Even after making the conversion from a third party portal to a brokerage website, Zillow continues to innovate on features that the consumer enjoys. In a press release from last month, Zillow announced that consumers will be able to remove listings from their search results that they are not interested in. If you have searched for property recently, you know that getting email notifications on listings that you are not interested in is spammy.
Of course, this feature is only available to registered users on the website. This creates another lead generation opportunity for Zillow that will allow them to generate more consumer engagement and boost referral revenue.
As a broker, you may want to take a look at this feature and have a discussion with your website developer about including this popular search filter for your clients.
Please see below for the full press release.
A top-requested new Zillow feature lets shoppers hide homes they’ve ruled out
SEATTLE, Sept. 6, 2022 — Zillow® today announced a new search feature that lets shoppers hide homes they’re not interested in, thereby decluttering their screens and saving them time and energy as they search for their dream home.
Simply press the “hide home” icon and the listing won’t appear in future search results.
Though starting to increase at a moderate rate, the number of homes for sale in the United States is still near record lows, which means finding the perfect house can take some time. Buyers recently surveyed by Zillow say it takes between two and three months to find a home.
“Home shopping can be stressful and time-consuming, and this new feature helps buyers reduce the noise and distraction so they can focus on the homes that inspire them,” said Jenny Arden, Zillow’s chief design officer. “This upgrade was one of the most requested features by our customers, and it gives them a great way to remove the homes from their search results that fit their filter criteria but don’t necessarily match their needs or tastes.”
How it works
Now available on the Zillow app, the “hide homes” tool makes the shopping experience faster, simpler and easier by allowing users to press a button on the home listing page that prevents the home from showing up in future search results. Users can also bring back a property if they change their mind.
This tool was designed to cut down on search time and will soon improve overall personalization for home shoppers. Eventually, when someone hides a property, it will automatically be removed for that user on all touch points, including home recommendation alerts and emails.
“Clicking on homes they’ve previously viewed but decided against and may have forgotten about during the long search process makes the house hunt process longer and more frustrating,” Arden said. “This tool allows our millions of Zillow surfers the ability to ‘X out’ homes that they know they are not interested in touring or purchasing.”
The “hide homes” tool is another of a host of newly developed features and tools on the app and website, which also include multi-location search and Homes to Compare, to help shoppers move faster and more confidently during their search and zero in on homes that fit their needs.
About Zillow Group
Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make it easier to unlock life’s next chapter. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow® and its affiliates offer customers an on-demand experience for selling, buying, renting or financing with transparency and ease.
Zillow Group’s affiliates and subsidiaries include Zillow®, Zillow Offers®, Zillow Premier Agent®, Zillow Home Loans™, Zillow Closing Services™, Zillow Homes, Inc., Trulia®, Out East®, ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, dotloop®, StreetEasy® and HotPads®. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).
