BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Plunk, the first mobile app using AI, machine learning, and computer vision to help homeowners increase their home’s value, announced its launch today. Led by tech, data science, and real estate industry veterans Brian Lent, David Bluhm, and Mike Shapiro, Plunk helps homeowners make smarter financial decisions that grow their home’s value, project by project.
For the majority of U.S. homeowners, their net worth is largely tied to their homes—with their home equity comprising more than 62% of their net worth.
“Homeownership for most Americans is the best way to grow wealth, but there has never been a trusted source of information when it comes to the most important financial commitment we make. We’re helping people level up on homeownership so they can better access the American dream,” said Lent and Bluhm in a joint statement.
With the Plunk app, homeowners finally have a resource to help grow their home’s value simply by using their phone. Features include:
- Real-time valuation: How much is your home actually worth right now? Plunk is the first app to go beyond traditional appraisals and online guesstimates with the help of AI, image analysis, and computer vision—considering upgrades made over the years or just a few days ago—to provide homeowners with a more accurate, real-time home valuation.
- Plunk Value™: How much could your home be worth? Plunk introduces a new metric to the housing market that uncovers a home’s upside or potential value based on Plunk’s top project recommendations.
- Project recommendations: Where and how much should you invest in your home? Through advanced analytics, Plunk identifies specific remodeling projects that will have the most impact on a home’s value and provide the greatest returns.
Plunk co-founder and CEO Lent—best known for his work with companies such as Amazon, Nokia, IBM, and HERE Technologies—is a data science pioneer who has been at the forefront of data mining, machine learning, predictive analytics, and leading-edge AI technology for over three decades. Bluhm, co-founder and president, has spent over three decades building and growing tech startups. He has been integral to the growth of companies including Realtor.com, HP, Motorola, and Z2 (acquired by King, makers of Candy Crush).
“Despite residential real estate being the world’s largest asset class—representing over $36 trillion in the U.S.—there’s never been a reliable resource that helps homeowners make sense of how to maximize their investments,” stated Mike Shapiro, investor and managing director at Plunk. Shapiro was the co-founder and CEO of HOM, which later merged with Pacific Sotheby's International Realty, the world’s second-largest Sotheby’s International Realty brokerage producing annual sales of $8 billion. He was also a market maker at the Chicago Board Options Exchange for over a decade.
As part of its initial rollout, Plunk will be available in the greater Seattle area. All interested users can sign up for early access.
About Plunk
Plunk is the first mobile app using AI and machine learning to help you make the best financial decisions and identify the right partners to grow your home’s value. Get real-time analysis; expert, data-driven insights; and personalized recommendations on the best ways to improve your home, project by project. For more information, visit https://www.getplunk.com/.
