Zillow has launched what it calls “surfing 2.0,” offering AI-generated floor plans — powered by Zillow tech but available to use for free on listings anywhere — to serves as a dynamic guide to give shoppers digital insight and detail so they can more quickly and easily narrow their search to only the homes they love and want to see in person. Now, Zillow uses machine learning to not only generate floor plans, but also imports each listing photo and places it on the floor plan, giving shoppers an in-person perspective of a home’s shape and flow that simply scrolling through can never do.
“Zillow surfing has always been about imagining all the possibilities a move could bring, and Zillow surfing 2.0 is bringing those possibilities to life in a much more interactive, realistic way,” said Josh Weisberg, vice president of Zillow’s Rich Media Experience team. “Now shoppers can act more quickly and confidently, whether they’re searching in their own neighborhood or hundreds or thousands of miles away. We’re pushing the boundaries of what home buyers and renters can expect when shopping for a home online.”
For buyers and renters, the AI-generated floor plan means navigating more seamlessly and naturally through photos, a 3D Home tour and other listing information, to give a better idea of a home’s flow and space, saving time and driving.
In a Zillow survey of homeowners last summer, more than half (56%) of buyers agree they wasted time on their home search by viewing properties that they would have skipped if they had understood the floor plan before their visit. Almost three-quarters (74%) agree that a dynamic floor plan helps them determine if a home is right for them.
Zillow uses panoramic photos captured by an agent or photographer with the free 3D Home app and a 360-degree camera, and then applies the company’s computer vision and machine-learning models to generate a 3D Home tour and interactive floor plan. This includes AI-predicted room dimensions, square footage and the location of the listing photos relative to the other media. And now, it also imports every listing photo and places them on the floor plan to more easily navigate and get a feel for the home.
The floor plan, 3D tour and photos are automatically uploaded to the listing on Zillow and Redfin, and can also be added to the MLS, embedded in a website or shared via email or social media.
