Today Trulia®, a leading home search resource for buyers and renters, introduced Trulia for Apple® Watch. The new Apple Watch app extends the utility of the Trulia app for iPhone®, providing a great way for home seekers to find the right homes and connect with agents. The app is available for Apple Watch users beginning Friday.
“The majority of Trulia’s visitors are using mobile devices, because real estate search is ultimately done on-the-go and we are already providing a great experience for that,” said Jeff McConathy, Vice President of Engineering for Trulia. “Trulia sees wearable platforms, such as Apple Watch, as an extension of what people are already doing on their smartphones, so we are focusing on providing lighter, location-based, relevant information that improves the home search experience.”
Smartwatches in general are predicted to grow in popularity over the next several years. Global smartwatch shipments are forecast to surge over 500 percent from 4.6 million units in 2014 to 28.1 million units in 2015, according to Strategy Analytics, with the bulk of the growth coming from the Apple device.
“Technology and innovation have been at the heart of the ongoing transformation of the real estate industry,” said Jeff McConathy. “When we released the first nationwide real estate app for iPhone it was hard to imagine that several years later we would be generating the majority of our traffic from mobile devices. That’s why Trulia now develops products for four leading wearable device platforms, because home search, location, and mobility are inextricably linked and Trulia intends to be wherever people are looking for homes.”
How It Works
There are two ways to use Trulia on Apple Watch, either by receiving a notification based on proximity to new homes on the market, or by opening the app directly on the watch to see what homes are currently available nearby.
In the first scenario, a person enables nearby home alerts in the Trulia app for iPhone to get alerts about homes either for sale or for rent, based on their location. When this person moves into an area where new homes are available they receive a notification and open Trulia on their Apple Watch with a tap of the finger.
In the second scenario, a person can open Trulia on their Apple Watch whenever they are in a desirable area, to see a list of nearby homes for sale or for rent. Using the digital crown on the Apple Watch they scroll through homes and click on the place that interests them most.
In either scenario, a person can scroll through photos of the home, see local info such as schools and crime, and examine property data such as the number of bedrooms and square footage, all from their wrist via Apple Watch. They can even get directions from the map.
If the person is interested in connecting with an agent and seeing a property in person they simply touch the ‘Request Info’ button. If the person is logged into their Trulia account, a message is sent instantly to the listing agent. If the person is not logged in, the Apple Watch seamlessly hands-off to the iPhone so the person can contact the agent directly.
Trulia for Apple Watch is available Friday, April 24th in the App Store.
About Trulia
Trulia® is a vibrant home shopping marketplace, focused on giving home buyers, sellers and renters the information they need to make better decisions. On mobile and the Web, Trulia provides house hunters with insights and unique information about properties, neighborhoods and real estate agents. Additionally, Trulia offers data and information about schools, crimes, commute times, and the real estate market.
Launched in 2005, Trulia is based in San Francisco and is owned and operated by Zillow Group (NASDAQ:Z).
Trulia is a registered trademark of Trulia, Inc.
Apple and iPhone are registered trademarks of Apple, Inc.
Contacts:
Matt Flegal, 415-400-7307
