Zillow is a leading real estate website, that also offers a wide range of mobile apps that cater to various needs of house-hunters. They offer guidance and tools for buying, selling, remodeling, and financing homes, along with other services that homeowners, and those looking to own a home, may need. Because Zillow is on the cutting edge of real estate and cater to what their customers need and want, they’ve recently developed and released some great new features: solar power scores to their listed homes and online 3-D tours.
Solar power Scores
The solar power scores displayed on certain homes’ pages on Zillow indicate the home’s potential for solar energy. This feature is something that agents sometimes overlook when telling interested buyers details about the property. The solar power score is added onto the property’s detail page as a “Sun Number”. The Sun Number has four categories that add up to 100. These categories are: building solar, electricity rates, solar cost, and regional climate. The closer the property’s number is to 100, the better.
This feature will likely become more popular and sought after in the years ahead, as buyers and homeowners are more mindful of their environmental footprint and want homes that are energy efficient. Houses that can support solar power are becoming increasingly appealing to buyers and are viewed as a good investment, especially as traditional power methods become more expensive and resources are scarcer.
Online 3-D Tours
Recently, Zillow released its 3-D tour feature, which allows people looking for a home to virtually tour houses for sale without having to go view all of the homes in person. This new feature opens a lot of doors for 3-D usage in the real estate industry, because a few real estate agents utilized this technology before, but now that a leading company in real estate has begun using the technology, others will likely follow suit. Right now, not all Zillow properties have the 3-D tour option listed, but many do. Buyers can simply click on the “Launch 3-D Tour” button, which is listed below property pictures.
Since a leading real estate company has adopted using 3-D tours, it could revolutionize the real estate industry and usher in many new opportunities for virtual tours in real estate. Buyers can view homes without leaving the comfort of their current home, which could lead to completely different buyer behaviors, such as less prominence of in-person tours with a realtor. If these changes do occur, agents will need to adjust their skill set to fit with the desires of the consumer.
Michael Leafer is a real estate expert based out of Boston, Ma. As the founder and president of Leaf Management, Michael takes an active interest in the ongoing news concerning the real estate industry. Stop by often for more of Michael’s insights.