In an industry where search tools typically require typing filters into forms, a new platform is testing a conversational approach. Builders Update, a national database for new construction, has introduced Home Scout, a tool that lets users describe what they want in plain language rather than filling in fields. “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.
Home Scout is designed to respond conversationally to spoken requests, such as “I need a three-bedroom, two-bath home in a specific zip code.” What sets it apart, according to Gaul, is its bilingual capability: it automatically switches between English and Spanish based on the user's language. “It doesn’t even ask if you want Spanish. If you start speaking Spanish, it responds in Spanish,” he says, emphasizing that the translation aims to sound natural. The bilingual feature has drawn 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. After a search, results, floor plans, property details, and photos are sent to the user’s inbox. “By the time that person parks the car, the floor plans and the pictures are in their inbox,” Gaul says. Agents can forward these results to clients in two versions: a full agent view that includes the address and builder name, or a buyer-facing view that shows photos, floor plans, and pricing without the address or builder.
This two-version design reflects the platform’s agent-centric model. Detailed listing information is reserved for licensed agents, and buyers register through their agent rather than around them. The platform also offers electronic buyer registration: when an agent submits a buyer’s name, the builder can confirm the buyer is not already in its system, which protects the agent’s claim to the commission if that buyer later purchases. Gaul describes the registration process, which is part of the company’s patent, as a way to keep the agent’s role transparent and protected. “We’re trying to inject the agent into the process,” he says.
Adoption is a work in progress. Gaul notes that even where the tool has been available for a while, some agents have not tried it, and part of the effort now is simply encouraging them to click. The platform currently serves more than 860,000 agents nationwide.
