HomeAhead, a Houston-based startup, released Wishlist on October 21. It’s a tool that allows potential homebuyers to collaborate digitally to share, rank and discuss properties with their friends, family and real estate agent.
Wishlist enables consumers to use MLSs to share favorites with friends, family and their agents. Available nationwide, the tool can add properties from Zillow, Trulia, Redfin and realtor.com, among others.
The beta release is available for Google Chrome, with Safari, iOS and Android in the works.
The free HomeAhead Wishlist addresses the need for homebuyers to share their journey with critical people in their lives. In a world where many people share what they eat at every meal virtually, it goes to reason that an important purchase such as buying property should be as visible.
HomeAhead recognized that the buyer’s journey in residential real estate can last for months. During that time, they say, it’s easy to lose track of information. Wishlist can help the buyer keep track of facts, as well as opinions, about homes they’ve considered.
For agents, Wishlist provides a way to engage with customers and potential customers. In a market where an average of 3 percent of leads become customers, the Wishlist can complement national portals and brokerage sites, and then keep the agent engaged with customers throughout the homebuying process.
A screencap from the tool.
Taylor Hou, head of product for HomeAhead, said that within the first day of the beta launch, more than 150 potential buyers joined the site.
“They absolutely love it,” he said. “We want to bring more transparency to home buying, and we’re going to have this product in beta until we get it right. Now, we have this buyer’s Wishlist; we’re next developing a seller’s checklist.”
Hou said that the company’s co-founder, David Cunningham, is bootstrapping this new product. Hu said that Cunningham has a previous exit to his startup credit, but declined to offer more specifics.
Information on AngelList, retrieved October 22, indicates that Cunningham co-founded and sold legal consultancy Hildebrandt Baker Robbins, now HBR Consulting.
HomeAhead was founded in 2014 to create tools that help agents better engage with clients and potential clients earlier in the home buying process.