Zillow is testing a mobile app that enables users to tour a house for sale without the need for agent or an appointment. The app puts the control in the hands of the potential home buyer and it’s part of Zillow’s continued effort to make headway in the iBuying space.
The iBuyer category is rapidly expanding as a number of real estate companies – like Redfin, Opendoor and Offerpad – develop new ways to eliminate the red tape that can make selling your home a long and frustrating process.
Zillow’s new app is designed to do just that. The app, called Tour it Now, provides users directions to the property, unlocks the doors when they arrive, and allows them the opportunity to tour the house on their own time.
Zillow rolled out the program March 5 in the Phoenix area and is currently only offering tours of properties that it owns.
Users can tour the homes any time between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. The company said the properties are equipped with sensors that take pictures and detect movement, and if motion is detected when there shouldn’t be any, the tour is disabled and the property is flagged for inspection by a Zillow team member.
Right now, the app only features a handful of homes in the Phoenix area, but a Zillow spokesperson said the company looks forward to making it available to more consumers in more markets in the future.
“By enabling home shoppers to visit and tour a Zillow-owned home whenever they want, with no appointment needed, Tour It Now is another step in Zillow’s mission to make the home shopping experience as convenient as possible,” the spokesperson said.
