Q: What is HomeNav?
A: HomeNav is a way to enhance your relationship with your homeowner clients by providing a tool that will protect their investment and grow with their needs over time. HomeNav is the “back up” for a home – for replacement, for repair and maintenance, for peace of mind.
HomeNav’s interactive home inventory tool allows you to create a homeowners manual that provides one place, online, to put all of the information about a home; systems, appliances, fixtures and even paint colors, with web links and file uploads to complete the information. Easily add support information like emergency contacts, contractors, and utilities. The HomeNav homeowner resource section includes “how to” information, maintenance checklists, product research, healthy living, and green building/remodeling information.
Q: I’m getting ready to sell a house…how can HomeNav help?
A: HomeNav can be an added selling feature when populated with important information the new homeowner will need. You can provide the new homeowner with the make, model, manufacturer for appliances and systems in the home, local utilities, trash and recycling contact information, neighborhood highlights and access to checklists for maintaining their new home and the list goes on.
Q: What are the top five reasons to use HomeNav?
A: 1. Upload inspection reports and other documents needed for selling the home
2. Showcase complete inventory of details and selling features to homebuyers
3. Access home maintenance and operation information, as well as warranty, operation and repair information for inventory of appliances, systems and fixtures
4. Easy to update with new purchases or when changes have been made to the home, such as an addition or remodeling project
5. Protects a homeowner’s investment in their home. HomeNav not only provides lasting benefits to your clients, but also enhances your relationship with them. Your company logo and contact information is permanently displayed in the homeowners account for as long as the account exists and you’ve provided them with a resource that will enhance their homeownership experience as well as grow with their needs.
Q: What are some examples of how a homeowner can use HomeNav?
A: 1. When painting a room, take a picture of the paint formula on the can and upload the photo into your HomeNav account. Then that information is easily available when it’s time to make touch-ups or repaint the room.
2. When the carpets are cleaned, scan the receipt and upload it into HomeNav (many companies are now offering to email receipts, so then you can download the receipt into HomeNav). Now the contact information for the company used and the date the carpets were cleaned are easily accessible in HomeNav.
3. When planning a home remodeling project, add the model, make and manufacturer information about the new products into HomeNav and include a photo journal of the project progress from start to finish. The site plans can also be uploaded for future reference.
Q: Can I brand the tool for my business?
A: Absolutely. Your company’s logo and contact information will be prominently displayed in HomeNav, so that it’s the first thing people see when they open an account that has been branded for your company. Your company information will be part of the clients account for as long as the account exists.
Q: As a realtor, what if I don’t have time to populate HomeNav with the information I need to sell my home?
A: HomeNav offers a Full Service Package for Realtors for $149 that includes a HomeNav specialist performing a one hour walk through (virtual or real) of the home to document and photograph major systems, components, and selling features and populating “My HomeNav” with the information from the walk through.
Q: As a builder, what if I don’t have time to populate HomeNav?
A: HomeNav offers a Full Service Package for Builder’s starting at $495 that includes customizing the tool with local utility and contractor contact information as well as documenting up to “75″ components and major systems installed in the home.
Q: What if I prefer to populate HomeNav myself?
A: A HomeNav specialist can provide a free one-hour training consultation over the phone.
Q: Can I upload videos into HomeNav?
A: We recommend uploading videos to YouTube and then embedding the link into your HomeNav account in the appropriate web link. This would be a great way to create a short video highlighting the features of a home.
Q: How long will it take me to capture important records?
A: Getting started and setting up you’re an account takes no more than a few minutes. The time involved populating HomeNav will vary, depending on how you decide to organize your data, how many records you wish to document, and how much information you want to keep.
Q: Do I need to know much about using computers?
A: No. The program is designed to be easy to use. Just go to www.homenav.com and go the sign up tab to create your personal account.
Q: How can I learn more? Can I try it?
A: Yes. You can sign up for a membership and try it free for 90 days. After deciding to continue your membership past the 90 days, the data you have stored in your trial version will not be lost, so you won’t have to start over.
Q: Can’t I store home information some other way?
A: Sure. You can use bits of paper or a list in a binder or even alternative software designed to help organize home information. Many people do. But records on paper are usually not very complete and difficult to keep up to date. It is also much more difficult and time consuming to keep comprehensive records on paper. Paper records also cannot automatically point to and open web-sites, documents, photos and other computer programs for you. Paper records don’t easily provide you with reports that you can store, share, e-mail or archive; nor do paper records allow easy additions of new items, or sorts the items. HomeNav provides an easy to use, interactive tool to manage your home information online.
Q: Can HomeNav be used on more than one computer?
A: Yes. You can access your membership from any computer in the world that has access to the internet.
Q: As a builder, how will HomeNav make it easier for me to build a homeowners manual?
A: You probably use many of the same systems and components in the homes you build. You can create a template account, copy that information, and customize the tool for each home, therefore decreasing the amount of time spent creating an owner’s manual. If you are building with green home materials, HomeNav is able to specify the item as a green feature and explain what makes it green.
Q: Since my business can offer HomeNav as a value-added tool for homeowner clients, is there a way to showcase us as the provider?
A: Absolutely. Your company’s logo and contact information will be prominently displayed in HomeNav, so that it’s the first thing your customers see when they open an account offered by your business. Your company branding information will be part of the clients account for as long as the account exists.
Q: Is there a template I can work from?
A: HomeNav staff can work with you to create a template that may be re-used for multiple homeowners.
Q: How is HomeNav priced and packaged?
A: HomeNav is an online tool offered exclusively on the web. To use the services, a subscription account – HomeNav Basic – is required. Some basic services are available through the free registration also.
There are two packages to choose from:
HomeNav Basic FREE* membership and HomeNav Full Service
With the HomeNav Basic FREE* membership you can subscribe to HomeNav’s home inventory tool and all of the resources it has to offer. HomeNav Basic allows you to populate the home inventory yourself – at your own pace and as information is available to you. Come back and add information whenever you like. *Free accounts are for individual homeowners with one account. Please contact a HomeNav representative for pricing on multiple accounts or commercial/business accounts.
HomeNav Full Service includes the tool, our Feature Population Services to populate each account, a contractor-provided subscription to HomeNav for the homeowner that includes branding with your company logo and information for as long as the account exists. Call a HomeNav specialist to discuss your project and pricing.
Q: As a builder, can I use HomeNav for verifying a home for LEED and NAHB green building certifications?
A: HomeNav is certified as an NAHB Green Approved Product, for “Homeowners Manuals”, which means that when populated and completed, HomeNav meets the Standard and qualifies for points under Chapter 10 – Operation, Maintenance, and Building Owner Education. As part of the tool, every account includes the checklist for LEED and NAHB certification. The verifier can use the checklist to review the homeowners’ manual for green certification. HomeNav has not gone through the certification process for LEED; however, the checklist for LEED for Homes, Education of Homeowner or Tenant – Awareness and Education, is included in the Green Certification section in HomeNav.
