The PPW Podcast comes from the Online Marketplaces team and focuses on the online real estate marketplace industry and the wider PropTech world around it. Episodes cover industry news, views and interviews, alongside the team’s own analysis of current events and emerging trends. It is aimed at people interested in how property portals, marketplaces and related technology businesses are developing.
Episodes
Winning Pitch Club and Fixing Student Housing with Roome Co-Founders Owen Redman & James Buck
In this episode of the PPW Podcast, Harvey Hancock and Simon Baker sit down with Owen Redman and James Buck, co-founders of Roome and winners of Pitch Club at PPW Madrid 2026.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:14 PPW Madrid 2026 recap02:38 Meet Roome, the Pitch Club winners04:20 Universities, students and scale05:46 How Roome makes money08:59 Referral fees from student accommodation operators10:35 Co-branding
News Roundup 6/11: Big Four Portal Results, PPW Madrid Debates & Zillow's $212.5m Settlement
In this week's news roundup, four of the biggest real estate portal operators report, and the story is the same everywhere: growth is coming from charging more, not from traffic or leads. Plus the disagreements hiding in the PPW Madrid transcripts, and Zillow pays $212.5m to put iBuying behind it.Chapters:00:00 Intro02:01 Realtor.com, CoStar, REA & Scout24: The Headline Numbers06:48 What Porta
Live From PPW Madrid 2026: AI Results, Business Models & Best Talks
Recorded live on stage at Property Portal Watch Madrid 2026, Edmund Keith, Harvey Hancock and Simon Baker take stock of two and a half days of talks in front of more than 460 delegates from around 50 countries.Chapters:00:00 Intro: live from the PPW Madrid 2026 stage01:20 Key takeaways: AI starts delivering real results03:56 Is the industry worried enough?05:23 Are we talking enough about business
News Roundup 23/10/26: Hemnet Q3, Compass Sues CRMLS & Zillow Comes to Claude
In our last news roundup before PPW Madrid, Hemnet's shares jump despite falling numbers, Compass sues California's biggest MLS, Zillow launches inside Claude, HouseCanary adds a brokerage to Google's listings program while in Chapter 11, and Jitty tests paid reports for home buyers.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:20 Hemnet Q3: Numbers Down, Shares Up03:09 The Inside Game And The Outside Game07:48 Compass
News Roundup 16/10/26: Hemnet's 17x Price Hike, REA Shorted & PPW Madrid Countdown
In this week's news roundup, we dig into Hemnet's 16.8x price rise over a decade and what it has cost the Swedish portal, ask whether vendor-paid advertising is really the advantage portals think it is, and look at why a Sydney hedge fund is shorting REA Group.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:31 Hemnet's Tough Year03:23 Boiling The Frog: Hemnet's 16.8x Price Rise05:04 Booli Overtakes Hemnet On Similarweb11:
Why Phone Leads Still Win in the Age of AI with Ryan Gallagher, Founder & CEO at iovox
Ryan Gallagher, Founder & CEO of iovox, joins Edmund Keith and Simon Baker to talk about what communications data really says about marketplace leads. He explains why swapping voicemail for AI agents took lead capture from 9% to 90%, why call volumes are rising rather than falling, and why a phone call is still the strongest signal of buyer intent. Also covered: the US Cloud Act and data sover
News Roundup 09/10/26: AI-first Portals, M&A Updates and Product Talk
In this week's news roundup, three AI-first portals launch in the UK and Australia, 360Latam and SeLoger both buy niche players, and we ask whether the industry talks too much about product.Chapters:00:00 Intro02:03 The Rise Of AI-First Portals04:31 How Do You Market An AI Portal To Wary Consumers?11:50 What Do The New Challenger Portals Really Want?18:13 360Latam Acquires Casas y Más19:59 SeLoger
News Roundup 02/10/26: Zillow In Court, REA Backs Distilled, Hemnet's Free Tier & Rightmove Activist
In this week's news roundup, Ed, Harvey and Simon cover four big stories from four big companies: Zillow's latest legal setback, REA Group's return to Europe, Hemnet's free-to-list pivot and an activist investor at Rightmove.This episode is brought to you by Fusion 4 Ventures.Zillow loses its dismissal bidA judge has rejected Zillow's motion to dismiss the Dupuis class action, brought on behalf of
Are Portals Becoming Someone Else’s Lunch?, with Malcolm Myers
