Zillow® has always been at the cutting edge of real estate technology, continuously pushing boundaries to enhance the home-buying and -selling experience. SkyTour, a new feature exclusively on Zillow ShowcaseSM listings, is our latest innovation and a game changer in the online home shopping experience. Utilizing advanced AI rendering technology, SkyTour brings the physical world online in a way that feels intuitive, dynamic and distinctly Zillow.
What is SkyTour?
SkyTour integrates high-quality drone footage with state-of-the-art technology to create an immersive experience controlled by home shoppers. Unlike traditional exterior photography and drone footage, this feature puts shoppers in the pilot’s seat and allows them to explore a property’s exterior and surroundings from multiple angles and heights. Home shoppers can seamlessly navigate from various angles and heights to get a comprehensive view of the home and neighborhood.
“People can understand how the house sits on the lot, what the property and its surroundings are like,” explained Steve Anderson, a Zillow SkyTour product manager. “And we wanted it to be under the user’s control, not just a scripted video. We wanted to be able to have users position the viewpoint where they wanted to look.”
This feature makes property listings more engaging and helps real estate agents stand out by increasing that engagement and elevating their brand.
Gaussian splats: The technology behind SkyTour
SkyTour combines high-quality drone footage with a revolutionary technology known as Gaussian splats. This technique allows for the creation of a realistic 3D model that can be rendered efficiently, allowing for smooth, realistic motion as users navigate around it.
Instead of building the 3D model out of a mesh made of flat triangles, Gaussian splatting uses millions of tiny, colorful ellipsoids (called “splats”) that are positioned in space to represent the home and its surroundings. Because this is such an efficient representation of the space and is rendered easily in browsers, it produces a smooth motion as the viewpoint moves around the space — creating the feeling of flying around the scene. This technology, more often used in gaming, is now being applied to real estate for the first time.
SkyTour is another example of Zillow’s broader effort to elevate real estate through smarter technology. With tools like personalization, natural language search, interactive 3D floor plans and the Zestimate, Zillow has already changed how people navigate the buying and selling of homes. SkyTour builds on this foundation, adding a new level of interactivity that helps buyers experience a property in a more meaningful way.
SkyTour integrates seamlessly into Zillow Showcase listings
SkyTour is now an exclusive feature of Zillow Showcase that will enable agents to highlight their listings more effectively to potential buyers. Currently available in select markets, SkyTour is included at no extra cost as part of a Showcase listing when drone photography is booked through Zillow Media Experts as part of Showcase’s premium package. By prepping properties and collaborating with agents to market them effectively, sellers can significantly increase their chances of a quick sale.
Showcase listings drive 79% more page views, 76% more saves and 91% more shares, compared to similar nearby non-Showcase listings on Zillow. The seamless integration of SkyTour into this platform allows agents to effortlessly leverage advanced AI technology to enhance their listings, providing a significant advantage that can help to close deals faster and for more money.
Zillow: Breaking new ground in real estate technology
SkyTour takes the home search to a whole new level, leveraging cutting-edge AI to make listings more dynamic and engaging. For agents, it’s a powerful way to stand out; for buyers, it means a richer, more immersive view of potential homes.
It’s more than just a new feature — it’s a meaningful step in Zillow’s ongoing mission to help more and more people get home through smarter, faster and more personalized technology. SkyTour is a clear example of how Zillow is pushing innovation forward in ways that improve the experience for both buyers and sellers.