How to switch from Horizon to Househound by Dec 15, 2026

In Horizon, go to the Profile section, open the Export Centre, and request each export (Spectora's Horizon FAQ, quoting the Export Centre):

• CRM Agents (agent list)
• CRM Clients (client list)
• Inspection Bookings Data (work order data)
• Company Templates (report templates and configuration settings)
• Dashboard Data
• Tax Reporting Data

Large exports run in the background and email a download link to the primary administrator's address. Links expire after 14 days. Download each file as soon as it arrives and store it somewhere other than your email. If a link expires, request it again from Horizon.

Carson Dunlop's own help article describes the older route from the Profile page (for example Export Clients Here, then Save), which produces Excel files (Carson Dunlop: data exports).

The Export Centre doesn't include inspection reports, report PDFs or photos, and Carson Dunlop publishes no bulk "download every report" option. After December 15, 2026 the data won't be accessible and will be deleted.

Open each report you're required to keep, or want to keep, and save its PDF. If you have hundreds, ask Carson Dunlop support whether they can provide a bulk copy; that route isn't documented, so ask early. How long you must keep reports depends on your state or province, so check the rule that applies to you before deciding what to save.

Keep photos you may need separately: they come out only inside the report PDFs. Once you have the PDFs, you can upload them to Househound's past-report archive (step 6).

Sign up on the web at househoundusa.com/signup. Your first 3 reports are free and there's no card to enter.

In the Househound web dashboard, open Templates, click Import, and drop in the Company Templates file from the Export Centre. Carson Dunlop doesn't say what format that file is. Househound reads spreadsheets (.xlsx, .xls, .csv, .tsv), PDFs, Word .docx files, JSON, images (PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC) and plain text or Markdown.

If the file is a type Househound doesn't take, or the draft comes out thin, import a PDF of a recent Horizon report instead, ideally a long one with many comments. Report Designer layouts built in Microsoft Word import directly as .docx; an older .doc file has to be opened in Word and saved as .docx or PDF first.

Up to 10 files go in at once, 20 MB each, and each file becomes its own template.

A template read from a PDF or an unfamiliar export is a draft. Check that each Horizon section has an area, the items are in your order, the wording is yours, and each deficiency has the severity you'd give it (major, moderate or minor). Fix anything in the template editor on the web. Every comment lands in your comment library, which Autodraft reuses when it turns your spoken notes into drafted findings.

Horizon reports mix your own wording with Carson Dunlop's pre-written content and illustrations. Illustrations don't come over; read the imported comments and keep the wording you wrote.

On the web, go to People → Clients → Import contacts… and choose the CRM Clients file, then People → Agents → Import contacts… for CRM Agents. CSV and Excel files both work, up to 5,000 rows and 5 MB. You map each column (name, email, phone, company, type, notes) and see a preview first. A contact whose email is already saved is updated, never duplicated, and every skipped row is listed with the reason.

Then open Reports → Archive → Past reports and upload the report PDFs you saved, up to 50 at a time, 50 MB each. Househound reads the address, client, email and date from each PDF, and you can correct them. Archived reports are read-only: you can search, open, download and share them, but they don't become Househound inspections. Keep your own copy of the PDFs as well.

Add your services and fees and any price rules for square footage, bedrooms or units. Upload your agreement and choose when it goes out. Paste your confirmation and follow-up wording into the client and agent emails. Set your booking start times and crew rules.

Connect your own Stripe account from Househound's payment settings. Money goes straight to that account. Each client card payment carries 3.25% + 40¢, and that includes Stripe's processing, so it's one deduction. A Canadian company chooses Canada when connecting Stripe and takes client card payments in CAD into a Canadian Stripe account, at 3.25% + C$0.40.

Use one of your 3 free reports on a real job, start to finish on the phone, and publish it. Your client gets a link, with a PDF download of the same report. Do this in November so you have time to fix the template before the deadline.

Point your website's booking link at your Househound booking page, or paste the booking widget onto the page. If you renewed Horizon recently, request a refund under Profile → Settings → Refund Request. Carson Dunlop refunds full unused months (no partial days), can convert an annual plan to monthly and refund the rest, and says processing can take up to 20 business days (Spectora's Horizon FAQ).