This week's roundup starts with news that Lifull operates the number one rental portal in Japan, with some interesting analysis tagged on.
Also today, keep reading for an interesting launch in the Netherlands, and an AI first in the UAE.
Lifull Home's was a clear winner in a study that ranked rental real estate marketplaces in Japan earlier this week, retaining its position from the same study in 2025.
Internet quality measurement firm Gomez awarded Lifull Homes a score of 7.62 (out of ten), well ahead of second-place finisher AtHome.jp (6.91).
According to the company's website, the "Gomez Rental Property Information Smartphone Site Ranking" aims to evaluate the usability and quality of rental property information websites from the user's perspective.
Between March 23 and April 17, Gomez measured Japanese real estate marketplace apps for 137 metrics for usability, amount of information, reliability, and useful features.
According to Gomez:
LIFULL HOME'S took first place overall. In terms of categories, it ranked first in three categories: "Website Usability," "Convenient Features and Services," and "Stability and Reliability," while coming in second in "Information Volume and Content."
Of particular note is its search function, which allows users to flexibly adjust their search criteria, enabling them to find properties without compromising their desired conditions. This reduces the need to repeatedly restart searches and allows for a smooth property search without reducing the number of available properties. Furthermore, the property list visualizes the degree of matching with the criteria, and the detail page shows which criteria are met in a table format, making it easy to identify properties that meet the user's needs. The system is designed to support user decision-making.
Coming in at second place overall is At Home. In terms of categories, it took first place in the "Amount of Information and Content" category and third place in the "Convenient Functions and Services" category. Its features include a search function that allows users to search for properties based on universities and vocational schools, which is not commonly found in other companies, as well as a matching function that suggests the most suitable town based on answers to simple questions. [Translated from Japanese]
Gomez suggested that the trend in Japan is towards AI-powered matching functions and integrations with Line (a widely used messaging app similar to WhatsApp), with a strong focus on time efficiency. However, consideration for protecting personal information and explicit measures regarding cookie acquisition were insufficient, and there was room for improvement in terms of accessibility.
Display speed is a crucial factor that directly impacts the user experience, and continuous improvement is required not only on the homepage but also on all screens, including search results and property details.
Furthermore, several websites were found that did not clearly indicate vacancy status or move-in date on the property details page, instead directing users to make inquiries. This results in users having to make individual inquiries, which leaves room for improvement in terms of convenience.
Bayut, part of Dubizzle Group, has announced it has launched an app in ChatGPT, the first property portal in the UAE to do so.
The Bayut App on ChatGPT allows users to search for houses and properties through natural conversations, rather than traditional filters. Users can describe what they are looking for, such as location, budget, size, number of bedrooms or property type, and receive relevant listings. The app s available globally via ChatGPT on desktop, web, mobile, and the ChatGPT app.
Haider Khan, CEO of Bayut and dubizzle, said:
"With the Bayut App on ChatGPT, we are making it easier for users to search for properties in a way that feels natural, intuitive and aligned with how they discover information today. The UAE has created an environment where technology, innovation and ambition can thrive, and this launch is another step in bringing practical AI-led experiences into everyday sectors such as real estate."
REA Group has announced an enterprise partnership with Raine & Horne, one of Australia's oldest and largest real estate franchise networks.
Raine & Horne members will benefit from preferential access to REA's Pro subscription tier, PropTrack data, and the Realtair agent workflow platform, starting this August.
The deal covers more than 200 residential Raine & Horne offices across Australia. Pro, REA's premium agency subscription, bundles listing exposure tools, lead generation, and PropTrack's proprietary data for prospecting. Realtair, REA's end-to-end transaction platform, will be rolled out alongside it to help agencies convert leads more efficiently.
The partnership has a commercial real estate component, too. A custom proposal platform for the Raine & Horne Commercial network, co-developed with Arealytics, REA's commercial data subsidiary, will launch later this year.
The new platform will pull in property, ownership, sales, and leasing data to support acquisitions, disposals, and leasing decisions.
"REA's platform visibility, agent workflow tools, and market data insights could combine as key leverage for our office network to look after their customers and continually win business," said Chris Nicholl, CEO of Raine & Horne Group.