Harvey Hancock hosts Simon Baker and Malcolm Myers for a wide-ranging conversation about portals, AI, agents, M&A and brokerage, ahead of Malcolm's keynote presentation at the upcoming PPW Conference in Madrid.0:00 Intros and PPW teasers02:25 the four challenges facing property portals03:50 business models problems vs perceptionproblems13:09 Relevance as the lifeblood16:55 Brokerage and Ro
News Roundup 25/09/26: Idealista Signs Orpi In France, Compass See It First & Portal Shake-Up
In this week's news roundup, Idealista lands its first big agency partner in France, Compass puts serious marketing money behind its exclusive listings, and a wave of leadership changes sweeps through the portal world.Chapters:00:00 Intro04:09 Idealista Signs Orpi In France15:43 Compass Launches See It First27:27 Portal Leadership Shake-Up37:13 Do Portal Leaders Need Portal Experience?Idealista Si
The Portal That Takes the Buyer's Side, With Maxim Bours, Co-Founder & CEO of Huispedia
Maxim Bours co-founded Huispedia in 2018, after he and co-founder Ramon, both then working in IT at KLM, each tried to buy a house and found a Dutch market where listings were well served but decision-making was not. Eight years on, the company calls itself a data intelligence platform rather than a portal. It carries agents' listings for free, takes no advertising money from agents, and charg
News Roundup 18/09/26: REA Vs ACCC, Zillow Vs MRED, Hemnet's Buyback & Schibsted Vs Schibsted
In this week's news roundup, regulators and courts take centre stage: REA Group settles with the ACCC, a Chicago judge hands MRED and Compass a win over Zillow, Hemnet's activist investors reshape the board and pause the buyback, and Schibsted appears to be lining up to take on its own former marketplaces business in Norway.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:34 REA Group Signs ACCC Undertaking Over Listing Cl
Exploring an AI-first Vacation Rentals Marketplace, with Christian Schwarz Lausten, CEO at Landfolk
Simon Baker and Harvey Hancock are joined by Christian Schwarz Lausten, founder and CEO at Landfolk, for a peek behind the curtain of an increasingly AI-first vacation rentals marketplace that has expanded from its native Nordics into Europe, including a proprietary AI intelligence layer called PAX...00:00 intros00:54 What is Landfolk?07:25 Context, Business model and monetisation13:31 Awareness,
News Roundup 11/09/26: Zoopla Opens The Books, The Narrative Lever & Claims Nobody Checks
In this week's news roundup, Zoopla breaks cover with a full set of FY2025 numbers, and that sets up a longer argument about the cheapest growth lever in the portal business: the story you tell about yourself. Chapters:00:00 Intro00:48 Zoopla Publishes Its FY2025 Financials11:56 Will Silver Lake Sell Zoopla, And To Whom?14:32 The Perception & Narrative Lever18:26 When Number Two Actually Overtakes
Reupload: The War on Portals, with Mike DelPrete
Hi everyone - we have reuploaded our interview with Mike as there was an audio dropout in the original episode. Sorry for this - it sounded great during recording and editing!Harvey Hancock is joined by Mike DelPrete and Simon Baker to unpack the war on portals.00:00 - intros00:52 - Mike's Madrid preview04:12 - The FTC's settlement with Zillow and Redfin07:19 - Why Rocket’s ownership of Re
The War on Portals, with Mike DelPrete
Harvey Hancock is joined by Mike DelPrete and Simon Baker to unpack the war on portals.00:00 - intros00:52 - Mike's Madrid preview04:12 - The FTC's settlement with Zillow and Redfin07:19 - Why Rocket’s ownership of Redfin makes rentals strategically valuable09:01 - The “war on portals” and why portal pricing is under attack12:02 - Industry-wide self-inflicted wounds19:44 - Are mature porta
News Roundup 04/09/26: Portal Shares Rebound, Compass vs StreetEasy & Silver Lake Sells Hometrack
In this week's news roundup, Ed, Harvey and Simon look at a portal share price recovery that's outpacing the market, the escalating Compass–StreetEasy standoff in New York, and Silver Lake's sale of Hometrack to Providence Equity Partners.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:00 Portal Share Prices Bounce Back13:43 Compass vs StreetEasy: The New York Standoff23:48 Silver Lake Sells Hometrack to Provi
Going Viral with 'Moving Out', with Rita Goh
Harvey speaks with Rita Goh from Property Guru about the company’s “Moving Out” micro-drama campaign, a social-first marketing experiment that went viral in Singapore, and beyond!0:00 Intros1:46 Property Guru context3:34 What is this social first marketing strategy?5:40 Moving Out in context18:04 Storyboarding and Creative22:19 Anonymous Vs Branded content26:26 Gen Z demands and activities31:07 Ad
News Roundup, 28/08/2026: Idealista, Zillow, Bezrealitky, and more...
