HonestDoor, the Edmonton-based proptech company and brokerage, is gearing up to launch a new AI-powered assistant this year. The tool, named Doora, promises to do everything from decoding property data and explaining market trends to guiding users through the buying and selling process, all in natural language.
“We are launching it because for years we’ve wanted to make an AI push,” says HonestDoor founder and CEO Dan Belostotsky. “We strongly feel that it’s the future.”
A 24/7 guide
Doora will allow users to ask ultra-specific questions based on multiple data points, like “Which house do you like better based on these two listings?” or “What’s the most similar property to mine that sold in the past two years?” Responses will arrive instantly via text or voice, with follow-up prompts such as “Want to see a comparable property?”
The tool is designed to simulate a conversation, offering intuitive next steps and guidance. It will be accessible through the HonestDoor website and a mobile app currently in development. While there’s no fee to use Doora, the company hopes the tool will drive users to list with HonestDoor’s brokerage, which offers a flat $500 fee to list on MLS.
“The goal is that it should also prompt you,” Belostotsky says. “So if you get stuck, it will be like, ‘Hey, do you want to see comparables for those homes?’”
What It means for Realtors
While the platform isn’t intended to replace agents, Belostotsky says it is designed to offer always-available answers to consumer questions that might take a human hours to compile.
“I think people still like to use agents,” he says, “but I think that people are going to be willing to try more innovative things.”
Justin Wah Kan, interim director of products at Realtor.ca, sees this as an opportunity, not a threat, for Realtors.
AI is “a huge enabler for the industry and Realtors,” says Justin Wah Kan, interim director of products at Realtor.ca. “It can cut time from some of the in-depth analysis stuff that (Realtors) do so that they can focus more on the client-centric parts of the business that get them new leads.”
Tools like Doora, he adds, are worth experimenting with.
“I don’t see the harm to any of this. It’s the type of thing that we need to test. We need to see how buyers want to interact with the industry.”
Automation will help smaller brokerages
Wah Kan says it would be a mistake to say AI is not going to replace certain functions and responsibilities of Realtors.
For example, for small brokerages that do not have a marketing team, generative AI and chatbots “can really level up their game.”
Content creation takes a tremendous amount of time, he adds, and much of that work can be automated. From listing sheets to social media posts, much of the automation can help realtors greatly.
The real value of a realtor is not in the data that they provide,” Wah Kan says. “It’s how they serve their clients; it’s how they understand the industry.”
Doora is just the start
Alongside Doora, HonestDoor has also launched AI property comparable reports for $20 each. These reports include price predictions, comparables with descriptions and photos, and a machine learning–powered confidence score.
The reports will give people “comfort on what their home is worth,” and the price has been kept low “to get consumers to use it.” In addition, buyers of the reports do not have to feel obligated to use a certain real estate agent, Belostotsky says.
The company is planning a Series A raise this year for an undisclosed amount, building on its earlier $2.22-million seed round, which included investors like Luge Capital and Panache Ventures.
Looking ahead, HonestDoor may expand into provinces and territories where it’s not yet licensed—namely, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec, Yukon, and the Northwest Territories. It’s also planning to test the waters in select U.S. states.
Danny Kucharsky is a contributing writer for REM.
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