You’ve finally purchased your dream home. After the move, relief sets in but you quickly realize your work is far from over. Maybe a roof leak suddenly pops up. Unexpectedly high electricity bills are starting to take a toll on your budget. And you’re 100% positive that a landscaping pro is needed to help your garden thrive. As much as you try to stay on top of it all, there always seems to be one headache after another.
These common home maintenance issues are exactly what inspired Hint, a new AI app, co-founded by Martha Stewart, AI engineer Kyle Rush, who’s also her neighbor, and Yih-Han Ma, a home services veteran. Wherever you are in your homeownership journey—whether you just purchased your first place or own multiple properties—the app is designed to provide the support you need. The free app is currently only available for iPhone devices.
“The most valuable thing we own is probably our home,” Stewart told Good Housekeeping. “The app will certainly get homeowners more organized, more aware, and make them happier to be better stewards of their property.”
The trio recently gave a small group of home editors from various brands, including Good Housekeeping, a preview of Hint at Stewart’s Bedford, NY, farm—the place where they first dreamed up the idea over Easter brunch a few years ago.
“Hint can learn your home easily. A big part of managing your home is you have to know your home,” Rush explains.
To get started on the free app, you simply enter your home address. You’ll then be prompted to answer a few questions and upload documents, ranging from utility bills so Hint can monitor your usage patterns to your insurance policy if you’d like a renewal date reminder. Hint also relies on key public property data, like your home’s flood risk, to offer a personalized user experience.
Dan DiClerico, the Good Housekeeping Institute’s Home Improvement and Outdoor director, appreciates the app’s capabilities, especially for first-time homeowners. “I like that Hint prioritizes its project recommendations, so you know which things you really need to tackle now and which you can safely put on the back burner,” DiClerico says. “The library is another super helpful feature, a place to manage all your home-related digital files, from photos to invoices to user manuals. And I love how easy it to connect through the app with vetted service providers in your area, for those times when you need to call in a pro.”
And, of course, in true Martha Stewart fashion, attention to detail was a top priority during the app development process. The perfect examples? Stewart was particular about Hint’s green branding and ensuring the language used throughout the app feels accessible to the average homeowner. She also provided feedback on the app’s soil guidance. “Early on, we showed her our soil guidance and she pointed out: ‘You can’t just tell a homeowner the pH of their soil. You have to tell them what to do about it,’” Rush shares. “She wanted us to say, if your soil’s too acidic, add lime so your lawn thrives.”
He makes it clear that this level of advice, specifically tailored to one’s property, sets Hint apart from ChatGPT. Of course, Stewart’s knowledge of all things home has a lot to do with it, too.
“Martha has this rare gift of taking decades of expertise and making it feel simple, whether it’s your first home or your forever home,” Rush adds. “That’s why her books are also baked into Hint’s knowledge base. We wanted the app to share guidance the way Martha would.”
Monique Valeris is the home design director for Good Housekeeping, where she oversees the brand's home decorating coverage across print and digital. Prior to joining GH in 2020, she was the digital editor at Elle Decor. In her current role, she explores everything from design trends and home tours to lifestyle product recommendations, including writing her monthly column, "What's in My Cart."
