Home improvement startup Porch has acquired ValueAppeal, according to insider information.
ValueAppeal, a Seattle startup, sent its customers a message inviting them to join Porch, and several important members of the ValueAppeal team now list Porch as their employer.
As of Tuesday, former ValueAppeal CEO Charlie Walsh’s job title had been changed to senior director of data products at Porch.
Company Profiles
ValueAppeal was founded as a service allowing homeowners to file appeals regarding their property taxes online.
Last fall, however, it ended that service in favor of developing a big data-based predictive analysis service for real estate professionals. The change in services also precipitated doing business under the new name of MostLikely.
Porch, a fast-growing company whose employment just topped 200 workers, has drawn team members from other Seattle-area startups that have made it big, such as Amazon, Moz, BigDoor and Tune.
Porch CEO Matt Ehrlichman declined to comment, and it is unclear whether Porch will operate ValueAppeal’s service as-is or incorporate the company’s technology into a future project.
Upward Trends
Porch works by collecting data on various home improvement projects from across the country. Homeowners who join the free service can see the details of projects that have been undertaken in their neighborhood, assess project costs and connect with contractors recommended by their neighbors.
Porch has raised at least $14 million from investors. ValueAppeal had raised about $9.4 million in funding as of early last year.
Porch has also partnered with Lowe’s Home Improvement. Both Lowe’s and Home Depot, which cater to professional contractors, landscapers and ambitious homeowners eager to DIY, have posted encouraging numbers recently.
Indoor and outdoor remodeling have both seen a marked uptick in spending this year. According to statistics from Harvard, the home remodeling industry is rebounding to its highest levels since before the housing bubble burst in 2007, as a combination of rising home prices and low interest rates encourage homeowners that making improvements can pay off when they sell their homes.
However, there are still doubts about the industry.
“I think right now everyone is still looking on how to save their money,” says Pete Catronova, owner of Green Side Up LLC. “Everyone wants a little bit more but they want to pay a little bit less.”