HomeAdvisor
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Home services |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Rodney Rice, Michael Beaudoin |
| Headquarters | Denver, Colorado , United States |
Area served | United States, Canada, Europe (UK, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, France) |
Key people | Chris Terrill (CEO as of 2011) |
| Products | Digital platform for home renovation, upkeep, and remodeling services; Instant Booking; Instant Connect; Same Day Service |
| Parent | ANGI Homeservices (majority owned by IAC) |
HomeAdvisor operates as a digital platform that links homeowners with nearby service experts for tasks related to home renovation, upkeep, and remodeling. Its main office is located in Denver, Colorado, with additional branches in Evanston, Illinois, Fairfax, Virginia, Lenexa, Kansas, New York, New York, Indianapolis, Indiana, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The service provides homeowners with complimentary tools for project planning and maintains a subscription-based network of vetted service providers who undergo thorough criminal and financial background screenings. Established in 1998 by Rodney Rice and Michael Beaudoin under the name ServiceMagic, HomeAdvisor has evolved into a prominent entity within the home services market.
On October 2, 2017, HomeAdvisor finalized the acquisition of Angie’s List and rebranded itself as ANGI HomeServices (NASDAQ: ANGI). IAC continues to hold the majority stake in ANGI HomeServices, which oversees ten brands spanning eight countries. These include HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List, mHelpDesk, HomeStars (Canada), MyHammer (Germany), MyBuilder (UK), Werkspot (Netherlands), Instapro (Italy), and Travaux.com (France). This strategic acquisition significantly broadened the company’s international reach and strengthened its position within the home improvement industry.
History
Founded in 1998 as ServiceMagic by entrepreneurs Rodney Rice and Michael Beaudoin—whose backgrounds include Einstein Bros Bagels—the company was acquired by InterActive Corp (IAC) in 2004.
Craig Smith assumed the role of CEO in 2008 while the original founders shifted to advisory positions. When IAC restructured into five public entities, ServiceMagic remained part of its portfolio. That same year marked ServiceMagic’s expansion into European markets through acquisitions of home services platforms in France and the UK; the UK site was relaunched as ServiceMagic.co.uk in 2009.
Leadership transitioned to Chris Terrill in 2011. The following year, ServiceMagic underwent rebranding to become HomeAdvisor to enhance its brand recognition. Under Terrill’s direction, HomeAdvisor emphasized its distinctive role as a premier on-demand home services network.
The company pursued international growth via acquisitions: Werkspot.nl in the Netherlands (2013), Germany’s MyHammer (2016), and both Canada’s HomeStars and the UK's MyBuilder in 2017—thereby reinforcing its global footprint.
By 2015, HomeAdvisor reported annual revenues exceeding $300 million, served over 30 million homeowners, and partnered with nearly 100,000 pre-screened service professionals backed by close to 3 million verified reviews.
On May 1, 2017, IAC announced plans to merge HomeAdvisor with Angie’s List to establish ANGI Homeservices (NASDAQ: ANGI), creating the largest digital marketplace for home services worldwide. This merger was completed on October 2, 2017, marking a pivotal point in the company’s expansion and market dominance.
Technology
Introduced in 2015, Instant Booking allows homeowners to arrange appointments directly with service providers without delay or phone tag.
Instant Connect offers homeowners rapid phone connection to a HomeAdvisor specialist within one to two minutes.
Same Day Service enables scheduling of home improvement projects with completion on the very day of booking.
Appointments can also be arranged through HomeAdvisor’s integration with Facebook.
Furthermore, HomeAdvisor supports compatibility with smart devices such as Apple Watch and Amazon Echo.
Criticism
Multiple accounts have raised concerns about the thoroughness of HomeAdvisor's contractor vetting process, citing instances where contractors recommended by the platform were either unlicensed or failed to fulfill their obligations. Although the company currently maintains an A− rating from the Better Business Bureau, it has accumulated a significant number of unfavorable evaluations, with over 600 negative reviews listed on the BBB website. Consumer feedback shows a broad spectrum, ranging from a 4.4 out of 5 rating on ConsumerAffairs to as low as 2.8 on SiteJabber.
HomeAdvisor operates by monetizing user information through Pay Per Lead offerings provided to local contractors. Some critics argue that homeowners are not fully aware their personal data is being sold; however, HomeAdvisor incorporates CCPA and TCPA disclosures within its contact forms, notifying users that they may receive marketing communications via calls or texts.
In April 2023, the Federal Trade Commission imposed a consent decree requiring HomeAdvisor to pay $7.2 million in penalties and prohibited the company from making deceptive statements regarding the quality of its leads, particularly concerning whether potential customers are prepared to hire or have explicitly requested services.