Chris McGoldrick on revolutionising property search with AI
ListAssist — turning natural language search and computer vision into an edge for agents
ListAssist is an AI platform that integrates with existing real estate websites to let buyers search using natural language instead of rigid filters. In this chat with founder Chris McGoldrick, we unpack how a five-person New Zealand startup bypassed local limits to land a deal with Howard Hanna, North America's largest privately owned brokerage, and four major MLSs including Beverly Hills.
Chris explains why they pivoted from writing generic listing descriptions to powering property search, why computer vision is their secret sauce for automated feature tagging and image compliance, and how they keep agents focused on people rather than process without asking them to change their daily workflows.
What’s in this episode
(03:28): Chris gives us the ListAssist elevator pitch: teaching real estate websites to understand human speech.
(05:25): Why property search is broken and how computer vision and website integration bypass rigid portal filters.
(09:12): What agents actually get out of the platform: rich lead data that tells you what a buyer wants before the first call.
(11:14): On consumer readiness: why natural language search adoption is taking care of itself amid the AI boom.
(12:52): Why a New Zealand startup with just five people decided to target the US market right from launch in August 2022.
(18:25): Chris shares his startup background with Partpay and why real estate agents are the easiest people in business to call for feedback.
(19:56): Flying to Las Vegas on a hunch, meeting Gary Ashton, and cracking the US market from Auckland.
(21:28): The value of the Reach network and finding a collaborative community of global founders.
(23:08): Cutting through the AI noise: why real-world proof points matter more than slick demos and quick MVPs.
(25:12): Empowering agents to focus on people, negotiation, and deals rather than administrative process.
(27:19): Flipping the business model: offering agent tools for free to build trust while monetising B2B home search.
(30:10): In-house computer vision, image compliance, and signing a three-year deal with the Beverly Hills MLS.
(34:16): Unpicking US market mechanics: how MLSs, buyer agents, and portal commission structures shape the competitive landscape.
(37:25): Chris's prediction for AI: it won't replace great agents, but great agents will use AI to dominate.
(42:00): Expanding into Australia and partnering with Howard Hanna, North America's largest privately owned brokerage.
In their words
“The simple answer is that we teach real estate websites how to understand human speech.” — Chris McGoldrick
“We want to empower agents to focus on people, not process.” — Chris McGoldrick
“If you were searching for a T-shirt online, you would probably search something like white loose-fitting T-shirt with a V-neck under $60. You would describe exactly what you wanted, and that really is how we've become accustomed to searching for things.” — Chris McGoldrick
About the guest
Chris McGoldrick is the founder and CEO of ListAssist, an AI-powered property search and computer vision platform. Previously, he was involved in launching buy-now-pay-later startup Partpay before its acquisition by Zip. He is worth listening to for his pragmatic insights on scaling a proptech straight from New Zealand into the US market and landing major brokerage deals.
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