Realtor.com® has announced the release of its Photo FirstSM feature to help homebuyers find their must-have rooms and finishes without the headache of scrolling through dozens of listing photos. The first-of-its-kind feature is designed to deliver the best browsing experience by making photos more personal and relevant than ever before. Powered by deep learning, the Photo First feature can automatically recognize characteristics of a room and organize photos into categories with more than 97 percent accuracy.
For consumers, photos are an essential element of a home search. Realtor.com has reimagined the listing photo experience to make it simpler and more useful than ever before. Now, with the Photo First feature, buyers can quickly hone in on the photos that are most important to them by simply selecting a feature category: exterior, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom, living room or dining room. Thanks to the feature’s deep learning-based algorithm, there is no additional work required for the seller or listing agent to optimize photos.
“Imagine a home search that’s completely customizable. One where you can choose all the features that are important to you, and not only find those homes quickly, but view those photos first,” says Chung Meng Cheong, chief product officer, realtor.com. “The Photo First feature uses deep learning to optimize and categorize listing photos for each home to simplify the home journey. So, if you’re particular about features in your kitchen or bathroom, you can view those photos right away.”
Developed by realtor.com’s mobile and data science teams, the Photo First feature is powered by a proprietary deep learning model for image classification, which enables it to recognize different aspects and automatically associate each photo with the coinciding room. The result is a simple and streamlined interface that users love. In fact, 100 percent of test users preferred the Photo First interface and more than 60 percent engaged with photo categories during testing. The new functionality led to more consumers viewing the home’s details and taking the next step to connect with an agent and learn more.
Realtor.com continues to invest in developing the best-in-class user experience for home shoppers. This announcement is the first of several planned AI-powered photo feature updates designed to help make buying and selling a home simpler and more enjoyable than ever.
Photo First is now available on Android and iOS, and will be coming soon to web and mobile web.
For more information, please visit www.realtor.com
