Localize Introduces Robin, A Home Buying Advisor For NYC That Fuses Human Support with Billions of Game-Changing Data Points

For the first time, buyers can peek into the future - and know if construction could block that view, when that park renovation will happen, if truck routes could ruin the quiet, or if subway closings could disrupt commuting times

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Localize

Dec 07, 2020, 09:30 ET

NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Buyer's remorse just became obsolete. Localize, which is disrupting the real estate space with a new way to approach home-buying, announced its new defining feature - personal real estate advisor "Robin." By fusing human intelligence with previously unavailable data, Robin helps buyers anticipate future events, and navigate the process of purchasing a home or investment property in New York City.

"Robin is the superhero of personal real estate advisors: it isn't just a feature but a team of talented individuals with relevant research and insights at their fingertips," said Asaf Rubin, CEO of Localize. "By combining this unique data store with real human intelligence, Robin can be a personal house hunter, savvy advisor, and real estate wiz. The perfect home is out there and Robin will find it."

Unfortunately, more than 40 percent of home buyers experience buyer's remorse within two years of purchasing their home, according to a recent Bankrate.com survey of home buyers. Because there are so many small issues that can turn a dream home into a nightmare, this has been an incredibly challenging issue for the real estate industry to solve.

"No two home buyers are the same. Why should every home listing provide the same info? Simply offering the same old details such as square footage, number of rooms, and asking price is no longer sufficient," explained Omer Granot, President & COO of Localize. "Some buyers want to know if a home has natural light, great views and access to parks, others want to know if there is street-level noise or nearby construction. All of them want answers before they ever visit a home. We have made it our mission to deliver."

How Localize Made it Happen - With Groundbreaking Tech

First, Localize spent years securing over four hundred publicly available data sources and purchasing access to dozens of additional proprietary data sources, including truck routes, flight paths, local zoning and permit information and many more.

Then, Localize's data scientists and urban planners created Insight Engine - a set of new AI and machine-learning algorithms that digests all this information together to produce entirely new insights and even predict future events. For example: Is the elevator likely to break? Will a new building on the nearby parking lot block the beautiful view? How much sunlight will the apartment get in the winter? Is a nearby subway station about to close for prolonged maintenance. Has a permit been issued for a hip new restaurant planning to open around the corner?

Localize then enriches its listings with these insights - the average home listing has eight unique insights. In addition, a Localize home listing features dozens of attributes and parameters about each apartment that other home buying sites can't deliver - from architectural style through amenities, building characteristics & policies, contract stipulations and much more. All of these attributes are then used by its recommendations system to match each user with the perfect home for their needs.

Resting on top of everything is the brand-new Robin interface, which is designed to interact with home hunters the way they would with a trusted advisor. People can talk to Robin or hone and refine search engines either on Localize.city or through SMS text messages. Robin will take this information and mine Localize's comprehensive database and match buyers not only to suitable properties but to real estate agents, mortgage lenders, home inspectors, appraisers, insurance agents and more. Robin started helping buyers two months ago as part of a beta test and already has matched 100 buyers to vetted buyer agents.

See a demo of Robin here. For media assets including screen shots and logos, click here.

About Localize

Localize, which now serves New York City and Chicago, was founded in 2016 and has 60 employees. It is headquartered in New York along with offices in Tel Aviv and Chicago. Localize is the brainchild of Founder & CEO Asaf Rubin, also a founding team member of Taboola a $1B unicorn; President & COO Omer Granot, formerly VP of Growth at Via, a $2B unicorn; and Head of Site and CPO Ilan Fraiman, formerly from Trusteer which was acquired by IBM for $700M.