FlatHawk
Like Google Image search but for finding a house or flat
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What is FlatHawk?
FlatHawk is a visual real estate search tool that allows users to search for houses and apartments based on their looks rather than traditional filters. Users simply describe in a few words what they are looking for, and FlatHawk searches through over 150,000 photos of Swiss real estate listings to find relevant matches.
Key features include visual similarity search powered by Gemini Embedding 2 for cross-modality embeddings, pgvector extension in Postgres for the search functionality, and the ability to replace original listing thumbnails with the picture that best matches what the user asked for. Users can still set traditional parameters like price and area, but can also use plain language to specify preferences like 'open floor plan' or 'view of a lake'.
FlatHawk is designed for people looking to rent or buy real estate in Switzerland. It covers both properties available for rent and sale. The tool focuses specifically on Swiss real estate since the creator is based in Switzerland.
The interface includes frequently searched categories like Lake View, View of Mountains, Open Floor Plan, Kitchen Islands, Herringbone Parquet Floor, Exposed Wooden Beams, Old Building, and View of the Historical Old Town.
FlatHawk pricing
Pricing model: Freemium
No pricing information is available on the FlatHawk website. The website does not mention free tiers, paid plans, subscription costs, or what is included at different pricing levels.
FlatHawk pros
- Visual search based on looks rather than just traditional filters
- Plain language descriptions instead of complex filter combinations
- Searches 150,000+ photos of actual Swiss real estate listings
- Shows both rental and sale properties
- Replaces thumbnails with best-matching photos for each listing
- Traditional parameters (price, area) still available alongside visual search
- Simple React Router application interface
- Pre-defined frequently searched categories for common preferences
- Cross-modality embeddings enable text-to-image matching
- Real listings currently available, not just sample images
- Lake view and mountain view search optimization
- Architectural feature search (open floor plan, exposed beams, parquet)
- Old building and historical old town view filtering
- Kitchen islands search capability
- Herringbone parquet floor specific search
FlatHawk cons
- Only covers Swiss real estate, not international properties
- No pricing information available on website
- Limited to properties with photos in the database
- No mobile app mentioned
- No user accounts or saved searches mentioned
- No integration with major Swiss real estate platforms explicitly stated
- Technical implementation details not visible to users
- No contact information or customer support visible
Frequently asked questions about FlatHawk
What is FlatHawk?
FlatHawk is a real-estate search tool where you can search for houses and apartments based on their looks. You simply describe in a few words what you are looking for and it searches through over 150,000 photos of Swiss real estate listings to find relevant ones.
What countries does FlatHawk cover?
FlatHawk currently only contains Swiss real estate, as the creator is based in Switzerland.
How does the visual search work?
FlatHawk performs similarity search in the background on a set of more than 150k photos of actual apartments and houses. It uses Gemini Embedding 2 for cross-modality embeddings and pgvector extension in Postgres for the search.
Can I still use traditional search parameters?
Yes, the user can still set the usual parameters like price and area, but can also say in plain language what they are looking for, such as an open floor plan or a view of a lake.
Does FlatHawk show rental and sale properties?
Yes, FlatHawk searches through photos of actual apartments and houses that are currently available for rent or sale.
What happens to the listing thumbnails?
The user gets a list of relevant listings and the original thumbnail of each listing is replaced with the picture that best matches what the user asked for.
What are the frequently searched categories?
Frequently searched categories include Lake View, View of Mountains, Open Floor Plan, Kitchen Islands, Herringbone Parquet Floor, Exposed Wooden Beams, Old Building, and View of the Historical Old Town.
Can I search for specific architectural features?
Yes, you can search for specific features like open floor plans, exposed wooden beams, herringbone parquet floors, kitchen islands, and old building characteristics using plain language descriptions.
How many photos are in the database?
FlatHawk searches through over 150,000 photos of Swiss real estate listings.
What technology powers FlatHawk?
FlatHawk is a React Router application that queries a Postgres database with the pgvector extension for search. It uses Gemini Embedding 2 for the cross-modality embeddings.