Zillow’s second product launch of the year includes collaborative search. Buyers can now invite family and friends to help them search and discuss listings through in-app messaging.
A little more than three months after its breakout summer feature launch, Zillow is introducing another slate of new features for consumers.
The features include:
- Virtual staging: Available only on Zillow Showcase listings, buyers can virtually redecorate listings with several curated design styles, including modern, Scandinavian, industrial, midcentury, luxury, coastal, and farmhouse. The tool also allows buyers to instantly switch furniture arrangements or clear the room for a blank slate.
- Zillow Home Loans: Following the expansion of BuyAbility in July, homebuyers can now get a verified pre-approval for a Zillow Home Loan by providing information about their housing goals and finances. Homebuyers will link their financial accounts during the process, enabling Zillow Home Loans to instantly verify financial assets and income. The ZHL experience also now includes a closing dashboard that allows buyers to track title and escrow tasks during closing.
- Rentals AI assist: Renters can get assistance on properties, tours, and availability through a chatbot powered by EliseAI, a third-party company that provides artificial intelligence solutions for housing and healthcare companies. Zillow announced the tool in June, but it officially launched on Tuesday.
- Zillow co-shopping: Homebuyers can invite their partners, friends, or family to help them search for and discuss listings through in-app messaging.
David Beitel | Credit: Zillow
“This new messaging product brings the collaboration that already happens across text messages directly into Zillow,” Zillow Chief Technology Officer David Beitel said of the fall launch in a prepared statement. “It’s another step toward making the home journey simpler and more connected. We’re continuing to bring more of the experience onto Zillow, so buyers can move from browsing to closing with less friction and more confidence.”
Between the summer and fall product launches, Zillow has introduced 10 new features for consumers. A company spokesperson said each feature is “designed to show up the moment it’s most useful,” so buyers and sellers have an “integrated, intuitive experience.”
“For example, from the very first search, messaging helps co-shoppers — be it partners, family, or friends — stay organized and aligned,” the spokesperson told Inman in an emailed statement. “SkyTour and Virtual Staging on Showcase listings are intuitive, interactive experiences built right into the listing so serious shoppers can get a deep sense of the home.”
“As buyers move forward, BuyAbility and Verified Pre-Approval from Zillow Home Loans appear early in the journey to help give shoppers a realistic sense of what they’ll be able to afford. Touring and agent coordination tools activate once they connect with an agent, and the Closing Dashboard supports them through the final steps,” they added. “For agents, this means buyers are already using the tools that make conversations more informed and efficient so agents can focus on delivering the guidance and strategy clients need to navigate the journey.”
The spokesperson said Zillow’s summer launch has yielded impressive results, with features like SkyTour driving 79 percent more page views, 91 percent more shares, and 76 percent more saves on Showcase listings.
“This engagement makes it clear buyers want more transparency and information throughout the process,” the spokesperson said.