Homes.com Leaders Livia Sponseller and Andy Ventura Explain How AI-Powered Search Is Creating a More

Why It Matters

Homes AI redefines online home hunting by delivering real‑time, data‑driven insights, accelerating buyer qualification and empowering agents, which could reshape the competitive dynamics of the real‑estate marketplace.

Key Takeaways

• AI-driven conversational search replaces traditional filter-based home browsing
• Consumers can ask real-time questions about listings, neighborhoods, and pricing
• Agents receive pre-qualified buyers, reducing showings and improving efficiency
• Integration with Matterport offers 24/7 virtual tours and detailed property data
• Future roadmap includes maintenance forecasts and renovation impact modeling

Summary

Homes.com unveiled "Homes AI," an AI‑powered conversational search tool that lets users interact with the site using natural language instead of static filters. Livia Spenceller, senior vice president of product management, described the launch as a generational shift that transforms the decades‑old map‑and‑filter model into an intuitive dialogue, while Andy Ventura, CoStar’s enterprise software architect, emphasized how the AI syncs with the UI to keep the experience fluid.

The new interface lets shoppers ask follow‑up questions—such as why one listing costs more than another, or to adjust price ranges on the fly—without leaving the page. It also surfaces neighborhood data, mortgage rates, and school ratings instantly, effectively acting as a virtual real‑estate agent that can parse the platform’s extensive data sets and Matterport 3‑D tours.

Both executives highlighted concrete use cases: Livia likened the process to finding a needle in a haystack, noting that conversational AI uncovers nuanced preferences that static filters miss. Andy pointed out that agents benefit from a 24/7 virtual open house via Matterport integration, receiving more qualified leads and the ability to pull sales comps or neighborhood insights on the go, even from a car.

The rollout signals a broader industry trend toward AI‑enhanced marketplaces, promising faster, data‑rich home discovery for buyers and higher efficiency for agents. Future enhancements aim to leverage proprietary property scans for maintenance forecasts and renovation ROI modeling, further embedding AI into the entire home‑ownership lifecycle.

Original Description

In a conversation with HousingWire’s Allison LaForgia, Homes.com’s Livia Sponseller and Andy Ventura discussed how Homes AI is reshaping the online home search experience through conversational technology that benefits both consumers and real estate agents.

Livia Sponseller, Senior Vice President of Product Management at Homes.com, began by framing the feature as a way to rethink the home search process, which has remained largely unchanged for years. “What excited me most about this feature is that we were looking for a way to just completely change the way that people searched for homes online,” she said. “You’ve had the same basic map placards and standard filter methodology on these home search portals for decades.”