Alma Media has released a new-look financial analysis for its Q1 2024 results. Highlights include: Adjusted operating profit decreased by 5.2% in an uncertain operating environment. Revenues reach €76.2M, up 1.2% year-on-year Classified revenues decreased slightly, from €30.7M in 2023 to €30.2M in 2024 Alma Marketplaces experienced decreased profitability, but revenues increased 10.5% YoY Kai Telanne, President and CEO at Alma Media, said: "Alma Media’s business developed well in the first quarter in spite of the subdued operating environment. Revenue was on a par with the comparison period ..read more

This week's product roundup includes another great initiative from Domclick—the second in consecutive weeks. And interestingly, we've spotted three big moves in Germany in the past week alone. Meanwhile, it's not quite a product update from Dubizzle, but they have shared some solid numbers that we thought were worth sharing. In France, SeLoger has earned praise from a French real estate developer, and there's a new AI search tool in Iraq.   ImmoScout24 partners with Keller Williams for realtor membership services The German branch of the United States-based real estate franchisor Keller W ..read more

US number two portal Realtor.com has announced a new marketing campaign that will champion the value and skills of independent buyer agents against the backdrop of industry-shifting lawsuits. Realtor.com's campaign will pitch itself as the friend of buyer agents in the United States, who have come under increased scrutiny for charging commissions to property sellers. Multiple, multi-million dollar commission lawsuits continue to dominate the real estate industry in the US, and Realtor.com will take a punt on framing itself as a friend to agents by highlighting a "111 item to-do list that an in ..read more

We have spotted some C-suite comings and going this week, starting with...   Fang CFO resigns Peng Cui has resigned from his position as CFO at Chinese portal Fang to pursue other opportunities, after two years in the role. Richard Jiangong Dai, chairman of the board, commented: "I want to thank Peng for his leadership and his many contributions to Fang through this period of unprecedented change. "He has played an important role helping the company to get through the tough times while building a strong finance team with deep expertise, and I remain as confident as ever in the future of ..read more

Singapore is well known for its obsession with property and the market dynamics there are pretty unique...   There can't be many markets in the world in which there are more real estate agents than transactions in a year. Even the US market, which is swamped with part-time agents, has a better ratio than the Lion City. In a nation with 35,251 agents looking to catch a commission, there were only 19,044 transactions registered by the Singaporean government in 2023.   Agents chasing their Dream Commission On average each agent in Singapore gets one transaction commission every two yea ..read more

U.K. hybrid agency Strike, which acquired (and subsequently rebranded as) Purplebricks last year, recorded operating losses of $23.5M according to filings submitted to Companies House on 11 April 2024. Highlights include: Strike/Purplebricks achieved a turnover of £13.2M, a 65% YoY increase Operating losses reached £18.9M ($23.6M) Total losses were steady at £19.7M (£19.8M in 2022) EBITDA losses narrowed by 4% Regarding the acquisition of Purplebricks, which went through for a nominal fee of £1 last year, Strike said there remains "a compelling opportunity for the business to significantly d ..read more

South Korean portal operator ZigBang boosted its sales by an impressive 47% YoY worth approximately $93.8M, according to a 2023 audit. However, operating losses grew to KRW40.8 billion ($29.5M)—driven by the cost of integrating the Samsung Home IoT business, acquired in 2022, into the business. Jason Ahn, founder and CEO at ZigBang, said: "Last year, we focused on laying the foundation for business growth with the goal of securing financial soundness. "This year we plan to further strengthen our affiliate brokerage business and smart home products. The results of the audit should be favourab ..read more

Peng Cui has resigned from his position as CFO at Chinese portal Fang after two years in the role, to pursue other opportunities. Richard Jiangong Dai, chairman of the board, commented: "I want to thank Peng for his leadership and his many contributions to Fang through this period of unprecedented change. "He has played an important role helping the company to get through the tough times while building a strong finance team with deep expertise, and I remain as confident as ever in the future of Fang. On behalf of the board of directors and all Fang stakeholders, I want to wish Peng all the be ..read more

Zillow's TV show will launch in May for broadcast on HGTV. After the major success of its Zillow Gone Wild Instagram account—wherein wacky, unusual or otherwise notable listings on Zillow are shared on social media for clout—the TV show was announced in 2023 but details have been scarce since. But now it has been announced that the new show, also named Zillow Gone Wild, will debut on May 3rd 2024, and pit a selection of "wild" properties against each other across multiple episodes, with an overall winner being named in June's season finale. Zillow Gone Wild has 1.9 million followers on In ..read more

Two very different stories in our people roundup this week, starting with big news coming out of Japan...   Lifull opens (and fills) Chief Legal Officer position and appoints six departmental CEOs Japanese marketplace operator Lifull has made a significant reshuffle at the top of the business, appointing new Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Arisa Hirashima to improve the company's legal functions. Meanwhile, Lifull has appointed six new CEOs for Lifeful Homes (Homes.co.jp) to more closely manage business units. Yuji Ito, CEO and president at Lifull, said: "In order to realize the team managemen ..read more