We understand there has been some confusion surrounding our new Homebuyer PLUS program, and we apologize for this. We’d like to provide some clarity for you, so we’ve compiled a list of answers to your FAQs to help you feel more comfortable and be properly informed.
Is HomeGauge “hijacking” our customer information?
- We don’t “hijack” your client information. We store your client’s information in our systems as necessary to create and distribute inspection reports for our Inspectors. In some states, laws require consumers to have a right to know, edit, and the right to request deletion of their data. This is a trend that may continue across many more states as well. We are building processes to accommodate those laws.
Does HomeGauge force our Buyers to get contacted?
- No. We present options to your homebuyer that are of value during their process. We believe giving access to resources reduces stress and provides options for them to get the best pricing for their needs. But it is their CHOICE to share their contact information with one of our partners. Given our relationship with our parent company, we can continue to help homebuyers with the tasks related to purchasing a home beyond just an inspection. But again, the customer chooses whether they want to participate, and we honor that choice.
- We want to present the customer with that CHOICE. This is not spamming your customers; this is following up with your customers who have made the CHOICE to be contacted.
- We also text or email them after they have expressed an interest in one of our offerings to confirm their CHOICE. For those who didn’t mean to, or those who decide this is not for them, we provide the steps for opting out, and they can remove their data at their own will. In this case, we will not share their information with a partner.
How does HomeGauge make sure my customers don’t get spammed?
- Our team meets with our partners regularly to ensure they continue to provide a positive experience for the homebuyers who choose to participate. We created a partner promise to outline what we expect in those communications for our inspector-community.
- If your customers run into any challenges as they sign your agreement or review their report and data, we have implemented a few ways to help them during the process. This will ease any frustration or confusion for the customer.
Why are we requiring a username and password?
- We believe that inspection report access should be secure for the homebuyer, and this is becoming a necessity due to increasingly stringent privacy laws. Yes, we still allow our inspectors to make reports public, but we STRONGLY advise against doing so.
- We know that other companies don’t share our commitment to this security measure, but we don’t understand why.
- This report is also stored on HomeGauge for at least five years. The homebuyer must have access to this secure account to view and revisit their inspection report in the future.
Why does my customer need to review their information at login?
- This is a standard practice when establishing accounts online. HomeGauge was slow to adopt this requirement.
- Under certain state guidelines, as stated above, consumers need to verify their account details, and this process is in line with those best practices.
- HomeGauge is committed to ensuring the privacy of a homebuyer’s inspection report. This step helps keep your buyer’s sensitive information out of unintended hands.
What are the optional information fields, why are they needed, and why is some information mandatory?
- Informational fields were intended to be value-added pieces of information that could be useful to inspectors in the future.
- However, after further discussions with inspectors, it doesn’t appear this information is needed. We will be removing the optional information fields.
- We reviewed the need to make phone numbers mandatory. While they are useful, we have determined this won’t be a required field for account sign-up and will be making this field optional. However, email must remain mandatory to have at least one verified way to access their account.
How is HomeGauge protecting our data?
- We follow strict privacy standards to accommodate every state, even the strictest in our country, including CCPA.
- We’ve been working to ensure customer data (yours and agents’) is well-protected. This was the main reason for overhauling our payments platform, but we have also made other significant improvements to ensure this data is secure.
- We want to assure you that we do not share contact information about any Homebuyer with any third party without the explicit consent of the Homebuyer. This is specifically stated clearly in our privacy policy. We will only contact a buyer about services if they have opted in and asked for more information. Others in our industry don’t adhere to this standard. Ultimately, we are following some of the strictest privacy rules in the country about consumer data.
- In addition to all this, we have a security team that is also protecting your clients and their data. This is especially important in today’s climate with the global threat of breaches and foreign interference.