REcolorado, the state’s largest multiple listing service, partnered with Lundy, Inc. to provide audible access to real estate listings using Alexa, Amazon’s voice-controlled digital assistant.
The partners intend to break barriers and change industry norms to help agents and visually impaired homebuyers find and buy Colorado homes.
REcolorado powers over 75% of the state’s residential real estate transactions, and real estate agents use the MLS to make listings easily accessible online.
Thanks to Lundy’s technology, potential homebuyers can now access REcolorado’s listings using Amazon’s Alexa devices.
All they have to do is use prompts like “Alexa, find me a house,” “Alexa, are there any homes for sale near me?” or “Alexa, help me buy a house.”
Then, they must enter some standard criteria used to search for any property, like price, location, or number of bedrooms.
“When Lundy presented a way to make the home search process easier and more accessible, we wanted to take action and address this issue for our large population of visually impaired individuals in Colorado,” said REcolorado President and CEO Gene Millman.
“We believe home search should be accessible to all. Technology that improves the real estate process for the visually impaired population is one way to do that. We are committed to making the dream of home ownership easier and more accessible for everyone.”
According to U.S. Census Bureau data, more than 100,000 Coloradans report blindness or severe difficulty seeing even with glasses. Traditional real estate listings on image-based websites with lengthy written descriptions challenge the visually impaired.
The partnership between REcolorado and Lundy provides enhanced search options using voice skill technology that converts property listing data and detailed property descriptions into organized audio narratives through Alexa.
“This alliance with REcolorado is an example of the proactive role MLSs are taking to address difficult, pressing issues like fair housing and accessibility, particularly for the visually impaired population,” said Justin Lundy, co-founder and CEO of Lundy, Inc.
“Our technology, with the data provided by REcolorado, revolutionizes ADA accessibility of data by accommodating consumer search obstacles such as being able to access information through voice commands while multi-tasking or driving.”
Lundy and REcolorado produced concise yet informative descriptions that do not rely on visuals. Potential homebuyers can expand search criteria by entering their preferred neighborhood and property address, or they can ask Alexa to filter results based on price, the required number of bedrooms, or other standard housing characteristics.
Lundy, who cofounded his company with Jim Grady, was inspired to create the service after a relative lost her vision.
“Getting access to information on the internet for someone who aged into blindness is difficult,” he said. “So, we wondered if there could be a solution for finding real estate information through Alexa.”
Lundy said the company first created the audible listings for Alexa because it’s the most adopted advice for the visually impaired. He plans to expand the listings to other digital assistants like Apple’s HomePod and Google Home.
While the product helps the visually impaired, it could also benefit someone driving and wanting information after seeing a home for sale.
“Ultimately, it could be helpful to anyone,” Lundy said.
The news and editorial staffs of The Denver Post had no role in this post’s preparation.