Harvey joins Simon for a fast-moving news roundup covering Idealista’s planned expansion into France, Zillow’s FTC settlement over its Redfin rentals deal, and results from KE Holdings and Swiss Marketplace Group.We discuss strategy, market structure, cross-border expansion, and where portals may need to evolve beyond pure advertising to stay relevant.00:00 - Introduction and the news roundup form
News Roundup, 21/08/26: Silver Lake, Redfin, Boneo, and Expansions
Simon and Harvey get together for a roundup of this week's news stories, including Silver Lake's Housetrack divestment, new data on Redfin and Boneo, and a long conversation about international expansions.0:00 sponsor messages and intros1:04 Silver Lake and Hometrack12:09 Redfin and Boneo26:00 International Expansions
News Roundup 14/08/26: Financials Season Continues
Simon and Harvey catch up on some financial results around the world, with some adjacent conversations including traffic, hirings, amortization, LLM traffic, legislation changes, going public, and more...0:00 Intros and PPW Europe update3:00 Rightmove HY 2026 results11:30 Scout24 H1 and Q2 202619:25 REA Group FY2026 results31:00 Idealista FY2025 results42:00 Square Yards Q1 2027
News Roundup, 07/08/26: Financials in the United States
Harvey Hancock and Simon Baker break down the latest US portal results from Zillow and CoStar Group.00:00 Intros06:13 Zillow’s Q2 results and wider context09:57 Zillow layoffs and the AI efficiency question15:16 Realtor.com, Redfin, and the broader traffic trend19:32 Turning tire kickers into qualified prospects20:07 AI assistants as qualification and nurture tools23:36 CoStar Group, Homes.com, an
What AI Search Means for Marketplaces, with Esteve Castells, Founder at LLM Pulse
Ed Keith is joined by Esteve Castells — former Head of SEO at Adevinta and founder of AI search visibility platform LLM Pulse — to work through what generative search actually means for real estate marketplaces.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:53 From Adevinta's global SEO lead to founding LLM Pulse04:01 What running SEO across a portfolio that size was really like05:59 Evangelising SEO inside a business th
News Roundup 24/07/26: Rightmove Retribution?, Aurum's Housing Challenge & Buyer-First Portals
In this week's news roundup, Ed, Harvey and Simon dig into Rightmove's £1.6bn class action and the "retaliation" row, Aurum PropTech's bold plan to make housing.com profitable, and a provocative question: should portals switch sides and go buyer-first?Chapters:00:00 Intro00:57 Rightmove's £1.6bn Class Action & "Retaliation" Claims12:42 Can Mature-Market Portals Keep Raising Prices?18:00 Aurum
News Roundup: REA Exits India, CoStar's New CFO & The Battle for Consideration
In this week's news roundup, Ed and Simon Baker unpack REA Group's exit from India, a big CFO move at CoStar, Dubizzle's push into rental protection, and why the real portal-vs-LLM fight is about consideration, not search.Chapters:00:00 Intro00:50 REA Group Sells Housing.com to Aurum PropTech20:19 CoStar Group's New CFO: Robin Rossman23:50 Dubizzle Group Invests in Takeem29:59 Port
News Roundup, 10/07/26: Baltic Classifieds' Buyback, REA vs Domain & OMYHOME's $1 Delisting
Ed, Harvey and Simon break down the week's biggest stories from the world of real estate portals: a Baltic classifieds giant borrowing to buy back its own shares, the escalating legal fight between REA Group and Domain over their marketing claims, and OMYHOME's unusual delisting back to its own founders for a single dollar. Plus, is the market overestimating AI's short-term threat to p
News Roundup 03/07/26: CoStar Group, Square Yards, Zillow + Google, Consideration Phase
Ed, Harvey and Simon get together for an overdue rundown of the latest news in portals and proptech.0:00 Intros0:39 CoStar board member renewals and activist investors.15:00 CoStar Investment in Wikicasa18:27 Square Yards Fundraise27:10 Zillow + Google Gemini, and the Consideration Phase
Evolving Zumper from Lead Delivery to Leasing Outcomes, with Shawn Mullahy, CEO at Zumper
Shawn Mullahy, newly appointed CEO at Zumper, joins Harvey for a conversation about taking over from Founder, Anthemos Georgiades, and moving towards a new business and revenue model that fills houses faster.00:00 Intros and Zumper changes04:35 Zumper's strategic shift under new leadership10:08 AI Integration and Future Business Model17:02 Challenges in Lead Attribution and Customer Engagement
