Here are the biggest and best product and service updates we've spotted this week, starting in the UK...
Rightmove has agreed a two-year partnership with the property network Women in Estate Agency, and will be the headline sponsor of its annual conference.
WIEA is a network of male and female property industry professionals who have volunteered to give up their time to drive change and equality for women in the estate agency sector.
Rightmove will advocate training programmes, including a new leadership programme for women at Rightmove offices around the country.
The portal will also run regional advocate events to bring together women from the industry.
Colleen Babcock, head of partner marketing at Rightmove, said:
"Equality and diversity across the property industry is so important, with work still to be done, so we’re really pleased to support networks with values like those of Women in Estate Agency."
Verona Frankish, Chair at the Women in Estate Agency committee, said:
"This collaboration will allow us to expand our reach and impact through new initiatives that focus on leadership development and regional advocacy."
Zoopla is the new official property partner for England Cricket. The partnership will showcase Zoopla to new consumer audiences across England and Wales, and encourage them to use Zoopla for their next key home decision.
The partnership will be visualised across in-ground media such as pitch perimeter boards and big-screen advertising, player imagery rights and national grassroots initiatives.
Zoopla says it will also use the partnership to reach new consumers in regions across England and Wales.
Charlie Bryant, CEO at Zoopla and Houseful, said:
"We are delighted to be partnering with England Cricket as its official property partner. Like Zoopla, which is known by over 90% of UK adults, cricket is part of our national fabric and we are excited to be supporting it at the national through to grassroots level.
"With the sport's strong following in the core home mover audience and the cricketing heartlands in the Midlands and North of England, we are also excited about the benefits that Zoopla's increased consumer visibility will bring to our agent and housebuilder customers."
Bayut has launched its TruBroker ranking system that shows off the best realtors through a gamified system.
Bayut will reward high-performing agents with badges and also rank them according to how many 'TruPoints' they earn month by month.
Badges on offer include the 'Responsive Broker' badge according to how quickly brokers respond to incoming communications, and the 'Quality Lister' badge which assesses the authenticity and quality of real estate listings. Other ranking points will be awarded according to number of listings, language skills, industry experience and customer reviews.
Haider Ali Khan, CEO at Bayut and Dubizzle, said:
"TruBroker is a game-changer in the real estate market, setting a new benchmark for rewards and recognition for top-performing agents and addressing long-standing issues of accountability and transparency. By recognizing and rewarding agents, we not only enhance the property search experience for users but also support agents and agencies in maintaining high standards."
The UAE-based startup Keyper has added update notifications to its app, allowing buyers of both secondary and off-plan homes to stay on top of their transaction's progress.
The proptech company has also upgraded its Rent Now, Pay Later offering to allow tenants to pay rent monthly—tenants in the UAE are usually expected to pay their rent annually, which limits affordability for tenants without significant cash reserves.
Other updates from Keyper include instant identity verification, which enables users to scan their official Emirates ID and have it immediately verified; instant income verification to accelerate tenant approvals; and instant rent estimates according to market rental values and the landlord's preferred payment method.
The UAE-based video-based property portal ViewIT has partnered with Lenddoo Mortgages to allow customers to secure mortgages from the firm's app.
ViewIT's self-created tool compares mortgages from over 15 banks in the UAE, while Lenddoo is a free-to-use mortgage broker.
FriendlyDoor, a home-seeking assistant owned by Lifull, has partnered with a suite of real estate companies that support five other languages to accommodate foreign language home seekers moving to Japan.
Lifull now offers a webpage that lets users search for real estate companies that can speak foreign languages.
FriendlyDoor has added foreign language support for English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Portuguese. Users can search for real estate agencies that support their native language amid a labour shortage in Japan that is attracting more foreign nationals.
Kyo Yiqun, business manager at FriendlyDoor, said:
"The number of foreign residents in Japan has been increasing rapidly since COVID-19, and in March of this year, the government announced a plan to increase the number of people with Specified Skills No. 2 to 820,000 over the next five years.
"As the reliance on foreign workers to address labor shortages increases, the language barrier is high for foreign nationals who have just arrived in Japan, and the same is true when it comes to finding a home. Even native Japanese speakers can find it difficult to understand real estate terminology and important information, but this is especially true for non-native Japanese speakers.
"This service, which allows you to search for real estate companies that can speak five languages, was launched in response to the voices of foreign employees who said, 'I wish I could search for a home in my native language'."
The Spanish proptech Badi has launched Badi Studio, which offers architecture, construction and interior design services.
Badi says it launched the Studio to accommodate rising needs for architectural, construction and interior design services, meaning the company will now be able to diversify its portfolio to include hotels and tourism. It already has a client portfolio including family offices, real estate funds, property managers and private owners.
Badi Studio encompasses all stages of project development, from the initial planning phase to the design, purchase and final assembly.
Carlos Pierre, co-founder and CEO at Badi, said:
"The launch of Badi Studio allows us to go further by offering a complete service covering all phases of the project — from initial conception to final delivery. Thanks to our extensive experience in the sector — acquired mainly through Badi Plus — testing and validating our services, we are able to offer customized solutions that adapt to any style and budget, thus maximizing profitability.
"At Badi Studio, we have focused on understanding the specific needs of each client. By working directly with the main furniture brands and having our own furniture brand, Marca Badi, we can guarantee greater speed and flexibility in the delivery of each project."
Badi is a specialist in managed rental properties in Barcelona and Madrid. All Badi units come with concierge services including cleaning and weekly bed sheet changes, and are designed for medium-to-long term stays.
Domclick, Russia's de facto state-led real estate portal powered by national bank Sber, has introduced a mortgage discount scheme applying to new homes.
Domclick will select a certain number of new-build properties around the country and apply a 0.5% mortgage discount to Sber's mortgage rate, with a new tranche of properties to be selected every fortnight.
Any residential complex featured on Domclick's showcase page can 'win' the discounted rate, with the fortnightly cycles designed to keep prospective homebuyers returning to the portal as often as possible.
Anyone whose salary is paid into a Sber bank account will qualify for an additional 1% discount, while a further 1% discount is available if they purchase Domclick's 'Plus' package, up to a maximum mortgage rate reduction of 2.5%.
Homebuyers with a significant downpayment can reduce their mortgage rate by an extra 2.5% - to a maximum discount of 5%.
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