OnTheMarket’s Tech Breakthrough - using AI to list properties

OnTheMarket this morning claims to be the first major UK property portal to use Artificial Intelligence natural-language technology.

The controversial technology is in the form of a property search assistant nicknamed Otiem (pronounced O-T-M) and was tested earlier this month on the desktop and mobile browser versions of the portal’s buy and rental channels.

A statement from the portal says: “The intuitive AI assistant allows home movers to enter their searches in the same way they would describe their ideal property when speaking to an agent or a friend, without needing to manually filter each of their requirements.

“Users could search for a ‘three-bedroom houses in Brighton up to £650,000 with parking and a garden’, for example, and Otiem will match the criteria to existing filters and OnTheMarket sort functions to present consumers with properties that best fit their needs.

Consumers will also be able to speak their searches directly to Otiem on mobile devices, through the OnTheMarket iOS and Android apps currently in development and expected later this year.

The statement continues: “An AI powered assistant has been created for agents to make creating details faster and easier. Agents will be able to enter the details of a listing, which may be copied from a pre-existing description on their own website, and the AI assistant will quickly pull out the features, fields and room names of the property, which will then be presented to the agent in list form. Agents will then be able to approve or untick the features generated by the AI assistant, saving valuable time on each listing.”

The AI powered property editor assistant will also be able to generate property descriptions for agents. 

Using a summary list of features and details, the AI assistant will create property descriptions from scratch which agents are able to accept, reject or edit once generated. If they prefer to use the assistant to improve a pre-written description, agents will be able to upload descriptions for the AI assistant to edit. 

Depending on their style, agents will also be able to select whether they would like a neutral or creative tone for each of their property descriptions.

These agent-focussed tools are expected to be live within the next few weeks.

OTM chief executive Jason Tebb says: “We’re proud to be the first major UK property portal to leverage the advantages of AI natural-language technology to enhance the search experience for our consumers. 

“Searching for your dream property should be a fun and easy process, and Otiem will help ensure users have more time to spend looking at properties. Once our AI-powered agent tools go live, agents will be able to work more efficiently and save valuable time on their day to day processes when interacting with our portal.

“We’re committed to continuing innovating and we’re looking forward to announcing future developments as we leverage the latest technologies to improve our user experience and the working lives of our agents.”