The Real Estate Marketplace Threat Landscape: With Toby Chapman, Partner & OC&C Strategy Consultants
Toby Chapman from OC&C Strategy returns to the PPW Pod for a follow-up on last year's debate around AI and real estate marketplaces. A year on from his "AI truck" prediction, Ed, Simon and Toby unpack why share prices are down 30-50%, whether portals are undervalued or were overvalued, and where the real existential risks actually lie.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:03 Has the AI truck hi
News Roundup 05/06: CoStar Pays $800M For Zonda + Testing Realtor.com's New RealAssist AI
In this week's news roundup, Ed, Simon Baker and Harvey Hancock unpack CoStar's $800M all-cash swoop for new-homes data specialist Zonda, and share their first-hand impressions of Realtor.com's new Google-powered RealAssist AI search tool.Chapters:00:00 Intro00:52 CoStar Buys Zonda for ~$800M09:40 Realtor.com's New RealAssist AI (with Google)18:59 Can AI-Native Challengers Beat the
News Roundup 29/05/26: Scout24's Agentic Future, Zillow Defends Listings, Google's RE Return
In this week's news roundup, Edmund Keith, Simon Baker, and Harvey Hancock dig into Scout24's bet on becoming the first AI-native real estate marketplace, the escalating Zillow vs. MLS listings war, and Google quietly putting for-sale listings back at the top of search.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:48 Scout24's Agentic Future & Capital Markets Day17:13 Zillow vs. MRED — The Chicago Listin
Share Prices, Narratives & AI Experimentation | Christian Printzell Halvorsen, CEO of Vend
In this episode of The PPW Podcast, Edmund Keith and Harvey Hancock are joined by Christian Printzell Halvorsen, CEO of Vend — the leading operator of marketplaces in the Nordics across real estate, mobility, jobs and re-commerce (Finn, Oikotie, Qasa and more).We discuss the sector-wide share price drop, the CEO's role as a salesperson for the company story, Vend's brand new autonomous AI native t
Zillow vs Compass Round 2 + Financial Results From REA Group, Realtor.com & Rightmove
In this week's news roundup, the team unpacks Zillow's antitrust lawsuit against Compass and MRED, plus Q3 financial results from REA Group, Realtor.com and Rightmove.Chapters:00:00 Intro01:17 Zillow Sues Compass & MRED22:13 REA Group Q3 2026 Results30:28 Realtor.com Q1 Renaissance41:04 Rightmove Market UpdateZillow Sues Compass & MREDZillow has filed an antitrust lawsuit against Compass and Midwe
News Roundup: Pre-Market Polarisation, Square Yards, Vend's AI Unit & Portal Comms
In this week's news roundup, Edmund Keith and Simon Baker break down four of the biggest stories from the world of real estate portals.Zillow & Realtor.com Pre-Market PartnershipZillow and Realtor.com — long-time competitors — have announced a deal to share pre-market "preview" listings, forming a rival to the Compass-Redfin pre-market network. Unlike the Compass-Redfin arrangement (which is c
News Roundup 01/05/26: Q1 Results, Savvy UK Agents + The Perfect 'And Finally'
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss this week's news from the world of real estate portals. Costar Group moves past the investor dispute as it posts a 60th consecutive quarter of double digit revenue growth, Hemnet's results are impacted by its new business model, Scout24 incorporates Fotocasa into its reporting, 'pre-market' buzz arrives in the UK and Apartments.com.au has a new admirer.
The Past, Present and Future of Building with Concrete, with Qingyang Chang, founder at ConcreteAI
Qingyang Chang is the founder at ConcreteAI, and the new holder of the title of Pitch Club winner for the PPW Bangkok conference. Qingyang joins Harvey for a wide-ranging interview covering the science and business behind ConcreteAI, cultural hurdles, expansion plans, educating the market...and a whole lot of concrete.00:00 Introduction to ConcreteAI and Conference Insights01:32 Understanding Conc
News Roundup 24/04/26: Rightmove Gets Commercial, Jinka vs Leboncoin, Immobiliare.it Taps Subito
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss the news from the world of real estate portals this week. Rightmove makes moves in commercial, a French aggregator loses its second court case, clickbait shows off Zillow's brand power and Immobiliare.it turns to Adevinta's Subito for a traffic boost.
