Zillow has launched an AI-powered native language search feature that lets shoppers search for homes in the same way they would talk to their friends and family.
Home shoppers can enter phrases like “$700,000 homes in Charlotte with a backyard” or “open house near me with four bedrooms” directly into the Zillow search bar, rather than starting with a location and having to filter their way to the homes they want. They can also save their searches and have Zillow notify them when new qualifying listings come online.
The natural language search feature is now live on the Zillow app for iOS users and is coming soon to Android devices and its website.
“Beyond easy-to-filter criteria like bedrooms and bathrooms, buyers are considering many other specific features that match their unique lifestyle,” Jenny Arden, Zillow’s chief design officer, said in a release. “This new tool is a game changer for home shopping, because it helps shorten the sometimes long and stressful house-hunting process by creating an easy, more modern way to search, and it delivers relevant search results in a simple, uncluttered way.”
Zillow’s natural language search feature takes users’ queries and scans millions of listing details to bring relevant results to the surface. At the same time, the feature is training machine learning models to better respond to search queries that use natural, human-like sentences.
Many of Zillow’s features are powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, ranging from the Neural Zestimate valuation to providing personalized home recommendations to generating floor plans from panoramic photos.
“The future of real estate will be powered through AI,” Arden said. “We are proud to be the first in the industry to offer this smarter way to search, and excited to see how it learns and evolves to help each Zillow shopper find their perfect home.”