StreetEasy Announces New Augmented Reality Feature, Enabling Instant On-The-Go Home Shopping
Coming this summer, StreetScape™ will allow New Yorkers to easily scan nearby buildings on the StreetEasy iOS app and immersively home shop on the streets of New York City
NEW YORK, May 4, 2022 – StreetEasy is announcing new technology that will change the way New Yorkers in the five boroughs shop for homes while on the go. StreetScape™ uses augmented reality to place StreetEasy’s comprehensive listing data into a home shopper’s real physical space on the streets of the city.
Launching in time for the busy summer home shopping season, New Yorkers using the StreetEasy iOS app will be able to scan a street to reveal floating icons in front of residential buildings. They can then click the icons to quickly learn more about the building and its amenities, discover units available on StreetEasy, and view photos, floor plans, and virtual tours of the building’s units. Think of it like scanning a QR code over any building with listings on StreetEasy.
StreetScape’s new technology is especially vital in NYC’s hyperlocal real estate market. Home shoppers in today’s fast moving, competitive market are already hitting the streets to browse real estate and get the information they need: a recent poll on StreetEasy’s Instagram found 79% of people have scrolled through apartments on StreetEasy while they’re out and about in NYC.
New Yorkers crave an on-demand experience in real estate, and it can be challenging to home shop while on the go. StreetEasy’s Instagram poll also found that 95% of people have walked past an apartment building and wondered if it has an available unit that meets their criteria. At the same time, 77% have had trouble identifying a building’s address to search for later. With StreetScape, home shoppers can get these answers immediately with a quick scan using their phone.
“We’ve all experienced it: you walk by a building and immediately wonder what it would be like to live there and whether that’s even a real possibility,” said Peter Lim, StreetEasy product manager. “We are building StreetScape to marry the digital and physical experience of home shopping in New York, a crucial step toward getting that level of confidence you need to make a move on a new home. Having that information immediately at your fingertips when you’re in front of a building will help home shoppers act fast, which is especially key in today’s competitive market.”
StreetScape is the latest example of StreetEasy’s innovations designed to help improve the NYC home shopping experience. Others include the launch of 3D home tours, providing home shoppers with an immersive tour experience directly from a listing, and StreetEasy Flexible Search, a smarter way to search that enables renters and buyers to easily specify which unit and building amenities are need-to-have and which are nice-to-have.
This summer, StreetEasy iOS app users will be able to use StreetScape to instantly discover and browse buildings and listings across the five boroughs of NYC. Local real estate agents who are taking their clients on tours across the city can also use StreetScape to give them in-the-moment answers and information about buildings they are walking by.
About StreetEasy
StreetEasy is reimagining the way people buy, sell, and rent homes across New York City and New Jersey. Used more than any other local real estate platform, StreetEasy’s website and mobile apps provide vetted and verified listings, plus intuitive search tools and data-driven guides to help people unlock the opportunity of living here. Launched in 2006 and based in NoMad, Manhattan, StreetEasy is owned and operated by Zillow Group (NASDAQ: Z and ZG) and is a registered trademark of Zillow, Inc.