Z
illow has recently upgraded its AI search tool to provide a more personalized home search experience for its users. The new upgrade allows users to search for rentals or for-sale properties based on commute time, affordability, schools, and points of interest without having to select multiple filters. This feature is currently available on the Zillow app but will soon be added to its website as well. Zillow's AI-powered search tool is the only residential real estate marketplace to offer this type of search experience.

    Revive, a presale renovation platform, has made its AI-powered property valuation tool free for homeowners and agents to access. The tool, called Revive Vision AI, provides a value estimate for properties and helps users decide which renovations to consider before listing their home for sale. This move is expected to open up more inventory and provide actionable insights for maximizing a home's value.

    Long & Foster has partnered with Roof AI to enhance its chatbot, "Holmes." The upgraded chatbot now provides real-time answers to customer queries and allows users to search for homes in a more conversational way by describing features, price range, and other details. The chatbot uses cutting-edge AI technology to provide 24/7 digital recommendations and access a vast database of real estate and financing knowledge.

    LeadingRE has added Move Concierge to its Solutions Group, a collection of curated tools offered to its network of 550 independent firms. Move Concierge provides home service connections for internet, home automation, security, and more at no charge to brokerages and their consumers, simplifying the moving process and ensuring a seamless transition.

    Calque, a fintech company, has expanded its buy-before-you-sell financing programs. The company has partnered with Mid Florida Mortgage Professionals to offer its flagship lender program, "The Trade-In Mortgage," which helps homeowners buy a new home before selling their current home by leveraging their equity to make a non-contingent offer. Calque has also introduced a new option called "Contingency Buster," which is faster and more affordable for people who can come up with a down payment on a new home and don't need a second mortgage. This new offering works by leveraging Calque's "Purchase Price Guarantee," a binding backup contract for Calque to buy the homebuyer's current home if it does not sell in 150 days. This can remove the current home from debt-to-income calculations and allow lenders to provide non-contingent financing on the new home.