Findings from the Global Property Portal Index, with Stuart Shapley and Fouad Bekkar
Stuart Shapley and Fouad Bekkar join Harvey and Simon for a conversation about the health of portals around the world using Coraly's new Global Portal Portal Index, which ranks portals across several key metrics including discoverability, listing quality, market experience, and innovation.00:00 - Intros02:10 - Coraly’s AI capabilities for real estate portals05:44 - The GPPI's four core dri
News Roundup 17/04/26: Casavo Pivots (Again), 25-Year-Old Portal Shuts & Domain Frees Matterport
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss the most interesting points from this week's news coverage on OnlineMarketplaces.com, including...* Casavo has announced it's third pivot and a return to iBuying* Domain has made Matterport tours free on its standard package* View.com.au is to be shut down after 25 years in the game* Zillow says it was coming up with its pre-market strategy two years ago
How Do Agents Think About Marketing? With We Are Unchained Founder, Simon Leadbetter
Simon Leadbetter is a marketing Strategist who teaches estate agents in the UK how do a better job with their marketing. He's also the person behind the influential 'The Voice of The Agent' reports, which show a clear picture of how UK agents think about their marketing... and about portals.Ed spoke to Simon about...- The report's latest findings (29% of agents spend their marketin
News Roundup, 10/04/26
Harvey and Simon get together for the weekly news roundup, featuring Zillow, REA Group and Fotocasa. There's also some AI search, data talk, and a conversation about Buyer Agents.00:00 - Intros04:20 - Share prices09:14 - Zillow's strategy with listings bans and off-market products14:16 - New ChatGPT integration for Fotocasa27:22 - REA Group’s acquisition of Neighbourlytics and data integra
AI, Data and Product at Swiss Marketplace Group, with Martin Waeber, Head of Real Estate at SMG
Martin Waeber, Head of Real Estate at SMG, joins Harvey and Simon, including an update on financials since it IPO'd last year, and the Group's thoughts on AI and Data being rolled into Product.00:00 Intros03:18 SMG basics09:08 Business Model15:18 Lead Attribution and AI Integration18:10 The Future of AI in Real Estate21:03 Data as a Competitive Advantage24:11 Sustainability and Data-Driven
News Roundup, 02/04/2026: Rightmove Sued, Zillow Vs CoStar Lawsuit, Hemnet's Bet
Harvey, Edmund and Simon get together for a breakdown of the industry's latest news, from lawsuits in the UK to multi-market challenges for CoStar Group...00:00 Introduction and Overview of the Real Estate Market01:41 Rightmove's Legal Troubles in the UK14:33 Zillow vs. CoStar Copyright Infringement Lawsuit Update25:18 Hemnet rolls out 'Sell Now, Pay Later' offer Nationwide31:35 Th
News Roundup 27/03/26: Zillow Pre-Market Scheme, More AI Product Updates, Domain Price Freeze
Ed and Harvey discuss the latest news from the world of property marketplaces, including...- Zillow's move to get with the program and offer pre-market listings- Domain's price freeze and possible layoffs- SMG's first set of results as a public company - AI products are becoming table stakesChapters00:00 Introduction and Conference Highlights03:28 Zillow's Pre-Market Listings and I
Bonus Episode: On Stage At PPW Bangkok 2026
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss what's been said on stage at the PPW Bangkok Conference 2026 including 'wicked AI' and 'babies being thrown out with the bathwater'. Apologies for the lack of video. The edit on this one was a nightmare.
