HomeStars

This article is about review website. For the cartoon series, see Homestar Runner.

HomeStars

Company type	Private
Industry	Home improvement
Founded	2006
Founder	Nancy Peterson
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario , Canada
Area served	Canada
Services	Online marketplace, review site
Number of employees	200+ (2021)
Website	homestars.com

HomeStars.com is a Canadian company which publishes reviews written by homeowners about home improvement professionals such as repairman, contractors, renovators, and retailers.

HomeStars was formed in 2006 by Nancy Peterson. ^[1] The company began as an online community of homeowners, sharing reviews based on their personal experience to help other homeowners find reputable contractors. ^{[2] [3]} Each review can contain details on the delivery of the work, the contractor's work habits and the quality of the follow-up. ^[4] Similar to other review sites such as TripAdvisor, contractors are able to respond to any reviews that are written about them. ^[5]

The National Post announced in 2015 that HomeStars had over two million companies listed on its website and hundreds of thousands of consumer reviews about those contractors. ^[6] In 2015, ProfitGuide ranked HomeStars as the 77th fastest growing company in Canada. ^[7] Its founder and CEO, Nancy Peterson, won an award in 2015 as one of Canada's top female entrepreneurs, where she ranked in 71st position. ^[8]

HomeStars was acquired by HomeAdvisors parent company IAC, in February 2017. HomeAdvisor offers similar services in the US. ^{[9] [10]}

Operation

Homeowners can submit a service request or need, and the Homestars system will send three proposals from three different companies ready to provide the requested service. ^[11] The homeowner then has the option to choose one of these three companies to hire based on their HomeStars profile, online portfolio, and customer ratings, among other factors. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Signing up on HomeStars as a homeowner is free, while professionals have two options: a base account that is free, and a premium account that the professional pays for on a monthly basis. Only professionals with a premium account are acknowledged by the HomeStars rotation system. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Reception

HomeStars was criticized for publishing a high rating on a contractor who then went bankrupt and left customers who had made large down-payments with unfinished work. ^[12]

References

1. "Toronto startup simplifies home renovations". Business News Network. June 12, 2015.
2. Brown, Penny (June 18, 2015). "What to Look for in a Good Contractor". Torontoism.
3. Hart Macneill, Kim (October 9, 2013). "What It Takes to Build Credibility". ProfitGuide.
4. Sanderson, Vicky (January 27, 2007). "Best building material is knowledge". Toronto Star.
5. Carniol, Naomi (October 26, 2010). "Reno website sheds light on contractors". Toronto Star.
6. Bitti, Mary Teresa (June 26, 2015). "How HomeStars beat the odds to get past the five year mark and scale up". National Post.
7. "#77 - HomeStars". ProfitGuide.
8. "#71 Nancy Peterson". ProfitGuide.
9. "Golden-based HomeAdvisor buys Canadian online home services company". The Denver Post. February 9, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
10. Avery, Greg (February 9, 2017). "HomeAdvisor buys Canada's big home improvement site". Denver Business Journal. Retrieved October 2, 2025.
11. "Is HomeStars Worth It? - Part II: The Contractor". HOMESHOWOFF. December 2, 2019. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
12. Armstrong, Laura (January 4, 2015). "Contractors going bankrupt mid-renovation a "nightmare" for homeowners: experts". Toronto Star.