June 01 2018
From AI-powered property search, to the debut of .realestate website domains, to the latest crop of real estate tech startups, May was an exciting month. What happened? Here's our round-up of the latest and greatest developments in real estate technology during the past month.
What happens when artificial intelligence (AI) meets property portal? The newly launched redesign of Homes.com, that's what. By integrating AI into its user experience, Homes.com finds a way to set itself apart from the "Big 3" portals by offering innovative new features, like:
Artificial intelligence is also front-and-center on the Homes.com home page now, too. Rather than the traditional portal search interface, Homes.com now offers a conversational experience:
Additionally, Homes.com introduced AI-generated headlines that attract more buyers, fewer clicks to see listing details, and more flexibility when users search via price range. Learn more in this video.
REach, NAR's tech incubator program, revealed its 'Class of 2018' on May 1. Each year, the annual program selects a handful of companies whose products or services show the potential to benefit NAR's 1.3 million members.
The program runs from one NAR conference to the next. Each class debuts in May at the NAR Legislative Meetings in Washington, D.C. and 'graduates' at NAR Annual in November. Here's a look at the eight companies from the Class of 2018 poised to impact our industry:
On May 21, The National Association of Realtors announced that it would launch .realestate top-level website domains this fall. So if you're looking for a memorable and SEO-friendly website address--like YourCity.realestate or YourName.realestate--mark your calendars now!
There's sure to be high competition for these domains, so be sure you snag yours in the NAR-backed pre-sale. The pre-sale starts Sept. 18 and is available to NAR members with an active .realtor domain. Sales open to the general public on November 27, so if you're interested in a .realestate domain, be sure to claim yours before the frenzy begins.
Visit get.realestate to learn more.
Conversational property search is having a moment--and May was a particularly busy month in this corner of the industry. Not only did Homes.com debut their new conversational search interface this month, but a new partnership is now bringing property voice search to Alexa and Google Assistant.
Voiceter Pro and Terradatum's new partnership gives consumers access to comprehensive hyperlocal market metrics by talking to an AI-powered assistant. In return, real estate pros get to connect with consumers on a cutting-edge channel and generate new business in a place most agents and brokers haven't even thought to look yet.
Speaking of moments, real estate technology is having another one--on the stock market. eXp Realty started trading May 21 on the Nasdaq Global Market. The company's the ticker symbol is EXPI.
eXp Realty is a virtual brokerage that's home to over 11,000 agents in 49 states. The company's unique "virtual campus" provides agents with "24/7 access to collaborative tools, training and socialization" via a cloud-based, collaborative platform.
That's all for this busy month, but if you're thirsty for more, check out these two bonus picks: Sotheby's augmented reality app debuts on iOS and Upstream launches.