RealReports and Restb.ai announced a partnership on Tuesday to integrate appraisal-grade property insights into multiple listing service (MLS)-facing tools.

First Multiple Listing Service (FMLS) in Georgia and MLS Now in Ohio will be among the first MLS organizations to offer the technology to members. FMLS serves 57,000 members across Georgia and the Southeast while MLS Now covers 32 counties in Ohio.

he collaboration incorporates Restb.ai’s image analysis into RealReports’ product suite — allowing agents to access condition-aware property comparisons and improved visual presentations.

The integration enhances both RealReports’ free Snapshot Report and its premium Seller Report, leaders said.

“Today agents win more business by translating data into insights their clients can trust,” said James Rogers, CEO and co-founder of RealReports. “By pairing RealReports’ AI-powered property reports with Restb.ai’s appraisal-grade image analysis, we’re delivering an entirely new dimension of local expertise that has never been available to agents before.”

Rogers said AI-generated assessments of property conditions and quality allow agents to provide more precise comparisons, communicate value and build client confidence.

For MLS members, the integration adds two main features:

• Snapshot Report (free): Reports will display photos in a cleaner, more intuitive format at no extra cost.
• Seller Report (premium): Reports include Restb.ai’s Condition and Quality scores, improved comparables, and “property snapshots” highlighting exterior, interior, kitchen and bathroom photos. Agents can now compare properties side by side with enhanced visual context.

“By integrating these next-generation reports into our technology suite, we’re delivering to our members AI-driven analysis that go far beyond traditional property data,” said Jeremy Crawford, president and CEO of FMLS. “Condition and quality insight empowers them to present clients with a level of clarity and confidence that sets our members apart in today’s competitive market.”

Garry Marsoubian, president and CEO of MLS Now, said the technology is bringing immediate value for his members.

“By partnering with leading industry technology providers, MLS Now is powering progress by giving members best-in-class property comparisons that deliver visual validation and condition-based context,” he said. “We’re helping members build trust faster, guide smarter decisions, and deliver tomorrow’s advantage today.”

Nathan Brannen, chief product officer at Restb.ai, detailed how technology long used by appraisers will benefit agents.

“Condition and quality have long been the largest blind spots creating a disconnect between a seller truly understanding their home’s value compared to other recent sales,” Brannen said. “By embedding these insights into RealReports, we’re helping redefine how agents can effortlessly communicate a seller’s opportunity, win more trust, and quarterback better-informed decisions.”

Bathurst’s famed Mount Panorama race circuit. Picture: Robert Cianflone

Investors have fled the high price points and low rental yields of metropolitan suburbs for new opportunities in the regions, a new report has revealed.

And inquiry levels in country towns are jumping as a result.

Raine & Horne’s financial services arm, Our Broker, reports investor interest across regional NSW has spiked by 20–30 per cent over the past year, with hotspots including Bathurst, Young, Inverell and Casino firmly on the radar.

Craig Betalli, senior broker at Our Broker, says cheaper money has forced investors to rethink where their capital is best deployed. “Lower borrowing costs have given investors more confidence, and many are asking how they can maximise the benefit of those cuts,” he said. “Regional markets offer a compelling answer, with investors able to get more bang for their buck while tapping into strong rental demand and higher yields.”

PropTrack data shows Sydney’s median house price has hit $1.5 million with gross yields at 2.77 per cent. Regional NSW, by comparison, has a median of about $800,000 and average yields of 4.2 per cent – often considerably higher in pockets where demand and affordability intersect.

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A typical home in Casino usually sells for about $500,000.

Kate Morgan, principal of Raine & Horne Casino, says the Northern Rivers town is buzzing with investor demand, but stock is scarce.

“We’re fielding strong inquiries, but the challenge is a lack of homes coming to market,” she said.

A three-bedroom home in Casino typically sells for about $500,000 and rents for $480–500 a week, delivering yields of around 5 per cent. Larger family homes are especially sought-after. “For owners considering selling, now is an ideal time to take advantage of high demand and limited supply,” Morgan added.

Further inland, the New England region has been attracting out-of-towners chasing large rental returns.

“In places like Inverell, yields north of 7 per cent are still achievable,” said Nellie Hayes, principal of Raine & Horne Armidale/Glen Innes. She points to a recent $480,000 sale in Inverell renting for $700 a week – a 7.5 per cent return.

In Glen Innes, where a $370,000 cottage was recently snapped up, investors are collecting weekly rents of about $400, equating to 5.6 per cent yields.