Daft’s Vendor Paid Advertising Journey: With Adam Ferguson, CCO of Daft.ie
Ed is joined by Daft.ie's CCO, Adam Ferguson to talk about the challenges in the Irish housing market, the introduction of vendor paid advertising, the rollout and adoption challenges, the relationship with agents, subscription costs, competitor reaction, international adoption, AI search, bidding system, market conditions, and the impact on affordability and market dynamics.Chapters00:00 Intr
News Roundup 13/03/26: CoStar Feud, Portals Turn To AI Search, Purplebricks Founders Return
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss the latest news from around the world of real estate marketplaces. This week's topics...- CoStar's ongoing feud with activist investors gets even spicier- Portals are increasingly turning to AI for search- Purplebricks founders are set to return- The competition authorities in Czechia have clamped down on sweetheart dealsChapters00:00 Jet Lag and Commitment09:4
Where Are We With AI-Powered Real Estate Search? With Mathew Heywood, CEO of NeuralIndex
Mathew Heywood is the CEO of NeuralIndex, a specialist that helps portals turn listing photos (and other inputs) into queryable, semantically enriched data.We spoke to Mathew because NeuralIndex sponsored The State of AI-Powered Real Estate Search and because his central claim maps neatly onto what the benchmark shows: most portals can only “converse” over thin listing data unless they enrich it f
News Roundup, 27 February 2026 CoStar Q4, Trouble in Sweden
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss CoStar Group's Q4 and end of year financials, Zillow's lawsuit, an acquisition by Zoopla, Native AI Portals, and sea change in Sweden.00:00 Intros01:00 CoStar Group financials and investor call highlights17:00 Homes AI21:00 Zillow litigation update25:00 Zoopla acquisition30:00 AI-Native portals36:00 Sweden
Building Financial Infastructures for Real Estate, with Edoardo Ribichesu, CEO of Homepay
Edoardo Ribichesu, CEO at Homepay, joins Harvey and Simon for a conversation around why he is building the next generation of financial infrastructure for real estate transactions in Europe (and potentially beyond).00:00 Introduction to HomePay and the Real Estate Sector02:47 Understanding HomePay's Financial Infrastructure06:05 The Process of Real Estate Transactions in Southern Europe11:50 R
News Roundup 20/02/26 Homes.com’s Big AI Announcement and Domain Divestitures
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss Homes.com's big new AI announcement and the rapid innovation in real estate portals in general, particularly focusing on the introduction of AI search technologies. They explore the user experiences with these new tools, highlighting both their potential and limitations. The conversation also covers Domain's strategic divestments in Australia, recent acquisitio
Why Did Zumper Build An App for ChatGPT? With Anthemos Georgiades, Co-Founder & CEO of Zumper
Harvey and Ed speak to Anthemos Georgiades, the co-founder and CEO of Zumper, a leading rental marketplace in the US and Canada. They discuss Zumper's journey, the competitive landscape of the rental market, and the challenges of acquiring inventory. Anthemos shares insights into Zumper's business model, which primarily focuses on B2B revenue, and the impact of AI and technology on the rea
News Roundup 13/02/26 Financial Results for Zillow, REA, Realtor and Vend + More ChatGPT Plugins
Harvey and Ed discuss the latest financial results from major real estate companies, including Zillow, REA Group, Vend and Realtor.com. They analyze the challenges these companies face in the current market, particularly Zillow's declining share price despite positive financial results. The conversation also covers the competitive landscape in India for REA Group and the introduction of ChatGP
Stepping On Toes In South Africa, With Adriaan Grove, CEO of Entegral
Harvey and editor Ed welcome Adriaan Grove from Entegral, a South African real estate technology platform. They discuss the unique challenges and opportunities in the South African real estate market, including the impact of the competition authority's recent rulings on dominant players. Adriaan shares insights on leveraging AI for rapid development and innovation in real estate portals, as we
News Roundup 6/2/26: CoStar’s Investor Spat, QuintoAndar Invests in Rio, Leboncoin Shuts Vertical
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss everything that matters in the world of real estate marketplaces this week...- CoStar's ongoing investor spat and what the outcome might be- QuintoAndar's big push into Rio de Janeiro- Leboncoin shutters A Vendre A Louer- Rightmove's EBITDA problem00:00 Introduction and Weather Check01:48 CoStar's Board and Activist Investors04:01 The Role of Activist I
Operating From Trinidad to Mongolia: With Slava Rodriguez, Real Estate Vertical Director at Larixon
Ed and Simon are joined by Slava Rodriguez, Real Estate Vertical Director at Larixon Classifieds, a company that operates portals across five very diverse markets.They explore market entry strategies, growth metrics, competition, and the role of social media in real estate marketing. The conversation also delves into branding strategies, managing operations across multiple markets, and the potenti
News Roundup: CoStar vs Investor Feud, Hemnet’s Q4 and M&A Speculation in The UAE
Ed and Simon discuss all the biggest stories from the world of real estate portals this week (30th of January 2026). Including...- CoStar's war of words with its investor, Third Point- Hemnet's Q4 results and the Swedish market situation- Property Finder's $170M raise and potential merger00:00 Introduction to the Real Estate Marketplace News03:19 CoStar's Controversial Investment S
Is The AI Threat To Real Estate Portals Overblown? With Giles Thorne
Ed and Simon are joined by Giles Thorne (Head of European Internet Research at Jefferies) to discuss the threat posed to real estate portals by AI.They explore investment strategies, the role of private equity, and the influence of major players like Google. The conversation emphasises the need for progressive management and the potential for M&A activity to reshape the industry. The episode c
News Roundup: US Portal Wars, Casavo Rolls The Dice, Inconsistent Regulatory Outcomes
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss...- The competitive landscape involving Zillow Homes.com and Realtor.com, and the impact of AI on the industry.-The shift of Casavo from iBuying to a brokerage model- The regulatory environment affecting real estate marketplaces in France, Hungary, Austria and SwitzerlandSign up the WhatsApp group for all our content as soon as it's published https://chat.whatsapp.
