Zillow Launches AI-Powered Virtual Home Tours
The new format for real estate listings is meant to virtually bring potential buyers into a property.
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Zillow's new Showcase listings use AI to highlight different features to different buyers.
Real estate company Zillow is using artificial intelligence to create a new, immersive listing format on its website. Listing Showcase is now available only in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego and Seattle.
Showcase listings feature high-resolution scrolling hero images, room-by-room photo organization, interactive floor plans and more. AI uses buyer preferences to select each listing's hero image, which is the main photo used to represent the property across platforms.
"As soon as shoppers land on a Showcase listing, they'll be virtually transported into the home, giving them a deep understanding of the home's flow, architecture and design -- all before visiting in person," Mike Lane, vice president of ShowingTimePlus, the Zillow brand that offers the feature, said in a statement.
The listing service is sold by subscription and is available only to a limited number of listing agents in each market. The sellers who subscribe will see their homes appear higher in home shoppers' personalized search results.
Listing Showcase will come to most major markets later this year. Interested agents can join the waitlist on the ShowingTimePlus website.
More AI-enabled features are planned for the future on Zillow. Agents will eventually be able to use AI-generated insights to determine which home facts and features matter most to shoppers, and to highlight those features.
For more on artificial intelligence, check out how AI is creating a new age of hiring and learn how to sign up for Google's new AI search engine.
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