Los Angeles-based home discovery platform, rila, has added a video feature to their app. The app now allows users to upload 30-second videos of their homes. This will allow agents to highlight the property’s features and engage potential buyers.
Forbes calls the rila beta app “the Instagram of real-estate” and it uses a social media interface for homebuyers and real estate agents. Buyers can contact verified agents to list their open houses and become leads.
It aims to tap into the potential of millennial real estate consumers with user-generated photos, and — with the new feature — videos.
Ben Bacal, founder and CEO of rila and Revel Real Estate said, “I am really excited about building a platform where users share homes and rila begins to help homeseekers match through content that matches exactly what they’re searching for.” Bacal is also a Beverly Hills and Bel Air agent, with more than $3B in sales and clients like celebrities.
According to the company, the app allows users to follow their targeted neighborhoods and markets to get updates on listings.
“We are opening up the doors to real estate information sharing, consumption, and understanding. Bacal said that Rila will eventually allow users the opportunity to be rewarded for helping them find their next home.
The company is also working on a proprietary matching home recommendation engine and classification engine that uses AI and machine learning.
Bacal founded Revel Real Estate under the umbrella Side, a San Francisco-based realty unicorn brokerage that raised more $200 million in funding in 2021. Bacal joined Side in 2019 after leaving Rodeo Realty.
Douglas Elliman Realty, an independent residential real estate brokerage, launched Elliman Productions (a similar content creation app that agents can use) in November 2022. It is powered by Infinite Creation. This app allows agents the ability to upload videos and photos to promote their property listings.