Realtor.com+ adds AI assistant; wearable agent safety tool debuts 

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. 

Realtor.com's agent AI assistant now live in 21 markets

Four months after rolling out its agent AI assistant to select users, News Corp.-powered portal Realtor.com is officially launching the tool as part of its home search and agent-client collaboration platform Realtor.com+.

RealAssist AI, which was developed in partnership with Google and is powered by Google Maps AI, aims to help agents free up their time to proactively advise clients by taking on repetitive tasks and suggesting agent actions. The tool builds custom home searches based on client preferences and notes, summarizes client activity and offers next steps in a Daily Digest, and recommends actions that it helps complete, such as drafting client messages "in the agent's own tone" with agents' review and approval, according to a news release.

Since Realtor.com+ debuted in January, it has gained MLS partners that serve more than 192,000 agents nationwide — Unlock MLS in Austin serving as the most recent partner — and has an up to 10% adoption rate in its 21 live markets, the company said.

"Realtor.com+ is evolving into a more intelligent agent workspace that helps real estate professionals reduce manual work, respond faster to their clients, and stay in closer sync with buyer activity — and RealAssist AI is at the center of that shift," said Anna Marie Castiglioni, head of Realtor.com Next.

In addition to RealAssist AI, Realtor.com+ now also features an integration with the National Association of Realtors' parcel database and market data tool Realtors Property Resource (RPR), the company said.

Tether RE debuts wearable safety device

Real estate safety firm Tether RE has launched Tether Guardian, a wearable, voice-operated safety device that connects 24/7 to a live monitoring professional after the wearer presses a button or if the device automatically detects a fall. The tool, which comes in the form of a rectangular fob that can be worn on a string around the agent's neck, was designed for real estate professionals conducting open houses, visiting vacant properties or showing homes, though lone workers and seniors who live alone can also benefit from its use, according to a news release.

The average response time to connect to a monitoring center is 9.4 seconds — and help is sent even if the person wearing the device doesn't respond to the monitoring team. The product comes with GPS location, shower-safe water resistance, "up to 45 days of battery life, and a Caregiver App with location and safety alerts," the company said.

"We've had Brokers and builders asking for something simple they can hand an agent or sales person on the way out the door," said Vanessa Martin, co-founder and chief growth officer of Tether RE. "Clip it on, and if something feels wrong, a real person is on the line in seconds."

Inside Real Estate partners with Cotality

Streams, the AI platform that real estate software firm Inside Real Estate introduced earlier this year, is now integrated with property intelligence from Cotality as part of a new partnership, the companies announced today.

By offering predictive analytics, ownership history, local market trends, repair-informed home values and real-time signals that a consumer may be ready to buy or sell, the integration aims to help agents win more listings, convert high-intent leads and move buyers to offers, according to a news release.

"Agents do not wake up wanting more data," Inside Real Estate CEO Joe Skousen said. "They want more listings, stronger conversations, and a faster path from opportunity to action. Streams Studio lets a team start there, then brings the right data and tools together around the work."

The integration is live to select teams and brokerages with expanded access expected to be available in the coming months.

Maverix Title Production System launching this month

A platform designed to streamline workflows for title professionals is debuting this month at the American Land Title Association's ALTA One conference, which begins Oct. 12.

The platform, called the Maverix Title Production System, offers "everything a title operator needs" in one connected platform and tracks every order and that order's status at a glance, Maverix said in a news release.

The platform allows title professionals to customize workflows by client, geography, transaction type, operational structure and production preference. It saves professionals time that they might otherwise spend tracking statuses manually and navigating disconnected systems, the company said.

Maverix Title Production System will also enable teams to process more volume without triggering a "hire to fire" scramble to keep up and makes production workflows more stable "because the operation no longer depends on spreadsheets, local/historical knowledge, individual memory, and constant vigilance to keep files moving," according to the company.

"By helping title and escrow agencies move work more efficiently, reduce delays, and identify issues earlier, Maverix can help get transactions through title production faster and ultimately get consumers to the closing table sooner," Maverix CEO Steve Daigle, Jr. said.