Product Roundup: Boomin, SMG, Zoopla, ZigBang, Fincaraiz and ImmoScout24

The worst thing about holding three day conferences is that it distracts you from the news. It also tempts fate—during Property Portal Watch, a number of big name players announced upcoming product changes.

Here are the biggest and best:

Boomin

Fresh off the news that Boomin has gone bust, Angels Media has offered to take on any clients that will not get valuations from Boomin.

Angels Media is the owner of The ValPal Network, the valuation tool that partly powered Boomin.

Visitors to the Boomin website have been able to request a "SmartVal"—powered by The ValPal Network—with local agents registered with the platform since 2021. But now Angels Media CEO Nat Daniels has been quick to jump into the space vacated by Boomin.

Daniels said:

"We would be happy to take on any clients that will not get valuations from Boomin. We have a special deal for any Boomin agents that want more valuations."

Angels Media has claimed that ValPal generated 1.4m leads for agents in the past year, and that 18% of properties valued through ValPal are sold within two years.

SMG (Swiss Marketplace Group)

SMG has entered into a long-term mortgage business partnership with Zurich-based multinational investment bank UBS—one of the largest asset managers in the world.

SMG users will now have access to the mortgage brokering services of UBS through SMG-owned real estate platforms like HomeGate and ImmoScout24—the initials offers went live on November 1.

Both companies have said the partnership will make it easier for real estate seekers to locate a suitable property and finance it on one platform.

Zoopla

Alto, the cloud-based software package for agents powered by Zoopla, has added mobile functionality to give agents access to Alto when they're away from the office.

Agents will now be able to search through contacts on their mobile devices to find phone numbers, email addresses and other key contact information at any time.

Zoopla said mobile functionality was the number one request from Alto-using agents travelling to and from viewings

Zoopla COO Andy Marshall said:

"Alto is all about driving efficiencies for our customers and this new functionality should not only save them time, but also make it easier than ever to be in close contact with their customers—and provide a better experience as a result."

ZigBang

Zigbang, South Korea's number one property vertical, is readying itself for a rebrand as the portal targets international expansion.

According to a report by the Asian Economy, the rebrand will include a new logo that represents ZigBang's global ambition, with a rumoured change to the text accompanying the logo. A spokesperson was coy, but did confirm that the firm was undergoing a "comprehensive rebranding".

Fincaraiz

Fincaraiz, the leading property vertical in Colombia, has launched Vitrina Móvil [mobile showcase]—a mobile office where realtors and clients can meet in a traditional setting.

The "phygital" approach—combining digital technologies in physical spaces—facilitates the face-to-face interactions that Colombian home buyers and sellers prefer.

The image accompanying the announcement showed a Fincaraiz branded vehicle, which will roam Bogota shopping malls, allowing shoppers to browse information on more than 40 developments in digital displays.

ImmoScout24

The well-known German property marketplace ImmoScout24 has extended its 17-year partnership with independent real estate analysis firm BulwienGesa.

BulwienGesa processes and uploads ImmoScout24 listing data to the RIWIS database, which is used for location analyses and property market studies—and then calculates valuations.

Dr. Gesa Crockford, managing director at ImmoScout24, said:

"We welcome the extension of the partnership with BulwienGesa because we have the common goal of creating transparency in the German real estate market. It is currently more important than ever to be able to comprehensively analyse risk and make data-based decisions."