Zillow Launches ChatGPT Plugin For Real Estate Searches

OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot is being used everywhere for virtually everything these days, and now you can add real estate searches to the list.

Zillow Group Inc. said Tuesday it has launched a ChatGPT plugin that allows the generative AI to assist users in searching for a new home.

Users who enable the plugin can use conversational language to ask about specific property listings, or share the types of for-sale and rental homes they are interested in — including location, price range, and bedroom and bathroom count, the company said. The Zillow plugin then retrieves relevant information from Zillow's database of real estate listings, the company said.

The plugin is accessible to a select number of ChatGPT users today, with broader access anticipated in the future, it said.

The Zillow ChatGPT plugin is currently in its alpha phase, the company said, providing an opportunity for Zillow to refine and enhance the experience based on user interactions. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has implemented safeguards to minimize inaccuracies and prevent inappropriate responses, but users should keep in mind that at times the experience might not work exactly as expected, Zillow said. 

"Generative AI is changing the way people search for information," said David Beitel, chief technology officer at Zillow Group. “At Zillow, we've been embracing AI and machine learning starting with the Zestimate in 2006, and later introducing personalized recommendations and natural language search — which means we're well-equipped to help customers search and find homes in this new way.”

Beitel said Zillow is the first major residential real estate marketplace to bring AI-powered search to the home-shopping experience. “We understand its immense potential, and we look forward to developing more tech innovations with OpenAI technology in the future,” he added.

Zillow said the addition is part of its effort to build 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 the ChatGPT plugin is the latest example of how Zillow is using technology to make it easier for customers to find and get into their next home.