Jonathan Lui, co-founder of Airtasker, has relaunched his real estate discovery platform Soho under the new name SohoAI. The updated product, introduced on Thursday, is designed to evolve into a digital property concierge that can negotiate on behalf of buyers and renters. The company is shifting away from its original 2017 model that relied on a Tinder-style swiping system to match users with properties.
From Swiping to Conversational Search
SohoAI departs from conventional real estate websites by offering a large language model powered chatbot that helps users locate available properties. Rather than navigating filters and preference lists, users can prompt the chatbot to surface specific information such as which suburbs produce the highest average rental yield. The interface also allows follow up questions and requests for mortgage repayment calculations or visual outputs like graphs and tables.
Freemium Access to AI Tools
The platform provides a limited number of chatbot prompts under a free tier while paid memberships unlock broader access to the artificial intelligence system. This approach is intended to make advanced property intelligence accessible to casual users while monetising deeper engagement. The model positions SohoAI as a more specialised tool than general assistants but more AI centric than established listing websites.
Competing With Major Portals and General AI
Lui argues that real estate incumbents such as REA and Domain risk falling behind in the current AI shift, which he compares to the original dot com boom. He believes businesses without a strong digital presence were once considered outdated, and similar pressure is now building for property listing platforms. The company notes that REA and Domain are not ignoring AI entirely, with realestate.com.au trialling AI search and Domain offering valuation tools to business users.
The First Party Data Advantage
SohoAI seeks an advantage through first party data collected over the platform's ten year history, including millions of listings and property matches. Lui says general chatbots like ChatGPT and Claude are not built specifically for searching, browsing, and filtering property data, which limits their usefulness in real estate tasks. SohoAI also draws on data provided by agents and services such as Cotality, widely used in the real estate sector, to validate the information shown to users.
Roadmap Toward a Property Concierge
Although the first version of SohoAI has only just launched, the company is already planning a second version with features that could arrange inspections and negotiate over deals. The longer term vision is a digital concierge capable of filling a weekend with rental inspections and using provided budgeting data to interact directly with agents over pricing. This roadmap reflects a broader ambition to move beyond search into transaction support.
Funding and Future Growth
SohoAI has raised more than $8 million for the project to date and is considering a new multi million dollar capital raise in 2027. The funding trajectory suggests the company is preparing for an extended period of product development and market competition. Lui's comments indicate the team is focused on building capabilities that differentiate it from both legacy portals and general purpose artificial intelligence tools.
The relaunch of Soho as SohoAI signals a meaningful step toward artificial intelligence-driven property discovery and negotiation. By combining first-party data with a conversational interface, the company hopes to offer a more personalised and efficient alternative to existing real estate platforms. Its ability to deliver on upcoming concierge features and secure further funding will likely shape its role in the Australian property market.
Source: Smartcompany.com.au