Zillow’s ‘Buzz’ sheds light on user engagement; Side enhances app 

Editor's note: Technology is a driving force in real estate. From startups to established players, tech companies are constantly innovating, growing and forging partnerships. Here we highlight some of the latest news about the companies that help power the industry. 

New Zillow tool flags features homebuyers crave

Zillow has introduced a metric that measures how home features and design details influence buyer engagement on listings.

Called the Zillow Buzz Index, the new tool analyzes more than 600 home features, with character-driven elements tending to generate the most attention. Listings with exposed beams see a 20% daily boost in engagement, for example, followed by listings with exposed brick (15%), arched doorways (14%) and vintage details (14%).

Architectural styles with distinctive appeal also perform well, including Victorian homes (which have 19% more engagement) and Tudor-style properties (14%), along with midcentury designs and A-frames. Lifestyle features like saltwater pools, outdoor showers and low-maintenance yards also increase saves and clicks, according to a news release.

"Today's shoppers are craving homes with personality," said Amanda Pendleton, a Zillow home trends expert. "Charming details like exposed beams, original brick and vintage architectural elements tell a story and create an emotional connection the moment a shopper sees the listing."

Zillow noted that its research suggests higher engagement — measured through views and saves — is linked to faster sales and stronger pricing outcomes.

Side adds AI features to streamline transaction workflows

Side has rolled out a suite of AI features aimed at reducing "administrative drag" across real estate transactions. The four new features were built directly into the Side App, the brokerage's proprietary transaction platform.

The tools embed AI into core transaction workflows, including document validation, offer analysis, compliance and reporting. New tools include real-time document checks for missing disclosures, automated extraction of offer details into structured summaries, and auto-tagging of signature fields in contract packages.

The release also introduces an AI-powered reporting engine that allows agents and team leaders to query performance data using natural language and receive real-time insights. The company said the features are designed to address persistent manual processes that slow transactions and increase operational costs.

"At Side, we don't approach AI as a standalone or a hype feature. We are building core transaction workflows with it," Chief Technology Officer Ryan Smith said in a news release, adding that the new tools provide "a smarter foundation for how modern real estate teams operate."

Anyone.com launches off-market dataset

Anyone.com has introduced a new off-market property data offering designed to give agents and brokerages a broader view of housing inventory beyond active listings.

The feature provides access to more than 350 million global property records, offering insight into property details, transaction histories and brokerage-related data tied to prior deals. The company said the expanded dataset is intended to support pricing, prospecting and client advisory by surfacing information typically spread across multiple systems.

By integrating the data directly into its platform, Anyone aims to reduce reliance on separate tools for historical research, listing intelligence and prospecting, according to a news release.

"We believe agents and brokerages should be able to access deep property intelligence as part of the platform they already use to run their business," said Reza Sardeha, founder of Anyone.com. "This launch is about giving real estate professionals a broader view of the market and making that access dramatically more efficient."

More tech news

REMAX agents now have access to Zillow Showcase via the REMAX Marketing Studio, according to a news release. The announcement comes a month after REMAX signed on as a launch partner for Preview, Zillow's new pre-market listings product.

The combination of the two products gives REMAX agents "something tangible to show in their listing presentation that others can't match," said Bobbi Jo Price, VP of agent sales at Zillow. REMAX President and Chief Growth Officer Chris Lim added that the brand's agents now have "a stronger way to compete from the very first conversation, build confidence with clients, and deliver a better experience for both sellers and buyers."

RealReports has introduced a new next-gen comparative market analysis tool created with the idea of swapping manual CMA tools with an AI-native workflow. Called RealCMA, the new feature tasks Aiden, the company's AI advisor, with flagging comparable properties — both on and off the MLS — and offering pricing strategy suggestions in real time, according to a news release.

RealReports Co-Founder and CEO James Rogers described RealCMA as "a rethinking of how CMAs should work," adding, "By embedding AI directly into the workflow and grounding it in a comprehensive national property dataset, we're enabling agents to operate more strategically from the very first step."

SkySlope is expanding its partnership with American Home Shield (AHS), part of the Frontdoor home warranty family. After working with the tech provider in four states, AHS is now providing SkySlope access to agents and brokers in 39 additional states, according to a news release.

SkySlope builds solutions that are "focused on helping agents move faster, stay organized, and deliver a better experience for their clients," CEO Tyler Smith said. "By simplifying home warranty workflows inside the transaction, we're giving agents back valuable time to focus on what matters most — closing deals and serving people."

Editor's note: AI was used in the initial drafting of this content, which was then thoroughly reviewed, fact-checked and revised by a Real Estate News editor.