Photo courtesy of Redfin

Is your buyer in the mood to start a business from their soon-to-be-new home’s garage? Does their wish list include an accessory dwelling unit? Then make sure to check listings on Redfin, company executives say.

The combination brokerage and listings portal announced Monday that it has added zoning and other land-use permission information to the over 70 million homes on its website using information provided by data company Zoneomics. The company says it uses “AI and machine learning” to “extract and standardize” zoning data across U.S. and Canadian municipalities.

Since zoning covers far more than a home’s dimensions, and in many cases can prevent someone from renting out a house or having a home-based business, Redfin says the addition of zoning to its platform will give buyers important information that could make or break a decision to pull the trigger on a property.

“Zoning is a defining characteristic of real estate in North America. It impacts everyone, and you shouldn’t need special research skills to find the information you need,” Redfin chief growth officer Christian Taubman said in a statement. “Redfin users ask us every day whether a property can be rented out on Airbnb or whether building another living unit in the backyard is allowed, and now they can find answers directly on our home detail pages. We’re proud to be the first real estate website to make that information clear and easily accessible to consumers.”

Both for-sale and off-market homes on Redfin’s desktop site will now show the property’s zoning code, name, type and description, along with a list of permitted, conditional and accessory land uses. More detailed information, however, must be purchased directly from Zoneomics. The function will be added to the company’s iOS and Android apps in the coming weeks.

Redfin Adds Zoning Data to Its Listings

by Banker & Tradesman time to read: 1 min
0