Troy Palmquist on Building HomeCode Reviews

By Pierre Calzadilla · August 27, 2026 · 5 min read

Agents make technology decisions every day, usually with nothing to go on but a sales demo. Troy Palmquist has spent two decades in real estate as an agent, broker, and executive. He built HomeCode Reviews so those decisions could be based on something better.

Every brokerage and every agent we talk to is making technology decisions constantly — a CRM, a website platform, a marketing tool, a coaching program. And almost none of them have a good way to find out whether the thing actually works before they sign.

Troy Palmquist has been on every side of that problem: agent, broker, brokerage founder, executive at a national brokerage, proptech advisor, and a contributor to Inman and other industry publications. His answer to it is HomeCode Reviews. We asked him about it.

Who are you?

I'm Troy Palmquist. I've spent more than two decades in real estate as an agent, broker, executive, and entrepreneur. I've sold homes, built a brokerage, worked at the executive level for a national brokerage, advised proptech companies, and written for Inman and other industry publications. Today, I spend my time helping real estate professionals and technology companies grow through strategy, storytelling, and better products.

Why did you start HomeCode Reviews?

It came from a simple frustration. Real estate agents make decisions about technology every day, but most of those decisions are based on marketing, sales demos, or what someone posted in a community forum.

We have reviews for hotels, restaurants, cars, and almost every product we buy, but there wasn't a trusted place where agents could read real experiences from other agents before investing thousands of dollars into a CRM, website, marketing platform, coaching program, or service.

HomeCode was built to bring transparency and accountability to the real estate technology ecosystem while also giving great companies the opportunity to earn trust through authentic customer feedback.

Who is HomeCode Reviews for?

At its core, it's for real estate professionals.

Whether you're a brand-new agent choosing your first CRM or a large brokerage evaluating enterprise technology, HomeCode helps you make better-informed decisions.

It's also valuable for the companies that serve this industry. Honest reviews, customer stories, educational content, interviews, and thought leadership help vendors showcase what they're doing well while learning where they can improve.

Ultimately, we want to create a more transparent marketplace where everyone benefits.

How do companies get listed?

Any company that serves the real estate industry can create a profile.

Basic company profiles are free because we believe agents should be able to discover and review the products they're using.

Companies that want to become more involved can claim their profile, add product information, respond to reviews, publish educational content, showcase customer success stories, and participate in interviews and webinars.

Our goal isn't just to build another directory — it's to create a trusted resource where buyers can do their research and companies can build credibility through education and transparency, not just advertising.

What makes HomeCode different from other review sites?

Most review platforms stop at ratings.

HomeCode goes deeper by combining verified reviews with interviews, educational articles, founder conversations, case studies, webinars, and industry insights. We want people to understand not just what a product does, but who it's for, how it's being used, and why customers chose it.

Our mission is simple: help the real estate industry make better technology decisions through transparency, education, and authentic experiences.

Why this matters to us

We'll be honest about our bias here: we build software for brokerages, so a platform that makes it easier for buyers to scrutinize vendors like us is a platform we're happy to see exist.

The technology conversation in real estate has been driven by sales motion for a long time. Demos are polished, case studies are hand-picked, and the hard questions — how long did implementation really take, what broke, what does support look like in month nine — get asked after the contract is signed instead of before. Every vendor worth choosing should be able to survive those questions in public.

That's the same reason we publish what our Vero platform actually costs to run and what it replaces, rather than making brokerages guess. Transparency is only uncomfortable if the product doesn't hold up.