From a Marketplace to 'Taking Responsibility' in Rental Management, with Andries Oudshoorn
Ed and Simon are joined by former OLX Brasil CEO, Andries Oudshoorn, to talk about his new business, Propmind.Andries shares his journey from founding Bomnegocio, Brazil's first C2C marketplace, to leading OLX Brazil, and now launching Propmind, an AI-driven rental management platform designed to simplify the complexities of rental processes in Brazil. The discussion highlights the challenges
Why Are Real Estate Portal Operators' Share Prices Plummeting? With EIV Founder, Malcolm Myers
Ed and Simon are joined by EIV Founder, Malcolm Myers to discuss the significant drops in share prices of real estate portals despite their reported revenue growth. They explore the impact of AI on the industry, investor sentiment, and the role of private equity in shaping the future of real estate portals. The conversation also delves into the challenges of cross-border M&A transactions and t
Why Google's Listings Test Matters, with Mike DelPrete
Harvey, Simon and Mike DelPrete get together for an emergency broadcast after Google appeared to test showing full property listings at the top of its search results last weekend.Expect AI, monetisation, what this means for market leaders and challengers, and more...Chapters00:00 Introductions03:43 Google's Experimentation with Real Estate Listings06:25 Understanding the MLS and Listings09:42
Using Pre-market Listings And A Unique Network To Take On Hemnet, With Boneo CEO, Fredrik Engdahl
Harvey and Ed discuss the Swedish real estate market with Fredrik Engdahl, CEO of Boneo. They explore the unique aspects of the Swedish market, including the prevalence of pre-market listings and the vendor-paid model. Fredrik explains Boneo's strategy to challenge the market leader, Hemnet, by focusing on value creation for agents and sellers. The conversation delves into the importance of ma
REA Partners with OpenAI, Zillow’s ‘No Win’ Situation, Product Updates from Hemnet & idealista + Portal Financial Roundup
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss the latest developments in the real estate marketplaces industry, focusing on REA Group's integration with OpenAI, M&A news, and market updates. They delve into Zillow's recent controversy regarding climate risk scores and highlight product innovations from various real estate portals. The conversation wraps up with insights on the upcoming conference in Ba
Traffic in Australia, Market Leadership in France, SMG Acquisition and IPO Review + Zillow Update
In this news roundup episode, Harvey and Simon discuss...Domain and REA Group Traffic Jibes, Bien'Ici's ambitious market leadership plan, Swiss Marketplace Group Acquisition post-IPO, Zillow lawsuit update, plus all the FinancialsChapters00:00 Introduction and Conference Updates04:11 Traffic Wars: Domain vs. REA Group12:01 User Experience at Domain14:59 Bien'Ici's Ambitious Goals i
Lawsuits Target Rightmove and Zillow + Results from Realtor.com, REA Group, Beike and Lifull
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss potential lawsuits against Rightmove and Zillow, the impact of AI investments on Rightmove's share price, and financial updates from major real estate companies. The conversation highlights the ongoing challenges and legal issues faced by these companies, as well as the evolving landscape of PropTech and real estate marketing.
Cutbacks at SeLoger, Yad2 Valued at $1.2 Billion, Financials Season + Is innovation Accelerating?
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss the restructuring of SeLoger in France, the potential sale of Yad2 by Aviv Group, the cancellation of Dubizzle Group's IPO, and financial highlights from major marketplaces like Scout24. The conversation also highlights emerging trends in product innovation, particularly the rise of AI search functionalities in real estate portals.
The Most Interesting Company in the Industry: Deep Diving CoStar Group’s Q3 Results
Ed, Simon and Harvey discuss CoStar Group's recent Q3 results, legal challenges with Zillow, and the growth of Homes.com. They explore the implications of AI integration in real estate, the competitive landscape, and the ongoing acquisition strategies of CoStar. The conversation highlights the contrasting business models of CoStar and Zillow, as well as the challenges and opportunities in the
Live From PropTech & Portal Watch Madrid 2025
Ed, Simon and Harvey got together in a networking break at PropTech & Portal Watch Madrid 2025 to discuss the conference, the trends speakers are bringing up and how to frame narratives as a speaker.
