Product and Services Roundup: Hemnet, Trade Me, Domclick

This week's Product Roundup begins with an overdue launch in Sweden...

Europe: Hemnet launches English-language app

Hemnet has thrown in the towel on being a Swedish-only business, launching an English-language version of its app on Android.

The English version of the app was developed using large language models and Google's ML Kit. Users will need to switch the language settings to English on their mobile device to access it.

Hemnet introduced the update as a response to demand from non-native Swedish speakers in the country.

Arno Stofberg, staff Android engineer at Hemnet, said:

"About 25% of people in Sweden have a non-Swedish mother tongue. By combining smart tech like LLMs and Google MLKit with a fantastic collaboration across Team App Core and Legal, we’ve made Hemnet accessible to everyone, making sure all Swedish residents can access the property market and sellers gain access to potential buyers irrespective of the language they speak.

"Almost half of all users with non-Swedish device settings have already actively switched to English! This is just the beginning. I’m incredibly excited about winning over all the users who previously faced a language barrier, and we will keep iterating to ensure the English app experience is just as seamless and high-quality as the Swedish one."

Domclick introduces AI search pilot and tenant photo updates for landlords

Domclick, the real estate vertical backed by the Russian bank Sber, has introduced photo reports for tenants staying in long-term rentals.

Property owners told Domclick that they want to see more regular updates on the condition of their rental properties. Domclick has responded by introducing a mechanism for landlords to request photographs from their tenants, which are then saved to the user's account for future reference.

Domclick expects the feature to be used around 40,000 times before the end of the year, while the tool solves the problem of landlords making inconvenient home visits to check on their properties.

Alexey Leipi, Director of DomClick, said:

"Owners want to be confident in the safety of their property, but aren't always willing to spend time on in-person inspections. A photo report in your personal account is a transparent and convenient way to receive up-to-date information about the condition of your apartment without unnecessary calls or trips. This is another step toward making our service as useful as possible for owners."

Meanwhile, Domclick will pilot an AI house-hunting tool to test its effectiveness against traditional classifieds search algorithms.

Leipi said that classic algorithms run the risk of derailing a user's home-buying journey if they detour through ads and listings that do not necessarily match their needs, therefore skewing the search experience towards those properties further down the line.

"Algorithms are easily broken if, for example, a user genuinely interested in purchasing a large apartment for their growing family is swayed by a flashy ad and lands on a page for an apartment complex aimed at singles.

"After that, the system can no longer understand whether the user needs an affordable studio apartment or a three-room apartment in a residential complex with well-developed family amenities. Our AI agent communicates directly with the buyer and first determines their real needs. This isn’t like a search engine, but rather like communicating with artificial intelligence, which finds a solution to your personal problem." [All quotes translated from Russian]

Oceania: TradeMe announces AI Search launch

TradeMe, New Zealand's leading classifieds site, has launched a conversational AI search tool for its real estate vertical.

According to a post on the company's LinkedIn page, "For agents, [AI search] means buyers who know exactly what they want. Better matches, more genuine enquiries."

Alan Clark, CEO at TradeMe, said:

"AI Search is a gamechanger for how Kiwis find properties. No filters, no dropdowns. AI Search understands what you want through simple conversation and finds you the right properties faster. For agents, that means your listings get found by Kiwi already looking for what you're selling. Better matches, more genuine enquiries. AI search is rolling out to buyers now and coming to everyone on Trade Me Property very soon."