Why We Are Building Moatkeeper: Protecting Property Owners and Providing Peace of Mind
INTRODUCTION
Building a business and executing that strategic endeavor is no small feat, trust us we’re climbing that mountain. But in many conversations with potential customers, colleagues, friends, and family, we often get the question “Why did you decide to build this?” Although this is a relatively simple question, the answer requires some expounding on both the larger-scale economics and the personal need for a workable solution.
THE ECONOMICS OF OUR WHY
First, we at Moatkeeper, recognize some of the stark financial realities in America today. Nearly 47% of Americans today cannot handle an unexpected $500 emergency expense. Homeownership is not always a cheap proposition when it comes to initial down payments, furnishing, and all the maintenance necessary to keep a property in good shape.
Thus, we wanted to find a way to help homeowners streamline their property maintenance which, in turn, could save them thousands of dollars annually in avoiding emergency calls. In addition to saving money and avoiding the stress of maintenance emergencies, home ownership has been documented as one of the major drivers of personal wealth in America. If we can play a small role in helping people save money in maintaining their properties and in growing their net worth, we consider that a major victory.
PERSONAL NEED DRIVES A SEARCH FOR A SOLUTION
We at Moatkeeper are homeowners too. And we want to maintain our properties and enjoy them as well. Initially, we used some project management software platforms to track preventative maintenance and servicing tasks. This was a mediocre solution that didn’t offer the full data-driven, dynamic updating, and trusted advisor solution that we desired. We scanned the competitive marketplace high and low and there was not a platform out there that met our individual needs.
So, we asked around - “How do you track the preventative maintenance for your home or property?” And we got a wide array of responses - Microsoft Word, Excel Spreadsheets, my spouse/partner/roommate handles that, other project management software tools, subscription service provider plans, DIY pen and paper, and (most alarmingly) “I don’t have a plan, I just hope nothing goes wrong.” With nobody having a tailored software solution and over 30% of the people we connected with not having any sort of plan whatsoever, we recognize an opportunity to create something of value.
Our driving force is to create a software platform that helps homeowners and property owners build a system that partners with them to build a maintenance plan. We subscribe to author James Clear’s assessment that as humans we “do not rise to the level of [our] goals. [We] fall to the level of [our] systems.” Homeowners, and people in general, are typically good on intentions but lackluster on follow-through. We get it. Our lives are busy with our work, our families, our hobbies, birthday parties, and cookouts, and perhaps the scheduling of that HVAC servicing appointment can fall by the wayside of our competing priorities.
And that’s the value that we intend to offer our customers. Moatkeeper will be a trusted partner to help owners build a dynamic plan that they can leverage to keep their property in the best shape to avoid those stressful, in-the-middle-of-the-night home emergencies.
Please check out our Moatkeeper social media accounts and consider joining our launch Waitlist as we continue to build our product. Better yet, drop us a line in our contact section on what best serves your needs to maintain your property. We’d love to hear from you!
