In our latest real estate tech entrepreneur interview, we’re speaking with Jon Grishpul from GreatBuildz.

Who are you, and what do you do?

Jon Grishpul, co-founder of Greatbuildz.

Growing up, I got to witness two sides of the construction business. My grandfather was an electrical contractor and I saw him work hard into his old age to make a living and please his clients. But more glaringly, I noticed the myriad of problems my parents faced finding, hiring and working with contractors in order to complete several of their home remodeling projects. As I spoke to others who completed remodels of their own, I would often hear people complain about working with contractors, or even ‘nightmare’ contractor stories that ended with heated conflict or even legal action. I wasn’t surprised when I ran across a recent survey which reported that approx. 50% of homeowners had a negative experience with their contractor or remodel. Drawing from my experience with my grandfather, who had a high level of pride in his work, I came to the conclusion that some contractors we’re “better than others”. I felt that if homeowners could just find & hire a contractor who possessed a high level of quality, honesty and reliability, they would be much less likely to have a frustrating and stressful remodel experience.

For exactly this reason, I formed Greatbuildz.com. Although there are other online sites that can be utilized to find a contractor, they list hundreds or thousands of contractors each (many of whom are paying to advertise at the top of the page), making it difficult… if not impossible to find that ideal, high-quality contractor. That’s where Greatbuildz is different. Each contractor on our site has been thoroughly vetted and pre-screened, using our 10-point screening process, which we believe to be the most comprehensive in the industry. Further, a contractor cannot pay to be on Greatbuildz, the only way to join our network is to pass our screening process, which includes a background check, in-person interview, reference check, etc.

What problem does your product/service solve?

Anyone who has lived through a remodel can attest that it can be an extremely stressful process, from delays to hidden costs to living with the dust and dirt. But nothing adds to this stress more than an unresponsive, unreliable, or poor-quality contractor. Our mission is to help homeowners have a positive renovation experience and we do this in multiple ways.

In addition to thoroughly vetting our contractors, we also require each one to sign our 20-point Code of Conduct, agreeing to abide by our high standards. When a homeowner reaches out to us, they are assigned a home renovation concierge, who will schedule a call to discuss their exact remodeling needs. We then look through our network of high-quality contractors and connect the homeowners with those who best match their requirements. The service is free to homeowners and there is absolutely no obligation to hire any of our contractors. If the client does choose to hire one of our contractors, our renovation concierge will stay with them throughout their entire renovation and be available to help them address any remodel issues or contractor concerns. We believe our unique concierge service significantly reduces the potential for stress or conflict during the renovation process and is a much-needed service in our industry.

What are you most excited about right now?

If I had to sum it up in a few words, I’m excited to be creating a positive renovation experience for our clients. If you ask anyone who has looked to hire a contractor, finding the right one is not an easy task; there is quite a bit of work involved. Every day, I look forward to making this process easier for someone. It’s always so exciting to hear from our clients how happily surprised they were with the work of our contractors. People don’t generally effusively praise their contractor, but we get to hear some wonderful reviews about our network – that makes me extremely satisfied with the service we’re providing. I’m excited to continue our mission of connecting great homeowners with great contractors in order to create a positive remodeling experience – something that unfortunately has largely been missing from the industry for far too long.

What’s next for you?

We want to keep growing our presence so we can help more and more people connect to great contractors. We currently operate in Los Angeles & Ventura counties and would like to cover all major metros of California one day soon. We’ll continue to grow our network of high-quality contractors organically, without sacrificing quality for quantity and we plan to grow our concierge staff in order to provide the highest level of service to our clients.

What’s a cause you’re passionate about and why?

Homelessness and food insecurity in my hometown of Los Angeles have reached epidemic proportions. Although I know I can’t solve this crisis, I believe we can all take small actions that can make a significant cumulative impact. For my part, I like to get involved with programs that house and feed the homeless in my area. Along with my extended family, I reserve one weekend a month to participate in events with groups like Habitat for Humanity, Food Forward, LSS, Big Sunday, etc. I’m happy to be engaged in helping those in need and it’s a great reminder for me that serving others should always be an aspect of my life.

Thanks to Jon for sharing his story. If you’d like to connect, find him on LinkedIn here.

We’re constantly looking for great real estate tech entrepreneurs to feature. If that’s you, please read this post — then drop me a line (drew @ geekestatelabs dot com).