Home Scout: Voice-Activated New Construction Search Speaks English and Spanish

In a real estate market where search tools typically require typing filters into forms, one new construction platform is introducing a conversational alternative. Builders Update, a national database for new construction, has launched Home Scout, a tool that lets agents and buyers describe their property needs in plain language, either by typing or speaking. "It was created for people who don't like to type. They can just talk to it," says Bill Gaul, CEO of Builders Update and chair of the RESO Data Dictionary New Construction Subcommittee. For example, a user could say they need a three-bedroom, two-bath home in a specific zip code while driving, and the tool responds conversationally.

What sets Home Scout apart is its automatic bilingual capability, switching seamlessly between English and Spanish based on the user's spoken language. "It doesn't even ask if you want Spanish. If you start speaking Spanish, it responds in Spanish," Gaul adds, noting that the translation is designed to sound natural. The bilingual feature has generated significant interest in markets with large Spanish-speaking populations, including Miami, San Diego, and border regions. The tool is available on the company’s website, and after a search, results, floor plans, property details, and photos are delivered to the user's inbox, allowing agents to forward them to clients in two versions: a full agent view with address and builder name, or a buyer-facing view without those details to keep the agent central to the transaction.

The platform's agent-centric model ensures that detailed listing information is reserved for licensed agents, and buyers register through their agent. Builders Update also offers electronic buyer registration, which protects an agent's commission claim by confirming a buyer isn't already in the builder's system. Gaul describes this process as a way to keep the agent's role transparent and protected. Despite the tool's innovative features, adoption is still growing, and part of the effort now is encouraging agents to try it. Builders Update currently serves more than 860,000 agents nationwide.