This interview is part of Exeleon Magazine’s issue, featuring The Most Influential Women in Real Estate in 2023. Read all the stories from this edition by clicking on this link.
Founded in 2012, HomeZada emerged as a platform in response to a universal pain point – disorganization of paperwork. HomeZada stands out as an all-in-one platform that empowers homeowners with valuable tools to manage their home and their assets.
At the heart of HomeZada’s philosophy lies the commitment to empower homeowners with tools for maximizing the value of their homes while minimizing stress and environmental impact
In this interview, Elizabeth Dodson, Co-founder of HomeZada, shares how her personal frustration led to the start of this cloud-based solution.
Talk to us about your growing up years. What is your earliest memory as a leader that you can remember?
Being the oldest of three girls was my entrée to leadership. While I gained a lot by studying for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees, I attribute much of my leadership style to my mother and stepfather. My mother encouraged her girls to be independent and to think for themselves which we all do. My stepfather encouraged us to try new things before saying we did not like them. This combination of philosophies enabled me to take risks, try things and to think for myself.
This empowered me to start HomeZada to help homeowners manage the details of their home while also helping real estate professionals stay connected intelligently with their customers.
What was the pain point that led to the start of HomeZada? What was the idea behind the name of the company?
I founded HomeZada in 2012, at least in part, as a response to the mountains of home-related paperwork around my home — and the feelings of disorganization and stress this created. All the vital information about my single-biggest asset, my home, was scattered at different places throughout my home and office, yet none of it was easily accessible.
I assumed there simply had to be a cloud-based platform that could collect and organize all of my mortgages; product warranties and repair schedules; home documents; wills, trusts and personal financial documents; receipts; inventories of personal possessions; and other home-related paperwork that cluttered my home. So, when I realized there WASN’T anything like this on the market, I and a business colleague set out to create one.
We settled on HomeZada since “Zada” means prosperous and fortunate in Arabic – and when connected to your home, implies that your home can be a place of prosperity and fortune if you’re willing to invest the time and energy. We also love the spirit of possibility that “Zada” brings.
What is the approach followed by you and your team at HomeZada to ensure optimal home ownership experience for your clients?
Our team remains committed to offering homeowners a continually updated suite of best-in-class apps that empower them to maximize the value of their home while minimizing the costs, stress, time and impact on the environment that can come from homeownership. Everything we do must align with this value proposition.
A good example is our launch of the “Zada” AI Chat Assistant in June that added a real-time AI overlay that provides real-time answers to any perceivable homeowner question about home maintenance and repairs, renovation and remodel projects, homeowner’s and other specialty insurance, home utility costs, the photo and video documentation of personal property for insurance purposes, and other topics associated with homeownership. This new services adds tangible homeowner value, ultimately giving our subscribers more tools to build and maintain equity in their homes, whether primary-residence or investment.
What have been some of the biggest challenges when it comes to running HomeZada over the last 11 years?
Some of the biggest challenges managing HomeZada is addressing the many different customers we support. HomeZada subscribers span the homeowning spectrum: from first-time homeowners to veteran. multiple-property investors living in urban, suburban and rural settings in all 50 states and 20 countries. This makes for very interesting marketing campaigns and messages to reach the variety of customers using our services. There really is not a “typical” HomeZada customer
What does a day in the life of Elizabeth Dodson look like? How do you ensure work-life balance?
The first question I would ask is what day and what time is it? My day starts off with a workout, a shower, mediation and jumping right into the day’s work. The day varies depending on the meetings and tasks on the schedule. I like variety because it keeps me interested in my day and my company.
Once my workday has ended, I like to be creative in the kitchen creating new, healthy recipes. Some more HomeZada follow-up and then potentially entrepreneur or networking events that may require my attention. A good night’s sleep is also key to a healthy lifestyle.
Work/life balance has not been a challenge for me because I have creative outlets that I address during the week and even on the weekends. In fact, I made my own shamanic drum a few weekends ago. My husband and I believe in the philosophy of always be learning which takes us into new fun projects. Like my stepdad says, be open to trying new things before you say you do not like it.
Finally, talk to us about your vision going forward for HomeZada. What are you most excited about?
HomeZada is part of an exciting time. Homeowners are excited that they finally have tools to help them manage their home. Our team is excited for the many enhancements we have coming. I believe our team has easily ten years’ worth of value-added features to add to HomeZada that will transform the homeownership experience.
We are excited to bring homeowners together with the product and services that they need to manage all the aspects of their single-largest asset on one, easy-to-access seamless platform.