“The sweet spot is that $450,000 –$500,000 range,” Hayes said. “Open homes are packed with investors, and properties are being snapped up quickly.”

Craig Betalli says lower borrowing costs have given investors more confidence.

In Bathurst, investors have returned after a long absence, according to director Grant Maskill-Dowton.

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“Over a six-month stretch, I could count investor sales on one hand,” he said. “But in the past two months, the tide has definitely turned.”

With a near-zero vacancy rate of just 0.05 per cent, Bathurst offers strong confidence for yield-seekers, with low risk of vacancy for investment properties. A $700,000 home can rent for around $600 a week, while two-bedroom units in the mid-$400,000s can deliver close to 5 per cent returns.

Maskill-Dowton says open homes are drawing serious buyers, including Sydney-based investors making the trip west. “They’re asking the right questions about rent returns, vacancy rates and cash flow,” he said. “It shows investors are back in the market and doing their homework.”

The post Investor hotspots revealed in new report by Our Broker appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Australia’s regional communities hold more appeal than ever for Aussies in search of a comfortable lifestyle. But when it comes to looking for housing, there’s a type of home that people want, but the regions often lack. 

Housing supply in most communities across both regional and metropolitan Australia is in short supply – something that anyone searching to buy or rent knows well. 

When it comes to housing in regional communities, residents or new movers looking for homes will find not only that the available homes limited, but that they are often all of one sort: detached homes with three or more bedrooms. 

It’s understandable that in communities with fewer constraints on land supply, that space has been taken advantage of and detached homes have been the focus of building. 

But it also means that for some considering living in the regions, it can feel like the homes aren’t built for them. 

Data from the 2021 census and the Regional Australia Institute shows that communities in regional Australia are much less likely to have one- and two-bedroom properties available, compared to in metropolitan areas. 

In terms of overall proportion of housing stock, only 11% of homes in regional areas were either studios or one-bedrooms, compared to 15% in the cities.  

That gap widens for two-bedroom homes, with 28% of the housing stock in the regions but 34% in metropolitan areas. 

When it comes to three or more bedrooms, the trend flips. In regional Australia, 61% of homes contain three or more bedrooms, while that’s just 51% of the stock in metro areas. 

The disparity is housing diversity is particularly pronounced when it comes to the rental market.  

Across capital cities, nearly half the rental stock is made up of one- and two-bedroom homes. In regions, one- and two-bedroom homes account for less than 40%. 

What this also indicates is that houses are the dominant type of home in regions. 

Beyond the fact that some residents might not need a home of three-bedrooms or above, there’s also the fact that regardless of bedroom size, there are material reasons why some might prefer to live in a townhome or unit complex – which will typically be those smaller-sized homes – and not in a detached house. 

The Regional Australia Institute pointed to young professionals, key workers on major regional construction projects, and older people as cohorts that might prioritise smaller properties as well as lower-maintenance homes. 

Those looking for apartments or townhomes in many of the regions, however, will find far fewer properties to choose from. Across regional Australia, 81 per cent of the housing stock is detached housing.  

What is also evident is that despite the desire for smaller homes in regional areas, current building trends show that if change is coming, it’s happening only slowly. 

Analysis of Australian Bureau of Statistics’ approvals data and the latest census by the Regional Australia Institute indicated that detached housing approvals in 2024 accounted for only a marginally smaller share of all homes coming through the pipeline than what has been the case over the long term. 

Across regional Australia, 72% of the dwellings approved in the 2024 calendar year were for detached houses, compared to the long-running average of 77%. 

Notable exceptions include regional cities like Newcastle and the Gold Coast, where non-detached housing is the majority form of new homes being approved. 

But why are more multi-dwelling builds not coming to the regions beyond these hotspots? If demand is there, why not build? 

The Regional Australia Institute points to a number of systemic barriers that – as they hear from communities and private entities alike – are hampering multi-dwelling developments. 

One is that the enabling infrastructure needed to get these projects on the ground often has a prohibitively high per-dwelling costs. This contributes to making the cost of building unviable.  

Higher construction costs and longer build times driven by skills and materials shortages are also impacting the bottom line for builders, pushing multi-dwelling projects into the territory of financially unviable, whereas land estates have different realities in terms of sales and cash flow. 

Are you interested in learning more about Australia’s new homes? Check out our dedicated section.

The post The housing trend that’s making some reconsider regional living appeared first on realestate.com.au.

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