REA Group Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer, Kul Singh, said:
“REA’s insight into the property market is unmatched. An average of 12.9 million Australians visited realestate.com.au each month in the third quarter, and our rich and immersive experiences
continue to deeply engage our audience. Couple this with our volume of listings, and we are uniquely positioned to deliver meaningful, data-driven insights with the most comprehensive view of the market.""Raine & Horne has a long-standing heritage and clear focus on innovation. This partnership brings together two organisations aligned in their ambition to deliver stronger outcomes for agents and their customers. The seamless integration of our products and services will support driving the best results for the Raine & Horne network and their clients.”
Founded in Sydney in 1883 by Tom Raine and Joseph Horne, the network has grown to several hundred offices across Australia and internationally, including presences in New Zealand, Malaysia, and Dubai. It remains 100% Australian family-owned, now in its fourth generation.
Immomartin has reported that the French portals Bien'ici and ParuVendu.fr (both part of Arche Group) have launched a free-listing offer for two months as part of a customer acquisition push.
The two portals will join forces to offer a combined offer to new clients seeking extra visibility in the summer months. Starting in June, agents joining the platform for the first time will be able to list on both portals for free during July and August.
David Benbassat, president of Bien'ici, said:
"This offer concerns all the advertising packages marketed by Bien'ici and Paruvendu in this context of slowdown in real estate activity. This offer aims to support real estate agencies during this July-August period, who are caught between commercial goals and tight marketing budgets." [Translated from French]
The generalised classifieds marketplace Paruvendu is a close partner of the real estate specialist, Bien'ici, having agreed a distribution partnership soon after the Arche Group acquisition in October 2025. The Arche Group acquired Paruvendu and almost immediately unveiled a collaboration with Bien’Ici called 'Convergence', an offer the Group said would "provide realtors with visibility across two complementary sites."
Benbassat added that existing Bien'ici customers will receive notice of a new offer later this summer, but did not give further details.
The German generalised marketplace Kleinanzeigen has expanded its real estate search offering to include new construction projects.
According to a press release, the new offering provides prospective buyers with a complete overview of all properties within a project.
With the new construction partnerships, Kleinanzeigenclassifieds offers real estate professionals a high-profile way to present new construction projects professionally and effectively, and to generate qualified inquiries from potential buyers. The service is designed to present projects with multiple residential units in a structured manner and make them more easily accessible to those searching for properties.
Karl Wolfart, Sales Director Real Estate at Kleinanzeigen, said:
"Real estate marketing presents different challenges depending on the property, project, and target group. Kleinanzeigen Immobilien is therefore continuously developing its services to offer real estate professionals suitable solutions for various marketing situations. With our new construction partnerships, we are creating a platform that takes this diversity into account and supports real estate professionals in presenting new construction projects effectively."
Dutch property platform Huispedia, the largest independent portal in the Netherlands with 3.8 million monthly visitors, has launched what it calls "Collective AI", a system designed to guide homebuyers through purchasing decisions rather than display listings.
The platform says its system continuously scans more than 5,000 sources and combines market data with behavioural feedback from users, building a form of shared memory.
Viewing notes, document analyses and bidding outcomes feed into a collective intelligence layer available to buyers to address what Huispedia describes as a €41,000 average overpayment caused by stress-driven decision-making. Huispedia said seven in ten Dutch buyers purchase without a buyer's agent.
Maxim Bours, CEO at Huispedia, said:
"The most expensive problem in the housing market today is no longer in the information, it's in human behavior under pressure. AI applications in the property domain are still often trained on historical transaction prices from an overheated market. Ultimately, that automates the very market distortion consumers are already suffering from. Instead, you must use AI proactively at every decision point to prevent human errors during the buying process."
Huispedia said the launch acts as a direct contrast to the back-end infrastructure investments being made by larger European platforms, pointing specifically to ImmoScout24's recently announced €400 million AI investment as an example of B2B-focused automation.
Idealista has added vacation rental search capabilities thanks to the integration of Rentalia 's content in Spain.
Users can now search for holiday rental properties in Spain and Portugal on idealista's platform by selecting the "vacation" option when starting a new search.
Filters include properties with a swimming pool, pets-allowed, air conditioning, or beachfront properties.
Rentalia is part of the idealista Group.
Zoopla has launched a six-part Masterclass video series for agents looking to improve their processes with valuation leads and win more instructions.
The videos, hosted by agency consultant Ian Preston, are all free to watch for Zoopla Pro subscribers.
Topics include why agents lose listings, ways to tailor sales pitches, how to follow up after a valuation, scripts for booking valuations, introduction calls, and valuation visits.
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