HOUSTON — (By Dale King, Realty News Report) — Online home shoppers typically visit a property-search site and enter numbers: ZIP code, square footage, price range. HomLuv.com takes a different approach. It prioritizes images and design preferences over raw data. Think Pinterest-style discovery rather than rigid filters.
That approach is proving especially popular in Houston.
Launched just a month ago, HomLuv.com is a visually driven real estate search platform that combines curated imagery with artificial intelligence to help buyers discover homes based on design and style. Despite its national scope, Houston has quickly become the site’s top market.
“While HomLuv is a national website — with new homes from leading builders across the nation — Houston is the Number 1 market on the site,” said Mark Law, vice president of product management for Builders Digital Experience (BDX), HomLuv’s parent company based in Austin.
“As of today, there are more than 15,676 buildable floor plans and quick move-in homes in 1,375 new home communities from 141 builders in the Greater Houston area for sale on HomLuv.com.”
At its core, HomLuv is a visual search-and-select platform for new-home buyers. Instead of starting with numbers, the site displays attractive interior photos, floor plans and videos to inspire buyers and help them refine their tastes. Users mark images they like or dislike, and HomLuv builds a profile of their preferences.
Using artificial intelligence and crowdsourced insights, the platform learns a buyer’s or couple’s style and then suggests homes, designs and options that better match those tastes.
“With 67 percent of buyers considering new construction, there is a huge addressable market whose needs aren’t being fully met,” said Tim Costello, CEO of Builders Digital Experience. BDX operates HomLuv.com and NewHomeSource.com, two leading websites for consumers seeking builders, new homes and communities that fit their lifestyle, needs and budget.
Houston’s leading position on HomLuv is reflected not only in overall listings but also in activity across nearby communities. Richmond has the most new-home communities on HomLuv with 89 active communities and an average base price of $349,710. Fulshear lists 31 communities and has the highest average base price in the Houston area at $415,442. Other top markets outside Houston city limits include Katy, Cypress, Spring and Conroe, which together account for a combined total of 363 active new-home communities.
“Research shows that home buyers are frustrated with real estate websites that don’t effectively cater to new-home buyers. HomLuv’s visual, design-forward approach gives buyers and builders a shared language, eliminating confusion, streamlining the process and creating a great experience for both,” Law said.
Law added that HomLuv “offers something for everyone — first-time buyer homes, move-up, custom and luxury homes. Currently, the least expensive new dwelling in the Houston area listed on HomLuv has a base price before options of $151,990. The highest base price of a Houston-area home on HomLuv is $1,214,422.”
He noted that most Houstonians prefer single-family detached homes, though townhomes and condos remain popular in both urban and suburban neighborhoods.
HomLuv also supports collaborative decision-making. During a visual tour, partners can mark favorites, compare options, and leave notes on images — for example, one buyer might highlight a countertop they love while the other requests a different cabinet color. The platform’s contributor network includes experts in custom homes, interior trends, green features, architecture, landscaping, design, budgeting and project management, ensuring a broad, informed image library.
As HomLuv learns a shopper’s preferences, it connects them with builders in their area who can realize their vision.
For buyers who prefer a traditional search model, BDX’s other site, NewHomeSource.com, remains an ideal option. NewHomeSource lets shoppers compare new-home communities side-by-side and, along with HomLuv, provides the most current listings of new homes for sale, updated directly by builders—often daily.
“Buyers are assured of the most accurate and up-to-date info on HomLuv.com and NewHomeSource.com,” Law said. He emphasized that HomLuv.com focuses exclusively on newly built homes for sale.
Aug. 7, 2018 Realty News Report Copyright 2018