HomeGauge Was Acquired by Spectora — What Canadian Inspectors Should Know

If you're a Canadian home inspector who uses HomeGauge, you may have heard the news: in April 2025, Spectora officially acquired HomeGauge. Both companies put out press releases calling it a "joining of forces" and promising inspectors that "nothing will change in the short term."

But if you've been around long enough to watch software companies get acquired, you know what that phrase usually means.

Let's break down what actually happened, what it means for Canadian inspectors specifically, and what your options look like going forward.

What happened

On April 1, 2025, Spectora — the US-based home inspection software company backed by private equity firm Radian Capital — announced it had acquired HomeGauge, which had itself been owned by American Family Insurance.

HomeGauge has been around since 2001. It built a loyal user base over two decades, particularly among experienced inspectors who liked its desktop-based workflow and deep customization. Spectora, founded in 2015, took a different approach: cloud-based, mobile-first, modern UI.

Both are now under the same private equity roof.

Why this matters for Canadian inspectors

Here's the thing about private equity acquisitions: they're not done out of generosity. They're done to grow revenue. And in software, the fastest way to grow revenue after an acquisition is to consolidate platforms and raise prices.

The pricing math already hurts Canadians

Before the acquisition, HomeGauge ran about $69 USD/month. Spectora runs $99–149 USD/month. At the current exchange rate, that's roughly $95–$200+ CAD per month — just for the software.

That's already steep for a Canadian inspector averaging 80–120 inspections a year. And it's priced in US dollars, which means every time the Canadian dollar weakens, your effective price goes up without Spectora doing a thing.

Support has already shown cracks

HomeGauge reviews on Capterra and GetApp tell a consistent story after the American Family Insurance acquisition several years ago: "customer service has declined drastically since the company was sold to a larger corporation." That pattern tends to repeat itself in consolidation plays.

You're not the target market

Both HomeGauge and Spectora are built for the US market. Their templates reference US standards, their pricing is in USD, and their support teams are US-based. Canadian inspectors — with OAHI standards, Ontario Building Code requirements, and different regional norms — have always been an afterthought.

What "nothing will change" usually means

The phrase "nothing will change in the short term" is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that press release.

Short term, probably true. Long term, here's what typically follows a PE acquisition in SaaS:

• Platform consolidation (one of the two products gets deprecated or de-prioritized)
• Price increases, often framed as "new packaging" or "added value"
• Feature development shifts toward the larger, more profitable customer segment (US enterprise-level inspection companies, not solo Canadian inspectors)
• Support quality drops as headcount is optimized

None of this is speculation — it's the standard PE playbook. HomeGauge users who've been through one acquisition already have seen it firsthand.

Your options as a Canadian inspector

1. Stay with HomeGauge (for now)

Nothing is broken today. If your workflow is dialled in and you're not ready to move, there's no immediate fire. But keep your eyes open. If you hear about pricing changes, platform sunsetting, or mandatory migration to Spectora — that's your cue.

2. Switch to Spectora

It's a good product. Modern UI, solid mobile app, well-supported. But you're paying US prices, in USD, for a platform that wasn't built with Canada in mind. At $99–149 USD/month, that's a significant ongoing cost for a solo inspector.

3. Switch to a Canadian-built alternative

This is where Expert Check comes in.

Why Expert Check is worth a look

Expert Check is a Canadian home inspection report platform built specifically for Canadian inspectors — particularly Ontario-based inspectors working under OAHI and InterNACHI standards.

Here's how it compares:

Expert Check is built and maintained by a Canadian contractor who actually uses inspection software in the field. There's no private equity involved, no acquisition risk, and no US dollar pricing eating into your margins.

It's also significantly cheaper. At $29.99 CAD/month, you'd save over $1,500 CAD per year compared to a mid-tier Spectora subscription.

Should you switch now?

If you're a HomeGauge user feeling uncertain after the acquisition announcement, you don't need to make a panic decision. But this is a good time to at least explore your options.

Try Expert Check free — no credit card required. You can build a real report, see how the workflow feels, and decide if it fits how you inspect.

The inspection industry is consolidating around a few big US platforms. For Canadian inspectors who want software that was built for them — not adapted for them — the timing has never been better to look at something different.