Analytics
Real Estate and Digital Solutions: What's Missing in Today's App Market?
Hello! My name is Alexander Prokhorov, and I've dedicated over 10 years to the real estate industry. During this time, I've encountered numerous technologies promising to revolutionize the market, but honestly, not all of them delivered. Today, I want to talk about the existing applications and solutions in the real estate market, what it lacks, and where the potential for new developments lies. Let's discuss seriously, but with a hint of irony — after all, even digitalization deserves a smile.
What's Already on the Market?
Let’s start with the classics—real estate search apps. Each country has its favorites, enabling developers and everyday users to conveniently search and compare properties. Among the well-known and recognized apps, noteworthy ones include:
  • -1-
    Zillow (USA)
    A market leader covering millions of properties across America, with over 220 million users per month. That's the power of digitalization! The average user spends about 15 minutes on the app — enough to find a future home, even if it's less than the endless scrolling on TikTok. In 2023, the company earned around $2.3 billion, with each user generating about $10-12 per month through ads and additional services.
  • -2-
    Rightmove (UK)
    The most popular service in the UK, with around 135 million monthly users. Rightmove generates about £430 million (roughly $550 million) annually, with each user contributing around $3-4 via ads and premium subscriptions for agents. This is quite impressive, considering the British love stability and tradition.
  • -3-
    Idealista (Spain and Italy)
    A favorite in southern Europe, appreciated for its convenience, simplicity, and additional features like maps showing public transport locations and neighborhood price reviews. With over 50 million users per month, the company earns about €120 million annually, with each user generating about $2-3.
Conclusion
These services are in demand, confirming that people prefer to see all real estate information in one place rather than bouncing from agent to agent or browsing endless ads on listings.
Smart Homes: Myth or Reality?
To be fair, we can’t overlook smart home management apps. Technology today allows us not only to choose a property but to make it “smart.” This market is well-established:
  • -1-
    Google Nest and Amazon Alexa
    Essential tools for lazy homeowners, enabling control of lighting, heating, and appliances from a single smartphone. The USA and South Korea lead in adopting these solutions. Alexa has over 100 million users, while Google Nest serves over 80 million people, with each user generating around $5-7 per month through subscriptions and additional services.
  • -2-
    Apple HomeKit
    A stylish option for those loyal to their iPhones, offering easy setup, integration with other Apple devices, and smart home functionality in one app. HomeKit has about 60 million users, each spending approximately $6-8 monthly on subscriptions and connected devices.
Interesting Numbers
Smart home apps are actively developing, with the global smart home solutions market estimated at $79 billion in 2024 and projected to grow to $135 billion by 2028. The average user spends $30-50 per month, including devices and services.
Where’s the Gap and What Can We Do About It?
Now, dear readers, the most intriguing part. What’s not talked about at conferences and doesn’t make headlines yet? There are niches in the real estate market waiting for their Uber or at least a Tesla.
Business Center Management:
Where Are Our “One-Click” Solutions?
If you own a business center, you know the challenges of managing such a massive operation. Tenants change, expenses fluctuate, and rent rates go up and down. What to do with all of this? Most solutions on the market are complex systems that require a dedicated specialist to set up. But why hasn’t anyone offered a simple app that could, like an Apple Watch, show your business activity in numbers and charts? Here are some ideas for such apps:
  • -1-
    Dashboard with Key Metrics
    Income, expenses, space turnover—all in a convenient format and in real-time. User-friendly dashboards with instant access to current tenant information, projected revenue, and contract statuses could make management genuinely efficient.
  • -2-
    Automated Rent Monitoring
    Does anyone still do this manually? With this approach, we might as well still be fueling steam engines with coal. A service that tracks market changes and automatically suggests rent adjustments would be valuable.
Interactive Real Estate Investment Management Solutions
It would be great to manage business centers, track asset conditions, and forecast profits and expenses all in one place so that no essential chart slips past you. It’s like playing chess, but where you can see all the opponent’s moves.
Digitalization: Miracle or Deception?
"Digitalization will save the world!" they shout from all sides. But is it true? It undoubtedly opens new opportunities, simplifies processes, and saves time, but perfection is far from reach. Even smart systems sometimes fail (like the time my smart home locked me outside because it "forgot" my face—it was quite the adventure at 2 AM).

The problem isn’t in the technology itself but in our understanding of how to use it properly. We can create fantastic solutions, but it’s essential that they are user-friendly and accessible to everyone—from managers to homemakers.
What’s Next?
The future promises more integrations and new possibilities. But the most crucial factor will be simplicity and convenience. Who wants to navigate complex systems when everything could be solved with one click? Ultimately, everything is moving towards creating ecosystems where everything—from searching for a property to managing it—can be done in one app.

So, we eagerly await who will take the next step. Meanwhile, we prepare for new challenges, continue using tried-and-true solutions, and... hope that our smart homes won’t lock us out again.