Operating as an Industry-Backed Market Leader with Funda CEO, Joost Dop
Ed and Simon Baker engage with Joost Dop, CEO of Funda, to explore the dynamics of the Dutch real estate market, emphasizing the importance of engagement metrics over traffic volume. They discuss the challenges of housing shortages, Funda's role in addressing these issues, and the unique ownership structure that fosters strong relationships with brokers. The conversation also delves into prici
The Big Retail Opportunity for Real Estate Portals with PropTexx CEO, Stefan Gunnarsson
Edmund and Simon are joined by Stefan Gunnarsson, CEO of PropTexx. They explore the competitive landscape of AI in real estate, the importance of user experience, and how PropTexx bridges the gap between real estate and retail. The conversation delves into customer segments, implementation challenges, and the evolving role of agents in this new ecosystem, while also addressing data privacy concern
Previewing PropTech & Portal Watch Madrid 2025
Ed, Harvey and Simon preview the upcoming PropTech & Portal Watch conference in Madrid. They discuss what attendees can expect from this year's speakers, who'll be at the event and how the narratives around the industry have shifted since last year's conference.
Why Aren’t Real Estate Portals Embracing Search Innovation? With Taha Dar, CEO of SearchSmartly
Ed and Simon are joined by SearchSmartly CEO, Taha Dar to discuss the Portal Standards Report 2025. They explore the current state of real estate portals, the importance of data and technology adoption, and the need for features like commute time search. The conversation delves into the challenges faced by portals in integrating new technologies, the role of AI in property search, and the cultural
Fourth Owner in Two Years for Fotocasa, Opendoor Madness, Zoopla Takes a Hit and Another Lawsuit for Zillow
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss significant developments in the real estate marketplace sector, including Scout24's acquisition of Fotocasa and Habitaclia, the changing ownership landscape of Idealista, and the management shakeup at Opendoor. They also cover Zoopla's financial performance, the public listing of Swiss Marketplace Group, and ongoing legal troubles faced by Zillow. The conversat
Understanding France's First AI-Powered Real Estate Marketplace - With Remy Fabre, CEO of Zefir
Harvey and Simon are joined by Remy Fabre, CEO of Zefir - a rapidly growing real estate marketplace in France. The conversation delves into Zefir's innovative use of AI to streamline the home buying and selling process, the company's business model, and the challenges faced in establishing a new category in the real estate market. Remy shares insights on recent developments, future goals,
Too Late to Start a New Portal? Scout24 Makes the DAX, Plus Our Product & Services Roundup
Ed, Simon, and Harvey discuss the latest trends and challenges in the real estate marketplace. They explore the implications of AI on property portals, the significance of virtual staging, and the success of companies like Scout24. The conversation also touches on the verticalization of marketplaces and the introduction of new tiers for real estate agents. The hosts emphasize the importance of bra
Property Finder Investment, Big Departure from REA, Hemnet’s Dilemma and OpenAI to Partner With a Portal?
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss the recent $525 million investment in Property Finder, the leadership shakeup at REA Group, and the strategic discussions between News Corp and OpenAI. The conversation also touches on Hemnet's pricing challenges in Sweden and Zillow's ongoing copyright issues.
Spaghetti Code, Credit Systems, User Profiles and a Cars Vertical - With Ingatlan.com CEO, József Keleti
Ed and Simon interview József Keleti, the leader of Ingatlan, a prominent real estate portal in Hungary. They discuss the unique characteristics of the Hungarian real estate market, the services offered by Ingatlan, and the challenges faced by real estate portals globally. The conversation delves into the auction model used for property listings, user behavior in searching for properties, and the
Revolutionising Real Estate with AI, with Coraly CEO, Fouad Bekkar
Harvey and Simon engage with Fouad Bekkar, CEO of Coraly, to discuss the transformative role of AI in the real estate industry. They explore Coraly's innovative approach to listing creation, lead management, and the challenges of integrating AI into existing systems. Fouad shares insights on funding strategies, market entry, and the importance of maintaining focus amidst numerous opportunities. Th
CoStar's Domain Purchase, SMG to Go Public? Fresh Start for Opendoor + FDV's Colombian Headache
Ed, Harvey and Simon discuss...- CoStar Group's acquisition of Domain- Rumors of Swiss Marketplace Group's potential IPO- Opendoor's financial struggles and leadership changes- A financial misappropriation incident at Frontier Digital Ventures. The conversation delves into market dynamics, investor sentiment, and the challenges faced by companies in the PropTech sector.00:00 Introduction and Conte
