Rich Media in Real Estate: Turning Photos, Video, and AI Into Trust, Demand, and Data

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At the International MLS Forum (IMLSF), the “Rich Media in Real Estate” panel explored a fundamental shift underway in the global property industry: media is no longer just visual marketing—it has become structured data, an economic engine, and a trust asset.

Moderated by Antoni Costa, COO of Restb.ai, the discussion brought together technology leaders who are redefining how images, video, voice, and AI reshape the real estate experience for MLSs, associations, agents, and ultimately, consumers.

Panelists

• Pawel Rajszel, CEO & Founder, Roomvo

• Sam Mehrbod, CEO & Co‑Founder, Roomvu

• Kurtis Cicalo, CEO, VoiceFlip

From Visuals to Data: The Evolution of Rich Media

For decades, real estate photos and videos functioned as digital brochures—designed primarily for human viewing. That era is over.

Today, media assets are becoming machine-readable, structured, and intelligent. In the United States alone, more than 100 million real estate-related digital assets were uploaded each month last year. Inside those images lies vast untapped data—about space, features, quality, and value—that can now be unlocked using AI.

As Antoni Costa emphasized, this shift is not merely technical; it’s economic. Rich media is becoming a core driver of engagement, efficiency, and revenue across the real estate ecosystem.

Immersive Experiences That Drive Demand

Pawel Rajszel, Roomvo

At Roomvo, Pawel Rajszel explained how listing photos are evolving into interactive, immersive experiences. Roomvo transforms standard listing images into visualizations that allow consumers to explore different flooring, wall colors, and interior styles—turning passive browsing into active engagement.

The results are compelling:

• Consumers spend significantly more time interacting with listings

• Engagement translates into higher appointment bookings

• Listings sell faster and with greater buyer confidence

Roomvo’s AI requires surprisingly little initial data—even low-quality images can be transformed into immersive experiences. As more structured data is added, those experiences become even more accurate and valuable.

Beyond demand generation, Roomvo also unlocks new revenue streams by integrating real, purchasable decor products from retailers and manufacturers directly into visualizations—creating non-dues revenue opportunities for MLSs and portals.

Authenticity at Scale: Social Media Meets AI

Sam Mehrbod, Roomvu

While immersive visuals capture attention, authenticity builds trust. That’s where Roomvu comes in.

Sam Mehrbod, CEO & Co‑Founder of Roomvu, shared how his company supports more than 400,000 real estate agents across North America by helping them create social media content that feels genuinely personal—not templated or “cookie cutter.”

Roomvu uses AI to:

• Personalize listing content with an agent’s voice, tone, and branding

• Increase engagement by making content feel human and authentic

• Dramatically boost performance—Sam shared that engagement can increase by up to 200% when content reflects the agent’s real voice and presence.

Sam also highlighted a critical industry challenge: lead follow-up. Despite generating hundreds of thousands of leads, only about 3% are consistently followed up by agents. AI-powered outreach—such as video messages and automated nurturing—can bridge this gap, ensuring that valuable leads don’t go to waste.

Trust, Accuracy, and the Single Source of Truth

Kurtis Cicalo, VoiceFlip

As media and content grow richer, trust becomes more important than ever—especially in an era of deepfakes and digital noise.

Kurtis Cicalo, CEO of VoiceFlip, addressed this challenge from the MLS and association perspective. VoiceFlip is an AI-powered customer support platform that trains small, purpose-built language models on an organization’s own data—ensuring accuracy without hallucination.

Key benefits include:

• 24/7 member support across multiple communication channels

• Reduced call volume for associations and MLS staff

• Faster, more consistent access to authoritative information

By positioning MLSs and associations as the single source of truth, VoiceFlip ensures that accurate, trusted data flows downstream—from organizations to agents, and ultimately to consumers.

Unlocking “Dark Data” and Improving Discoverability

One of the most compelling themes of the panel was data accessibility. Many valuable property attributes—such as water views, layout details, or neighborhood features—often exist in photos but never make it into searchable listing fields.

AI-powered platforms are now helping to:

• Extract hidden insights from images and media

• Make properties more discoverable through natural language queries

• Provide instant answers to agents and consumers in the field

As Kurtis Cicalo noted, organizations don’t lack data—they lack easy access to it. AI removes friction by allowing users to simply ask questions and receive immediate, accurate answers.

AI and the Agent: Augmentation, Not Replacement

Despite concerns about automation, the panelists were unanimous: AI will not replace real estate professionals—it will empower them.

• AI handles repetitive tasks, data retrieval, and lead nurturing

• Agents focus on what matters most: relationships, guidance, and trust

• Productivity increases while working hours decrease

As Pawel Rajszel succinctly put it:

“AI will not replace agents—but agents who use AI will replace those who don’t.”

Looking Ahead: The Future of Rich Media in Real Estate

Looking three to five years ahead, panelists agreed on several trends:

• Richer, more interactive media will become a consumer expectation

• Data-driven efficiency will reshape MLSs, brokerages, and associations

• Attention will become scarcer as content volume explodes

• Structured, high-quality data will remain the foundation for innovation

No matter how listings are consumed in the future, one truth remains constant: well-structured, trusted data makes everything possible.

Final Takeaway

The “Rich Media in Real Estate” panel made one thing clear: photos, video, and AI are no longer just marketing tools. They are data assets, trust builders, and growth engines for the global real estate industry.

At IMLSF, these conversations continue to shape how MLSs, associations, and technology leaders collaborate to build a more transparent, efficient, and consumer-focused marketplace—powered by data, enriched by media, and strengthened by trust.