Zillow announced on Thursday the launch of a new side-by-side comparison tool on its website and app that will allow consumers to view the features of up to five homes at a time in a comparison chart.
The tool, called “Homes to Compare,” will allow users to compare over 70 details of a listing side-by-side, including price, square footage, lot size, property condition, interior features, architectural style and more.
Credit: Zillow
With homebuying often quickly becoming a confusing and stressful process for buyers, the new tool is poised to make the process a bit easier and less complicated overall. According to Zillow’s data, one-third of first-time buyers are unsatisfied with the current comparison tools available for viewing homes online. And although the market may not be quite as hot as it once was, buyers can still use all the extra help and time they can get in making a decision on putting down an offer.
David Beitel | Credit: Zillow Group
“This new tool reduces the need for the makeshift spreadsheets home shoppers often create to compare homes,” David Beitel, Zillow’s chief technology officer, said in a statement. “We know evaluating homes is one of the most overwhelming parts of the homebuying process. Our goal is to change that with Homes to Compare.”
The new tool follow’s Zillow’s release in December of a collective search feature called “SharePlay,” which allows users to search through Zillow collaboratively while on a FaceTime call, turning the process of home shopping into what Zillow calls a “game sport.”
An announcement from the company stated that more offerings to “empower consumers” would be forthcoming.
Update: This story was updated after publishing with a screenshot of Zillow’s new home comparison tool as seen by a user on their computer or phone.
