In the real estate industry, search tools typically require users to input filters through typing. Builders Update, a national database for new construction, is testing a different approach: allowing users to search by voice in both English and Spanish. The tool, named Home Scout, lets agents and buyers describe their property needs in plain language, bypassing traditional form-based searches.
Bill Gaul, CEO of Builders Update and chair of the RESO Data Dictionary New Construction Subcommittee, explained the tool's origin: 'It was created for people who don’t like to type. They can just talk to it.' For instance, a user might say they need a three-bedroom, two-bath home in a specific zip code, even while driving, and the tool responds conversationally.
What distinguishes Home Scout is its seamless bilingual capability. Gaul noted, 'It doesn’t even ask if you want Spanish. If you start speaking Spanish, it responds in Spanish.' The translation is designed to sound natural, not mechanical. This feature has attracted significant interest in markets with large Spanish-speaking populations, including Miami, San Diego, and border regions.
The tool is accessible on the company’s website. After a voice search, results, including floor plans, property details, and photos, are delivered to the user’s inbox. 'By the time that person parks the car, the floor plans and the pictures are in their inbox,' Gaul said. Agents can forward these results to clients in two formats: a full agent view with address and builder name, or a buyer-facing view with photos, floor plans, and pricing but without the address or builder information.
This dual-version design underscores the platform’s agent-centric model. Detailed listing information is reserved for licensed agents, and buyers must register through their agent, not independently. The platform also includes electronic buyer registration, which allows agents to submit a buyer’s name to the builder to confirm the buyer isn't already in the system, thus protecting the agent’s commission claim if the buyer later purchases. Gaul described this process, part of the company’s patent, as a way to keep the agent’s role transparent and protected: 'We’re trying to inject the agent into the process.'
Adoption is still in progress. Gaul acknowledged that even where the tool has been available for a while, some agents have not tried it, and part of the current effort is encouraging them to engage with it. The platform currently serves more than 860,000 agents nationwide.
The introduction of voice search in real estate could reduce friction for agents and buyers, especially when multitasking. By allowing natural language queries and automatic language switching, Home Scout may broaden access to new construction data. Additionally, the emphasis on protecting agent commissions through electronic registration could reinforce the agent's role in transactions, potentially shaping how new construction leads are managed.
