Zillow® has announced Zillow AI mode, a new experience designed to helps buyers and renters discover homes through conversation, receive guidance and take real steps such as scheduling tours or connecting with a local agent.
According to a release issued today, this new way to Zillow is designed for anyone exploring housing—from dreamers browsing late at night to renters comparing tradeoffs between apartment buildings to buyers exploring financing and sellers planning their next move. Over time, this experience will become foundational to how people move through the real estate journey on Zillow, according to the company.
“We’re connecting the entire housing journey with AI in a way that hasn’t been possible before,” said Jeremy Wacksman, CEO of Zillow. “Because Zillow operates across search, touring, financing, connections to professionals, transacting and closing, we can turn insight and data into real-world action, helping people move from discovery to keys in hand.”
Zillow AI mode is designed to help people understand homes, explore affordability questions, compare options and book a tour directly within the experience. According to the release, for years, home search has meant setting filters, scrolling through listings, opening multiple tabs and windows, pulling up a calculator to piece together whether a place actually works. Now, a renter can ask, “Can I afford this apartment if I move in June?” Unlike when using standalone AI tools, a buyer can say, “Find similar homes within my budget that are closer to light rail.”
The platform shift is currently available in beta to a limited group of Zillow users, and the company plans to expand this experience throughout 2026.
Zillow AI mode adapts to each mover’s activity over time, remembering preferences across sessions and providing context-aware guidance using Zillow’s data, expertise and custom AI models.
“For years, navigating a move has meant piecing together information across tools, conversations and steps. Zillow AI mode transforms that into something far more useful: an experience that understands what people need and helps them take action,” said Josh Weisberg, senior vice president of AI, Zillow. “We’ve spent years building the data, infrastructure and models to power this shift. Buying or renting a home is one of the biggest financial decisions most people make. This AI brings clarity to one of life’s most complex decisions, helping people understand what they can afford, what matters in a home, and even challenge and explore the Zestimate in real time.”
The company pointed out that ecause Zillow brings together touring, affordability, financing, collaboration with agents and decision-making across tradeoffs throughout the transaction, Zillow AI mode can:
- Compare options and highlight tradeoffs: “What tradeoffs should I consider when looking at this home?” or “Compare units in this building”
- Estimate the cost ranges for repairs or upgrades using local data: “How much would it cost to do a total renovation of this bathroom?”
- Interpret listing events like price cuts in market context: “I see a recent price cut. How might that impact my offer strategy?”
- Explain affordability, including BuyAbility: “Can I afford to buy this home?”
- Scenario plan across renting and buying: “Should I rent or buy in this location? I’m planning to stay for at least a year.”
- Provide neighborhood and local insights: “Tell me how this home compares to others in the area and tell me what it’s like to live in this neighborhood. Include nearby amenities, shops, and parks.”
- Summarize property policies and requirements: “What is the pet policy for this rental?”
- Schedule tours or apply directly within the experience: “Can I book a tour for this home this weekend?” or “I’d like to apply for this rental”
- Connect users with a trusted local agent or professional: “Connect me with an agent to learn more about this home”
- Explain and contextualize the Zestimate: “How has this home’s Zestimate changed over time?”
- Analyze offer competitiveness based on comparable sales, market conditions and property-specific factors: “What would a fair offer be for this home?” or “I’m planning to put an offer in for this house with my agent for 500k with waived contingencies. Help me understand how competitive my offer is”
- Explain how comparables, market conditions and listing signals can impact a home’s list price: “Why is this house listed at this price? Is it priced to sell quickly?”
In early testing, many questions focused on affordability, neighborhood insights and comparing homes with specific features. According to the company, these insights signal that people come to Zillow ready to make real decisions—understanding what they can afford, where they want to live, and what tradeoffs they are willing to make.
Zillow AI mode is designed to support people throughout their real estate journey, helping them engage with a real estate professional or rental property manager at the right time. By answering common questions about homes, affordability and local markets, Zillow AI mode sets out to help users prepare for more productive conversations when they connect with a professional. When movers reach out to an agent or property manager, they arrive with clearer priorities and context, helping professionals focus on the next steps in the transaction.
As AI becomes more embedded in everyday decisions, trust matters, said the company. Zillow AI mode is built with responsible innovation principles at its core, grounded in verified listings data, designed for transparency and focused on empowering consumers rather than overwhelming them.
Zillow AI mode incorporates Zillow’s Fair Housing Classifier, a real-time guardrail that evaluates both customer questions and AI responses to help prevent discriminatory steering to uphold federal, state and local protections. User interactions are governed by Zillow’s privacy policies and housing-specific compliance standards.
Because Zillow operates as a licensed real estate brokerage, Zillow AI mode is designed to function within established industry regulations and professional standards—supporting, not replacing, licensed expertise in the transaction.
Zillow has invested in AI across its platform for 20 years, from the Zestimate and natural language search to affordability tools and Zillow Showcase, with immersive experiences like 3D home tours, interactive floor plans and virtual staging. Zillow AI mode builds on that foundation, bringing intelligence directly into the heart of the consumer experience.
For more information, visit zillow.com.
