Summer just got hotter: Zillow debuts five powerful new features

Rhea-AI Summary

Zillow (NYSE:ZG) has unveiled five new features to enhance the home shopping experience. The centerpiece is SkyTour, a revolutionary drone-like 3D viewing technology for property exteriors, powered by Gaussian splatting technology. Other innovations include Offer Insights for analyzing offer strength, Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown for transparent pricing, Tour Itineraries for streamlined home viewing, and enhanced BuyAbility tools for affordability assessment.

The BuyAbility feature has already attracted over 1.5 million users since launch. The new tools aim to address key pain points in real estate, with 94% of buyers using online tools for home searches and 64% preferring online tour scheduling. These features are now available nationwide on Zillow's website and mobile apps.

Positive

• First-to-market implementation of Gaussian splatting technology in real estate through SkyTour feature
• Strong user adoption with over 1.5 million people enrolled in BuyAbility
• Addressing critical market needs with 94% of buyers using online tools
• Enhanced transparency in rental costs addressing a major pain point for renters

Negative

• SkyTour limited availability only on eligible Zillow Showcase listings
• Effectiveness of new features dependent on property managers providing complete information

Insights

Product Innovation Strategist

Zillow's five new features strengthen its competitive moat through enhanced UX and data tools that could drive engagement and monetization opportunities.

Zillow's summer launch represents a significant strategic enhancement to its digital real estate platform through five key feature additions. The standout innovation is SkyTour, which leverages advanced Gaussian splatting technology to create interactive 3D aerial property views. This puts Zillow at the technological forefront of virtual home touring capabilities, potentially increasing engagement metrics and time-on-site for property listings.

The Offer Insights tool addresses a critical friction point in the transaction process by providing data-driven guidance on offer competitiveness. This creates a strategic dual benefit: buyers gain confidence while agents receive more qualified leads from users who are approaching the transaction stage with realistic expectations.

The Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown tackles transparency issues in the rental market, where 94% of renters want upfront cost clarity. By addressing this pain point, Zillow positions itself to capture and retain more rental market users, particularly important as over 50% of rental households are cost-burdened.

Tour Itineraries streamlines the property viewing process, aligning with user preferences as 64% of buyers prefer online tour scheduling. Meanwhile, the BuyAbility enhancements provide personalized affordability insights, with 1.5 million users already enrolled, indicating strong market adoption.

Collectively, these features strengthen Zillow's competitive moat through enhanced user experience while creating additional data collection opportunities that could fuel future monetization strategies. The innovations address both transaction and search phases of the real estate journey, potentially increasing platform stickiness and conversion rates.

AI-powered, data-driven tools supercharge the home shopping experience, from immersive tours to buying power insights

SEATTLE, July 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The hottest tour of the summer is here, and it's only on Zillow^®. Zillow's Summer Launch debuts five new features to make home shopping, selling and renting easier — and it's headlined by SkyTour, a first-of-its-kind, user-guided view of a home's exterior from above.

Additionally, new tools like Offer Insights, Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown, Tour Itineraries and BuyAbility^SM upgrades empower users to explore listings, understand costs and schedule tours — all in one place.

These updates simplify home shopping headaches, such as hidden costs and budget uncertainty, while making it easier (and more fun) to browse, plan and tour. With these tools, Zillow is leading the category for the kind of smart, seamless digital experience people expect throughout their real estate journey.

SkyTour: Explore homes like never before — from above
Available now on eligible Zillow Showcase℠ listings, SkyTour puts home shoppers in the pilot's seat with a dynamic, drone-like 3D view of a home's exterior. With simple, intuitive controls, buyers can fly around a property virtually to get a sense of the exterior layout, lot and area surrounding the property — right from their phone or computer.

Powered by Gaussian splatting, an emerging rendering technology used in gaming, virtual production and more, SkyTour transforms drone footage into a smooth, interactive 3D experience. SkyTour is available on Showcase listings when drone footage is captured through the Zillow Media Experts premium package.

As the most visited real estate app and website in the U.S., Zillow is among the first in the industry to implement and scale Gaussian splatting technology, redefining the online home tour experience.

Offer Insights: Empowering buyers to make stronger, more confident offers
Offer Insights is a new feature that gives buyers and their agents a clearer picture of how different offer prices might perform in today's market.

Available on for-sale listings, the tool lets home shoppers toggle between various offer levels to see how strong their offer might be. By combining the Zestimate, recent sales and local market data, Offer Insights allows home shoppers to see the estimated likelihood of their offer being accepted, empowering them to move forward with confidence.

