The AI race is well and truly on in the US with real estate brokerage Redfin launching a ChatGPT plugin just days after Zillow did the same.
Like its counterpart, Redfin’s plugin aims to help people find their ideal homes using everyday language.
Developed in partnership with AI research company OpenAI, the Redfin ChatGPT plugin enables eligible users to describe their dream home and neighbourhood in plain terms, before suggesting listings that suit their needs.
By inputting simple phrases such as, “I’m moving to Houston for a new job with a $150,000 salary. Show me three-bedroom homes for sale with private outdoor entertaining space in neighbourhoods with trendy restaurants,” users can find listings that match their criteria.
The plugin can then direct them to Redfin.com listing pages, where they can book an on-demand tour with a local agent.
Redfin is a leading technology-powered real estate firm that invented map-based real estate search and has developed machine learning models that recommend listings and estimate home values.
The ChatGPT plugin is the company’s latest innovation in its ongoing efforts to transform the way people find homes to buy or rent.
According to Ariel Dos Santos, Redfin’s vice president of product, the ChatGPT plugin’s most significant advantage is its ability to to make a search more personalised.
“I think the most powerful way the Redfin ChatGPT plugin can make buying a home easier today is by suggesting homes and neighbourhoods that would not have been uncovered via a map-based real estate search,” Mr Dos Santos said.
The plugin comes at a time when the number of new listings has dropped dramatically.
In March, new listings fell 23 per cent to their lowest level on record, and Redfin agents reported that homebuyers were having to work harder to find properties that met their criteria.
Mr Dos Santos believes that the ChatGPT plugin will help buyers discover homes for sale in nearby neighbourhoods with similar amenities they might not have otherwise considered.
This could also help home sellers get their listings in front of a wider audience of serious buyers.
“We’re just getting started, and the Redfin ChatGPT plugin is getting more powerful every day. We’re excited to find new ways to use it to make buying, selling or renting a home simpler and more affordable,” Mr Dos Santos added.
The plugin is available now for eligible ChatGPT users to install and enable from the Plugin store. However, anyone can join the waitlist to get access in the future.
Redfin expects the ChatGPT plugin to be a game-changer for the real estate industry and could revolutionise the way people search for homes in the future.
Redfin’s plugin comes after Zillow last week revealed it’s ChatGPT add-on, which also uses natural language and ‘chat’ to help house hunters find suitable homes for sale or rent.
Zillow ChatGPT is the latest example of how the company is using technology to make it easier for customers to find and get into their next home.
Zillow is building a housing super app that offers customers a seamless, connected experience across all their real estate needs: buying, selling, financing and renting. It launched natural language search queries on its apps and sites in January, and AI capabilities show up throughout Zillow’s products and services, most recently in advancements in the neural Zestimate, computer-vision-powered rich media experiences and AI-generated immersive floor plans.
