We'll start this week's Product Roundup with news that AI-assisted agent reviews have ballooned on Zillow since 2019...
An independent study by Originality.ai has found that AI-generated reviews of the real estate portal Zillow have increased by over 500% since 2019.
AI-generated Zillow agent reviews increased by 558% between 2019 (3.63%) and 2025 (23.7%).
Writing for originality.ai, Madeleine Lambert wrote:
The rise in AI-generated content may have broader implications. On one hand, the growing reliance on AI could streamline the review process, enabling more individuals or businesses to generate reviews quickly and efficiently.
On the other hand, the authenticity and trustworthiness of reviews might be called into question, as users may become wary of AI-generated feedback.
In the context of Zillow, these trends highlight a critical challenge: ensuring that reviews remain credible and helpful to users while adapting to the evolving role of AI in online platforms.
Zillow may need to invest in transparency measures, such as labelling AI-generated reviews or implementing AI detection to maintain trust among its user base.
Additionally, the platform could explore mechanisms to verify review authenticity, especially as AI tools become increasingly accessible and consumers become more confident in how to use these tools effectively.
A sample of 10,000 reviews was used for the study.
The Seattle-based 'buy before you sell' wholesale lending platform Flyhomes has announced it has sold its portal tech to Real.
Founder and CEO Tushar Garg announced the deal on his personal LinkedIn account. He said:
"I'm excited to share that we’ve officially completed the carve-out of our AI-powered real estate search portal in a sale to The Real Brokerage. This transaction represents the next chapter for a technology platform that we’re incredibly proud of — and it’s now in great hands with a company we deeply respect.
"To clarify, while there’s been some confusion, this was a sale of the portal tech only, not Flyhomes as a company or brand. This transaction gives us the clarity and focus to double down on what we believe is the future of real estate: Buy Before You Sell.
"We're also thrilled to partner with the 27,000+ agents on the Real platform, helping even more buyers and sellers benefit from our modern, accessible financing solutions."
Flyhomes has a network of over 30,000 loan officers and has facilitated $2.2Bn of loans at a GTV of $6.7Bn since it was founded in 2015.
Real offers a suite of financial products and boasts an agent network of over 27,000 agent partners. Real offers an end-to-end service from mortgage to title and escrow.
However, the brokerage appears to want to extend its offering to an even earlier stage of the home-moving process with the acquisition of Flyhomes' portal technology. Flyhomes does not appear to have a public-facing portal of properties for sale.
REA Group has taken an increased stake in the 3D visualisation platform IMMERSIV following a previous investment in October 2024.
While the level of investment remains undisclosed, REA Group confirmed that the funds will go towards accelerating IMMERSIV's growth as customer demand increases.
REA Group Chief Product and Audience Officer, Melina Cruickshank, commented:
“One of the most exciting developments in AI powered immersive technology is its potential to transform the consumer experience. We’ve been really impressed by the team at IMMERSIV and the way they are solving a critical challenge in the new homes market.
“Buyers today seek more clarity before committing to off-the-plan purchases and IMMERSIV delivers that by letting them step into their future home. As property developers and agents look for new ways to connect with buyers, we see a real opportunity to change the way projects are launched and sold.
“We know the next generation of property seekers want imagery and video at the core of their property experience. As the evolution of realestate.com.au listings continue, we look forward to working closely with IMMERSIV to unlock new opportunities for growth and product integration.”
Co-founder and CEO Christian Schwerdtfeger said:
“REA has been an incredible partner, not just as an investor but as a strategic ally in helping us scale rapidly. This new round of support will allow us to grow our teams in Melbourne and Sydney, invest further in AI-driven 3D production, and expand internationally with the right infrastructure behind us.”
The skiing-properties marketplace specialist SnowOnly has released a set of new features, including search by elevation.
SnowOnly has also introduced a post-enquiry intelligence layer for improved lead qualification.
The new post-enquiry experience now activates after every buyer contact, prompting users to provide further details while still engaged. This interaction captures additional data on intent, budget, timing, and property requirements—information designed to help agents assess lead quality and tailor follow-ups accordingly.
In an email, the company said the new feature will surface motivation and purchasing timeline more transparently; enable personalised agent responses; prioritise follow-ups based on buyer profile depth; and support more targeted follow-up communications.
