Tuesday, March 10, 2020

Realtor.com adds new feature to home search that shows noise levels

Traffic, airport location and more will be factored in


Realtor.com has released a new feature to its home search capabilities.
The new noise indicator will let home searchers check out sound data down to the property level.

According to realtor.com, it’s a first-of-its-kind feature among national real estate search sites providing home shoppers with data at the property level, where others can only do so at a neighborhood level.


“Every homebuyer is different. Some people are at home in a bustling city, while others prefer the peace and quiet of a country farmhouse,” said Rachel Morley, senior vice president, product management, realtor.com.

“With our new noise indicator, we can provide specific information about whether the property is near a freeway, an airport or a gas station and how that impacts sound levels,” she said.
 “This information can help narrow the search and make sure that our users find a home that’s perfect for them.”

Each property listing will have a noise rating of high, medium or low. With that, home searchers can look at noise details on a heat map overlay that displays noise sources, realtor.com said.

This feature takes in to account traffic, airports and local sources like restaurants, gas stations, sports stadiums and schools, to name a few. Combined, these sources assign each property a rating.

“Because noise level is one of the top things today’s home shoppers consider when looking for a home, we believe the noise feature on realtor.com will help us attract more consumers to listing property data on realtor.com,” a realtor.com spokesperson told HousingWire. 

“That means more eyeballs and exposure for seller clients’ listings. Search nuances like noise also reinforce the insights agents can bring to buyers throughout their home search journey.”