Find out what tech expert Craig Rowe thinks about Proptexx, an application that allows buyers to instantly remodel a room with AI-based interior design tools.
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Proptexx is an AI listing visualization solution.
Platforms: Browser
Ideal for: Sellers, listing agents
Top selling points:
- In-browser rendering window
- Before and after slider UX
- Intuitive, lightweight setup
- Multiple downline benefits
- NAR Reach member
Top concern:
There’s a lot of competition in the virtual rendering and staging space.
What you should know
Proptexx may be new to you, but the company has left footprints in Europe that help it gain traction as it pitches its in-search room design applet.
An interactive pop-up that engages the user to compare the current state of a listing’s interior with a number of virtual makeovers is the core value proposition here.
A slider reveals the new look, which can come from a series of design themes selected from a drop-down menu, and the user can choose to “like” or “dislike” each option. It can work in furnished and unfurnished rooms.
Proptexx requires a single line of API code to be installed, so access to the website’s content management system will be necessary, which should be simple for marketing staff, but I know that a number of brokerages outsource their website administration.
There’s a distinct advantage to Proptexx’s execution, and that it’s not overwhelming the user’s search experience. As I mentioned in the above highlights list, it’s lightweight and unobtrusive.
While it is a feature of the software, I like that it doesn’t push too hard on post-makeover valuations, and the rapid rendering ensures the buyer is aware that it’s merely a potential look for the room. At least for now, it’s not trying to be anything other than a tool for buyers to understand what their new home could look like.
It creates exterior sky renderings, de-clutters, handles landscaping updates, repairs siding and generally tackles most of what you’ve seen its competitors address.
Proptexx serves as a clever way to keep buyers browsing, something everyone knows brokerages need to stay visible amidst the ever-increasing visibility and reach of legacy search portals. It’s best paired with other forms of lead capture and calls-to-action, and in that respect, I’d like to see Proptexx actively keep its users up-to-date with how often the tool is used as an impetus for an agent to reach out.
I asked them about that, and a user stats dashboard is in the works, as is an update that will allow buyers to maintain a history of previous home visits. Look for it later this fall.
Proptexx offers metrics on appraisal complexity and home condition and encourages buyers to search room by room, an emerging trend in home search thanks to the onset of computer vision, a form of AI that reads and processes photo content.
In total, the company has users in 62 countries. And if your website is built/run by BoldTrail or rests on a legacy BoomTown site, it’ll be ready for Proptexx. If you’re an Exit Realty agent, you, too, have access to it (in case you were unaware).
Still, among Proptexx’s toolbox, I’d reach for the staging widget as a differentiator because it’s a buyer tool, a category not being addressed as often as I’d like to see.
I was told the software has processed up to 1.2 million images in a 24-hour period and around 400,000 renderings on average each day. That’s a lot of data. The company isn’t yet capitalizing on that, which it calls “exhaust.”
They’re aware of its value, and I got the sense they’re poking around revenue models for it. But I understand not wanting to move in that direction quite yet, as the app’s value is in its impressively quick rendering and simple user experience and that’s an already crowded field.
Instead of leveraging data for hard sales insights, it could be better used for potential retail partners and service providers.
Its deployment at an open house would be cool, too. Touring buyers could access a tablet iteration to be even more immersed in a room’s potential. It’s also a great option for landlords looking to turn apartments with an “apply now” button and listing agents needing to get a listing agreement signed.
Conceptually, you’ve seen this before, as BoxBrownie and others have been digitally re-rendering rooms and houses and greening lawns for years. Compass Lens offered the single-screen before and after slider years ago — but — what stands out to me is the in-search, consumer-first delivery and packaging, characteristics I think will soon be emulated by the bigger players.
It would be very cool if they found a way to let buyers snap a pic of any room in any house in the app and do it right there, in real-time. In time, I guess.
Until then, Proptexx can still make your website better than it likely is today.
Have a technology product you would like to discuss? Email Craig Rowe
Craig C. Rowe started in commercial real estate at the dawn of the dot-com boom, helping an array of commercial real estate companies fortify their online presence and analyze internal software decisions. He now helps agents and proptechs with technology and partnership decisions and lends his expertise to Inman to review and report on the people and products inciting industry change.
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