For agents, Offer Insights brings more move-ready buyers to the surface — those who are using real-time data to explore viable paths to making an offer. It sets the stage for productive, informed conversations about how to approach an offer based on current market conditions. Agents remain essential in helping buyers understand pricing, weigh affordability and discuss personal factors, such as contingencies and timing.

Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown: Transparent pricing for renters
Zillow now includes a detailed cost breakdown of move-in expenses, monthly charges and any extra fees on rental listings when that information is provided by the property manager. Rental listings now also feature a custom calculator that renters can use to get personalized estimates. This fee transparency helps renters plan, compare options and avoid surprise costs.

Hidden fees remain a top frustration for renters. Nearly all renters (94%) want listings to show all costs upfront, yet many still face unexpected expenses. More than half of U.S. households that rent are cost-burdened, spending at least 30% of their income on rent — a challenge that hits Black and Hispanic renters especially hard.

By bringing total costs within the listing to light, Zillow is helping to give renters the clarity they need to make informed, confident decisions.

Tour Itineraries: Streamlined home touring
Tour Itineraries makes it easy for buyers and their agents to plan and manage home tours. After connecting with an agent, buyers can add homes to a shared tour list and coordinate logistics from a centralized tab on Zillow's app and website.

Both parties get a clear view of upcoming and past tours, keeping the home search organized and moving efficiently. With 94% of buyers using online tools to search for homes and 64% preferring to schedule tours online, Tour Itineraries delivers on the growing demand for digital convenience and control.

BuyAbility: Affordability at a glance
BuyAbility, an affordability tool powered by Zillow Home Loans, gives home shoppers a real-time, personalized estimate of the home price and monthly payment they can afford — along with their likelihood of qualifying for a loan.

Home shoppers simply enter their income, credit score, monthly debts, down payment savings and preferred monthly payment. Within seconds, they receive their BuyAbility: an estimate of the loan amount they may qualify for and a suggested price cap based on their budget. As they browse Zillow, listings are clearly labeled to show whether those properties fall within that shopper's BuyAbility.

New this summer is BuyAbility's capacity to let buyers shop for homes that fit both their target price, based on their desired monthly payment, and their maximum budget, based on what they may qualify for. By seeing how each home compares to both figures, buyers can better understand affordability and stay on track.

BuyAbility has quickly become a powerful resource, with more than 1.5 million people enrolled since its launch. With housing affordability a top priority for most Americans, tools like BuyAbility are critical to helping buyers shop smarter and feel more in control.

All five features are now live nationwide on Zillow's website and mobile apps. From browsing and budgeting to touring, renting and making an offer, these tools bring more clarity, confidence and convenience to every step of the real estate journey.

About Zillow Group:
Zillow Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: Z and ZG) is reimagining real estate to make home a reality for more and more people. As the most visited real estate app and website in the United States, Zillow and its affiliates help people find and get the home they want by connecting them with digital solutions, dedicated real estate professionals, and easier buying, selling, financing, and renting experiences.

Zillow Group's affiliates, subsidiaries and brands include Zillow^®, Zillow Premier Agent^®, Zillow Home Loans℠, Zillow Rentals^®, Trulia^®, Out East^®, StreetEasy^®, HotPads^®, ShowingTime+℠, Spruce^®, and Follow Up Boss^®.

All marks herein are owned by MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). © 2025 MFTB Holdco, Inc., a Zillow affiliate.

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SOURCE Zillow

FAQ

What are the 5 new features Zillow (ZG) launched in Summer 2025?

Zillow launched SkyTour (3D aerial property view), Offer Insights (offer strength analysis), Rentals Costs & Fees Breakdown (transparent pricing), Tour Itineraries (tour planning), and enhanced BuyAbility (affordability assessment).

How does Zillow's new SkyTour feature work?

SkyTour uses Gaussian splatting technology to transform drone footage into an interactive 3D experience, allowing users to virtually fly around properties to view exterior layout, lot, and surrounding area from their phone or computer.

What is the adoption rate of Zillow's BuyAbility feature?

Over 1.5 million people have enrolled in Zillow's BuyAbility feature since its launch, helping users understand home affordability and loan qualification potential.

How does Zillow's new Offer Insights feature help homebuyers?

Offer Insights combines Zestimate, recent sales, and local market data to show buyers the estimated likelihood of their offer being accepted at different price points, helping them make stronger, more informed offers.

What percentage of homebuyers prefer to schedule tours online according to Zillow?

According to Zillow, 64% of buyers prefer to schedule tours online, while 94% use online tools to search for homes.