Unveiling Astranest: Urbaniza’s Visionary AI for Transforming Home Search

AI home search engine

In an exclusive interview on the Software Spotlight podcast, Gladys Margarita Diaz, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Urbaniza Group unveiled Astranest – a pioneering AI solution poised to revolutionize the home buying experience.

Diaz's diverse background spanning architecture, finance, and real estate sales provided the unique perspective that inspired Astranest's novel approach. As she explained:

“In my universe, real estate is architecture for sale…You have the financial services industry where you get the money, the design and construction industry that creates the product, and real estate brokerage that gets it to the user.”

By combining expertise across these three pillars, Diaz recognized an opportunity to transform home search using cutting-edge AI and data science.

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Urbaniza Group unveils Astranest, an AI-powered “decision engine” to transform home search. Unlike traditional engines, Astranest analyzes buyers' qualitative preferences through large language models and visual analysis to recommend properties matching their desired home experience and lifestyle needs – a game-changer in real estate tech.

Astranest: Beyond a Search Engine

Traditional real estate search engines focus solely on quantitative data like square footage and number of bedrooms. However, Astranest aims to be a “decision engine” that guides buyers through the qualitative, emotional aspects of finding their perfect home.

“Each property has its own identity and visual communication that customers react to. It's an emotional universe,” stated Diaz. “Yet the real estate world doesn't address that – it's just data and numbers.”

Powered by large language models and visual analysis, Astranest recommends homes based on a buyer's preferred architectural styles, neighborhood vibes, and lifestyle needs.

A Visionary Partnership

The idea for Astranest was born when Diaz connected with a former tech CEO at a dinner party. As she recounted:

“I said, I have an idea for an app to do visual searching…And he says, ‘I can help you with that. I just sold my company and I'm looking for a new project.'”

This serendipitous encounter led to a partnership combining Diaz's real estate expertise with her co-founder's mastery of consumer data science.

The Road Ahead

After over a year of development, Urbaniza Group plans to launch Astranest in Miami this June, leveraging the city's diverse population of domestic and international clients.

While bootstrapped so far, the company is now entering fundraising mode to accelerate Astranest's national and global expansion. Diaz is optimistic about leading the evolution of the real estate tech space, much like increased regulation transformed the mortgage industry after 2008.

“I hope that we are on the leading edge of what the changes are going to be. That's why we're trying to think ahead,” Diaz stated.

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