Housing site Funda launching new website, AI tool to attract buyers in cooling market
Housing site Funda is launching a revamped website with new paid features that realtors can use to make a listed property stand out more. Among other things, realtors will soon be able to pay for an AI tool with which potential buyers can virtually rearrange and style a home. The new website launches in mid-September, NOS reports.
Sellers who take the first paid package will have their listings displayed more prominently. The advertisement will be larger, with more photos, and will appear at the top of the search results, among other things.
The most expensive package includes the “virtual styler,” which uses AI-edited photos to show the house in various styles. This is intended to make it easier for potential buyers to look past building flaws or an outdated interior.
Realtors will still be able to list a property for free. But according to Funda, most realtors already use its existing paid option to make their listings more visible. Realtors affiliated with the trade association NVM currently pay €110 for Funda’s cheapest package, and non-NVM members pay €215.
From September, the website will offer three options: bronze, silver, and gold. Bronze will be free, silver will cost €231 excluding VAT, and gold will be €536. Funda told NOS that the old and new packages are “incomparable” and stressed that the most expensive package won’t always be necessary.
According to Evelien Emondts, manager of brand strategy and reputation at Funda, home sellers want to distinguish themselves in today’s competitive housing market, and that is why Funda is launching the new options.
“Additionally, we notice that sellers want to know better where they stand,” Emondts told the broadcaster. The revamped site will therefore also include information on the contents and prices of the sales packages. Currently, realtors don’t always disclose these costs.
