This week's Product Roundup is flush with some of the biggest names in global real estate. We'll start in Europe, where CoStar is upping the ante with commercial real estate in Spain...
CoStar Group's commercial portal Loopnet is now live in Spain, under the loopnet.es domain.
Isabel Lacalle, global marketing manager at Loopnet and CoStar, announced the launch on her LinkedIn page earlier this week.
Lacalle said:
"We’re thrilled to announce that LoopNet is now live in Spain! LoopNet is the #1 global marketplace for office, retail, industrial, and other business properties. This is a huge milestone in our European expansion. We’re unlocking new opportunities for CRE owners and agents to connect with high-intent buyers and tenants from Spain and across the globe.
"Major kudos and a massive thank you to all the different teams involved across LoopNet and CoStar Group—locally and internationally—for making this happen."
Despite the Group's high-profile pursuit of residential portals in recent years, CoStar is historically a commercially-focused company.
Loopnet is a commercial marketplace with office spaces, shops, land, co-working spaces and other commercial real estate available for buy and rent. Loopnet listings boast strong data and plenty of information, in typical CoStar style.
Andy Florance told Online Marketplaces in 2023 that no portal operator has successfully mastered commercial real estate in Europe and beyond, at least to the same extent that CoStar has achieved in the United States.
The launch of Loopnet in Spain expands CoStar's commercial footprint on the other side of the Atlantic, while Lacelle's quote is pointed: "Stay tuned, we're just getting started."
Norwegian portal operator Finn.no has defended itself against claims that it has inflated the number of clicks its housing ads receive.
Earlier this week, outlet DN.no alleged "when Finn reports 'clicks on the ad' to home sellers and brokers, multiple clicks from the same ad visit are counted. "If I were a home seller, I would feel cheated now." [translated from Norwegian]
"The allegations are clearly wrong," retorted Jorgen Hellestveit, CPO at Schibsted Nordic Marketplaces, the holding company behind Finn.no.
"Measuring traffic and engagement as DN refers to is neither new nor misleading. Finn has been completely transparent about our measurement parameters, and we have used the same method for over nine years. The click count, which DN calls "misleading", is also common practice for measuring website traffic—not something that is specific to Finn.
"I understand that the technical aspects of digital measurement parameters can be confusing, but both home sellers and brokers can be completely confident that we are transparent and accurate in our reporting." [Translated from Norwegian]
Realestate.com.au has announced a new national partnership with Agents’Agency, which is set to deliver more value across the agency’s membership network.
Under the terms of the agreement, realestate.com.au’s Pro subscription will be offered at a best-in-market rate across Agents’Agency’s network of more than 100 independent member agencies nationally.
Agents’Agency is the first in the industry to secure access to the "Pro+" subscription offer.
Kul Singh, chief customer and commercial officer at REA Group, said:
"We’re so pleased to welcome Agents’Agency as our first Pro+ enterprise partner. It’s an exciting new way of working with our customers, and the partnership will bring incredible value to Agents’Agency members.
"Pro customers received 36% more seller leads than those on a flexi subscription in the first half of this year. Under this new partnership Agents’Agency members will benefit from market leading propensity modelling that supports improved lead conversion, business growth opportunities and stronger competitive positioning. I’m looking forward to seeing the value flow through."
Manos Findikakis, co-founder and CEO at Agents'Agency, said:
"This partnership marks a first in the industry, giving our independent network a true competitive edge and reinforcing the power of our contrarian approach in helping our agents capture more market share. Access to Pro will mean our members can enhance their agency’s visibility, attract more seller leads, and win more listings through exclusive branding opportunities and advanced insights tools."
Zoopla has reported a 19% year-on-year increase in high-quality valuation leads to estate agents in Q1 2025.
The company said the improvement is tied to consumers indicating an intent to move within three months after requesting a valuation—an insight that Zoopla believes sets its platform apart. Supporting the claim is a YouGov survey of 2,000 people, which found that 61% of consumers prefer Zoopla for valuations, compared to 54% for Rightmove and just 5% for OnTheMarket.
“Our number one focus at Zoopla is delivering quality, not just quantity of leads,” said Zoopla COO Rich Hayes. “Work is underway to ensure we’re translating this value into agents in every part of the country, with much more to come in this space.”
Zoopla also cited growth in search activity across its platform. Signed-in sessions reached an all-time high, which the company said reflects more meaningful engagement from users. The number of users creating alerts for for-sale listings rose 19%, while rental alerts grew 16% during the same period.
