The highlights of the plan include:

• The tax credits that were previously effective for 2009, have been extended to 2010.
• The tax credit has been increased from 10% to 30%.
• The maximum credit has been raised from $500 to $1500 for the two years (2009–2010). However, some higher ticket improvements now have higher maximums.
• The $200 cap on windows has been removed.

For installation of a storm door, exterior door, windows or insulation in the Triangle area, please visit www.CarolinaHandyman.com or in the Triad please visit www.GreensboroRemodelandHandymanSolutions.com

(The Triangle includes the North Carolina cities of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill. The Triad includes the NC cities of Burlington, High Point, Greensboro, and Winston-Salem).

For discounts on home improvement products and services throughout the US, please visit our Special Offer page.

Additional home improvement tips can be found at www.HouseFixer.Info.