Home is the most comfortable place for any of us. No matter how big the bed is, how organized the kitchen is, or how open-air the balcony is. If it is not our place, we are not going to stay there forever. The heart is where the home is. Yet, most of the times when we shift to our new home the feeling is less of affection and more of regret. The reason being all the problems that one has to face at a new place. Sometimes, the problem could be as small as a leakage or as significant as being cheated on by the builder in terms of area. None of these problems are visible when one is about to make an investment in a place. The reason might be unawareness, or simply the excess of happiness which clouds our judgment. We hire professionals to design our home, why not hire one to check if the place we are being offered does not have any flaw which might create a problem for us in the future?
Based out of Mumbai, Meazurement is a home-inspection startup targeting Mumbai and its nearby regions. Their services include evaluating carpet area and major systems – like the state of plumbing, electricals, walls, roof, floor surfaces, paint, windows and doors and providing the clients a written report about the condition so as to help the client make his/her decision about buying the place.
Being the first of its kind, Meazurement has dealt with its share of problems. But it has also given them the advantage of being the first one to exploit this industry, thus giving them an extra edge. We got the opportunity to interview the founder of India’s first home inspection start-up- Meazurement, Nitin Shingote and know more about its foundation, struggle and last but not the least, Its success.
1. What is the Name of Your Venture? Any specific reason for this name?
Meazurement – India’s first home inspection start-up. Meazurement name reflects our service “Carpet Area Measurement” and indicates our perfection and accuracy in our deliverables (Home Inspection Report). This accurate information protects home buyer from unknown and provides peace of mind during home buying and negotiation process.
2. Who is your target Audience/clients?
Anyone including home buyers, sellers, Developers, Real estate broker, Insurance firm, Etc. and NRIs who want an accurate and reliable information (Carpet Area, Electrical System, and Wiring, Plumbing System, wall damping, water leakage etc) about real estate property.
3. Where is your venture based & What are your geographical target areas?
We are India’s First Home Inspection Start-up based out of Mumbai and founded in 2010. Presently, we are targeting Mumbai and Mumbai near-by regions, Thane, Pune, Nashik Ahmedabad and other major cities of India
4. What problems does your venture resolve? What are your products or services?
Home buying is exciting, momentous and the single largest investment for most people. But it can be stressful – especially when selling parties cheat the real estate buyer. They can provide less carpet area (eg. 380 sq. ft. instead of 400 sq. ft.). When someone buys a home, they’re also buying all of its problems – water leakages, moisture on walls, unsafe wiring/electrical work, and defects in plumbing, roof, floor surfaces and paint, windows and doors, problems with the foundation and dry rot. Most people are not sure how to gauge the physical condition of a house. That’s where the experts at Meazurement come in. While the real estate buyer focuses on the home’s style, price, and neighborhood, we take care of evaluating carpet area and major systems – like the state of plumbing, electricals, walls, roof, floor surfaces, paint, windows and doors. Then we provide our client with a written report to make the best buying decision possible. Meazurement gives the unbiased, professional opinion you need when you need it most.
5. Share the idea or story behind the venture. How did it come to an existence? What motivated you to start your own venture?
I am a civil engineer & I have worked as a project engineer in the construction industry for the last 10 years. While working, I interacted with people at the time of construction of the building. I realized that many were confused about the quality and the actual carpet area of the premises. In Mumbai at that time, no one provided home inspection services. To solve this problem in the construction & real estate industry we started meazurement.com in 2010.
6. Who are your biggest competitors and how do you differentiate yourself from them?
There are very few competitors in our target regions. As India’s first home inspection startup, we have first mover advantage over our competitors. Use of advanced technology, Government India’s Start-up recognition, Founding Member of Home Inspection Association of India, In-depth Industry Knowledge, Civil Engineer and MBA background of the founders, a decade of cumulative experience in real estate industry, reliable service give us an edge over our competitors.
7. How did you identify your co-founder? Tell us something about your co-founder/s.
We required co-founder who can manage our financial & marketing work for the growth of our startup. Mr. Nilesh Shingote have in-depth knowledge about startup ecosystem. Nilesh has done A MBA in Finance and a BMS in Marketing, have A significant experience in investment banking industry & Has spent most of his time in market research, preparation of marketing material and financial models for the startups
8. How did you hire your first team members? What skills Do you want for your employees/team?
To do a home inspection we want to hire an employee who has experience in Plumbing & Electrical industry. We hired Mr. Anand Lohot from our internal reference. Anand is a Maharashtra Gov. approved Electrician & a Home Maintenance Industry Expert, 10+ years of experience in plumbing & electric maintenance industry & Has in-depth knowledge of electrical and plumbing equipment which he gains while working at ground level
9. What expansion plans are you looking for the next 2 years, next 5 years?
In the next 2 years, we want to expand our business in entire Maharashtra. In Next 5 years we want to expand our business entire India.