The company plans further product updates in Q2 focused on valuation lead quality, and agent access to Zoopla’s homeowner audience. These include updates to its ‘MyHome’ hub and new tools to improve the overall search experience.
Watch Richard on the PPW Podcast here.
Have you ever wondered what you would find if Rightmove matched your home search with your personality?
Rightmove has launched "thatrightmovefilter.co.uk", an immersive (if somewhat gimmicky!) limited-time feature that lets UK-based users upload selfies and input their personality type into a generative-AI environment to create a dream home for them.
Rightmove said:
We’ve all spent countless hours scrolling Rightmove to search for our dream home, but have you ever wondered what you would find if we matched it with your personality?
Now you can. Check out our fun new feature, That Rightmove Filter. For the next few weeks, you can use this immersive experience to find the perfect home for you. You can then choose from the personality that best suits you and your dream home.
Our AI-experience will generate your very own personalised dream home to share on your socials with friends and family. Whatever your vibe, your most outrageous dream home just got one step closer.
Meanwhile, Rightmove issued a legal warning to the lettings platform Right Room earlier this year, and it has been branded a "bully" by the letter's recipient.
Rightmove sent the warning in February, citing the company's name and branding, which features a similar teal colour scheme to Rightmove's. Right Room was given until March 7 to comply with Rightmove's demands.
Rightmove asserted that Right Room "significantly increases the risk of consumer confusion and/or association with us."
Right Room founder Ehsan Ahmed told The Standard that Rightmove was "bullying the small guy".
Ahmed said:
“We have operated as Right Room for more than four years but had no earlier contact or warnings before this bullying and high-handed letter.
“I launched the company in 2015. We have doubled in size, are showing up on Google, and have 200-plus reviews, but remain focused on London whereas Rightmove is nationwide, and they are primarily a property listings site. We are not in the same sector.
"It's very David and Goliath, with us very much the small guy, being targeted after a little bit of success, but nothing compared to their level.
"We filed [Right Room]it with the trademark office and this was back in 2020 to 2021. Normally, there’s a period of time when anyone who objects to it can give their objections but nobody did.
"[Rightmove has] the financial clout to crush us legally, but it cannot be right. That’s just bullying.”
Housing.com, part of REA India and a subsidiary of the REA Group, says its in-app chat feature is driving a new wave of buyer-seller interaction, and the results are showing up in the numbers.
According to the PropTech firm, more than 400,000 users now engage with “Housing Chat” every month, up from just 20,000 a year ago. The feature facilitates direct communication between buyers and sellers, and the company claims it has contributed to a 40x increase in engagement sessions.
Simon Hope, Chief Product Officer at Housing.com, said:
"Buying or renting a home is a deeply personal journey. Our personalised chat is a key part of delivering on that promise."
While many Indian real estate platforms still rely on lead forms and callbacks, Housing.com said approximately 10% of its total users now interact through chat, and suggested that frictionless, real-time conversations will improve transparency and conversion rates in the future.
Abhishekh Makkar, Chief Technology Officer, said the technology upgrade aligns with shifting user expectations. “By integrating chat capabilities, we have created an intuitive and responsive platform that caters to modern homebuyers’ expectations.”
The company is planning to build on the tool’s early success by rolling out multilingual support and more personalised features. Housing.com said chat-based interactions are expected to play a bigger role in its roadmap as it doubles down on Gen-AI and other automation tools.
Housing.com competes with 99acres and MagicBricks in one of the world’s fastest-growing digital housing markets.
Japan-based real estate portal AtHome.co.jp has launched a new rental income and vacancy rate estimation tool.
The feature, developed in collaboration with data science firm Risk Data Bank, provides simulations for both residential and commercial properties. It estimates potential rental income and changes in rent over time.
AtHome is pitching the tool primarily to rental management companies, developers, and agencies involved in property sales. These businesses can use the forecasts to support rental pricing strategies or make data-backed recommendations to owners and investors.
The company said:
In recent years, vacant houses and inheritance cases have increased due to the effects of low birth rates and ageing population, and the concentration and depopulation of population in urban areas. Based on these needs and social background, we have decided to start offering this function, which we believe can contribute to the efficiency of business operations and the sophistication of proposal operations of businesses that handle real estate. [Translated from Japanese]
AtHome currently advertises around 2.5 million listings sourced from nearly 62,000 affiliated agencies. It competes with major Japanese portals including Suumo.jp from Recruit Holdings and Lifull Home’s. The launch comes on the heels of similar moves in the market, such as Rakumachi’s recent vacancy rate analysis tool for investment properties.
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