Meanwhile, SnowOnly's new filter, allowing users to search by resort altitude rather than region, has been rolled out as a response to a rising buyer preference for high-elevation destinations. Higher elevations are often perceived to offer better snow reliability, longer seasons, and reputational cachet. The feature is exclusive to SnowOnly and intended to draw attention to listings in resorts above key elevation thresholds. It may also expand buyer consideration sets by surfacing previously overlooked locations.
Finally, SnowOnly is currently developing two further features: 'SnowOnly Circle', a private community for active buyers offering early access to listings, market insights, and direct engagement with SnowOnly staff; and branded merchandise in response to user demand.
At Home Co., Ltd. has entered into a service partnership with Crowd Loan Co., Ltd. to integrate loan-matching capabilities into the At Home Vacant House Bank platform.
The new collaboration enables users to receive financing proposals, including vacant house loans, from multiple financial institutions through the Crowd Loan system.
The At Home Vacant House Bank, launched in October 2017, is part of a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism model project aimed at aggregating and disseminating information on vacant homes and properties nationwide.
In addition to property listings, the platform offers details on municipal relocation programs and regional initiatives. As of June 2025, 864 local governments participate, with more than 10,000 properties listed.
Crowd Loan is an online platform that facilitates loan matchmaking between individuals and banks, enabling borrowers to complete the full application process online. Since June 2023, the company has also offered a specialised service for vacant house loans. These products—designed for purchase scenarios not supported by traditional mortgages—allow contracts based solely on personal credit. The model targets prospective relocators and multi-base property buyers by reducing financing barriers. Crowd Loan had over 100,000 registered users as of January 2025.
The partnership is intended to enhance the convenience of At Home Vacant House Bank and support more fluid real estate transactions involving underutilised housing stock.
China-based real estate brokerage Beijing Lianjia has added a virtual staging tool for consumers who need to redecorate ageing housing stock.
Data shows that nearly 40% of the houses in Beijing were built before 2000, and nearly 80% were built before 2010. Most customers who purchase second-hand houses have decoration needs, hoping to use decoration to turn "old houses" into "good houses."
Beijing Lianjia selected 1,411 decoration experts and will train them as housing consultants to advise buyers how and why they should renovate their property after purchase. Lianjia found that homebuyers are the most uncertain about their renovation needs when purchasing a house.
According to a press release, decoration experts will give full play to the role of a bridge between customers and designers, and through decoration introductions during viewings, precise room measurements, real-life visits to exhibition halls, and in-depth communication on design plans, they will achieve effective connection from house purchase to decoration, providing customers with one-stop quality living services.
A spokesperson at Beijing Lianjia said:
"In the new era of new housing, people's pursuit has shifted from 'having a place to live' to 'living well', with higher requirements for quality and more diverse demands. We hope to realize the transformation of brokers into comprehensive housing consultants pioneered by decoration experts around the entrance to housing, and through the upgrading of people and innovation of service models, achieve in-depth linkage between second-hand and decoration businesses and integration of service value, and continuously expand the boundaries of housing services and the upper limit of quality services."
Meanwhile, the brokerage also said customers are paying more attention to their quality of life, while the decoration of the house has a great impact on their purchase decisions. Lianjia said people tend to choose houses with better decoration and are willing to spend more money on them, and they may not be interested in old houses with old decoration. The company will therefore offer VR decoration plans for consumers.
A happy customer told Lianjia:
"The VR decoration renderings can turn an ordinary two-bedroom apartment into a different style and a happy home. This is particularly attractive to me. Many real decoration plans of the same apartment also gave me a lot of inspiration. Knowing what it will be transformed into, I will have more considerations when buying and decorating the house."
This week's Product and Services roundup starts in the United States, where Realtor.com has signed an interesting syndication deal... ...
Read More
The Swedish housing portal Boneo has closed a SEK 10 million (USD 1.06 million) media for equity deal wth Aggregate...
Read More
I interviewed Fouad Bekkar, CEO at Coraly (formerly Coralyics), at the Proptech and Portal Watch conference in October with the...
Read More
Canadian rental portal operator Rentsync has moved beyond its residential comfort zone, acquiring Spacelist, one of Canada’s leading commercial real...
Read More