10. Where do you want to see yourself in the next 10 years?
Our big business dream is that no house should be bought without a home inspection. In India, where the customer is cheated by some developers, real estate broker, seller about everything from the carpet area to the conditions of home & about the amenities, this is necessary. To grow your business your main motto should be 100% customer satisfaction
11. What are your goals for the next 1, 3, 6 and 12 months?
Our Main goal for next one year is to build a marketing team & customer awareness about our business.
12. Have you raised any funding? Or have any plans for the funding?
Currently, we are bootstrap, We want to get funding in the near future for us to launch services in other parts of Maharashtra & eventually cover India’s other big states step by step.
13. What were the problems you faced during the starting days and how did you resolve them?
The main challenge is that home inspection is a new kind of service in India & there is not much awareness of its use and availability. Till date, we do not spend any significant money on advertising. Also, in India, there is no regulatory framework for the home inspection business. Due to this, the public is not predisposed to use our services. To overcome challenges we currently approaching to the government agency like housing ministries, RERA, & etc. to get recognition for home inspection services.
14. What was the most challenging part of your journey till now? How did you overcome those challenges?
Customer awareness about home inspection services. We used mouth to mouth publicity to overcome those challenge.
15. Are you married, single or in a relationship?
Married
16. What are your hobbies? What do you do in your non-work time?
Playing Cricket, Listing Music.
17. What’s your favorite food & holiday destination?
Maharashtrian food. New Zealand
18. Whom do you consider your idol or biggest motivator?
Mr. Hanmant Gaikwad Of BVG Group.
19. What do you feel is the major difference between entrepreneurs and those who work for someone else?
Employees tend to seek help when a problem arises at work. Entrepreneurs create the solutions that keep the organization moving forward. Employees are responsible for some decisions while entrepreneurs are responsible for them all.
20. If you had the chance to start your career over again, what would you do differently?
I want to give an answer to one-word that is innovation.
21. How has being an entrepreneur affected your family & Social life?
Yes, it’s affecting family life. We can give a little bit time to our family. About social life, we have to be more social to achieve success for our startup
22. Anything, you would like to say to our readers or upcoming entrepreneurs?
Think big & work hard. There should be a road map before you start your startup. So dream big & of course, put in all efforts, keep innovating & striving towards your goal. Most importantly, always run a tight & lean ship. Do not burden the business with unnecessary costs and overheads like high travel costs etc.
23. Tell us something about your education & family background.
I am a Civil Engineer and an MBA in Project Management, also holds Professional Diploma in Real Estate Management. 10+ years of in-depth experience in the Real Estate Industry. Has spent most of his time in the execution of the project with help of architects & consultant.
24. What is your USP which makes it unique & different from other start-ups in similar domains?
We offer high-quality service, technology, and expertise to our customers when they invest in real estate. We inspect customer home/property to ensure the home is well constructed and other home facilities that are provided are up to scratch. When we adhere to this maxim everything falls into place. Our service exceeds the expectations of our customers. We offer competitive prices in the market and use high-end technology to complete home inspection services. That is our USP.
25. What do you think is the biggest threat to the success of small businesses & Start-ups today?
Running a business is like running a marathon; it takes passion and motivation to keep you moving forward each day regardless of the obstacles you face. Tough times can deplete your motivation and during these times it is important to get good sleep, remain positive and remind yourself of all the benefits of running your own business
26. Do you consider yourself successful and by what means do you measure success?
yes but not 100%. We measure our success from our customer’s feedback.
Get connected with Meazurement via:
Nitin Prabhakar Shingote [Founder of Meazurement]
Address – Plot No. 270 B/22, Sai Shraddha CHS, Gorai 2, Behind Axis Bank, Borivali West, Mumbai – 92
Email – [email protected]
Phone – 9029027781 Nitin Shingote ([email protected])
About team –
Nitin Shingote [Founder & Operational Head]
A Civil Engineer and an MBA in Project Management also holds a Professional Diploma in Real Estate Management. 10+ years of in-depth experience in the Real Estate Industry. Has spent most of his time in the execution of the project with help of architects & consultant.
Anand Lohot [Maintenance & Inspection Head]
A Maharashtra Gov. approved Electrician & a Home Maintenance Industry Expert 10+ years of experience in plumbing & electric maintenance industry Has in-depth knowledge of electrical and plumbing equipment which he gains while working at ground level.
Kavita Shingote [Account & Administrative Head]
Holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree 5+ years of experience in accounting and taxation Has worked with a reputed real estate developer where she got a hand on experience in accounting and administration
