What SUUMO does

SUUMO is a Japan-focused residential real estate portal operated by Recruit Co., Ltd. (リクルート株式会社), one of Japan's largest information services companies. The platform aggregates nationwide property listings across all 47 prefectures and 9 regional clusters, covering rentals, new and resale condominiums, detached houses (custom-built and pre-owned), land, and renovation services. Its core technology is a web-based portal (suumo.jp) supplemented by iOS and Android mobile applications, with area-, station-, and price-based search, map integration, and embedded educational and financial tooling (mortgage simulation, housing-terms glossary, buy-vs-rent comparison content). All listed real estate companies are screened by Recruit prior to listing, providing a quality-assurance layer across both consumer and B2B supply.

Monetization is two-sided and B2B-oriented: the portal is free for consumers, while real estate companies pay listing fees to distribute properties and advertising partners pay for promotional placements. Distribution is primarily self-serve digital, augmented by physical SUUMO Counter consultation offices providing in-person advisory for custom-home and new-condominium purchases, and a financial-planner consultation service for mortgage selection. The product suite has been deliberately extended into the broader home-purchase lifecycle through adjacent services, including moving-cost comparison (SUUMO 引越見積もり), fast mortgage pre-approval (スゴい速い住宅ローン審査), and editorial content (SUUMO Journal, annual Most Desirable Areas Ranking). Specialized verticals address LGBTQ+ housing (SUUMO for LGBT) and second-home/relocation buyers (SUUMO 引退・別墅), while a sister Recruit platform, Tempodas, extends into commercial/retail real estate.

Name

SUUMO

Legal name

Recruit Co., Ltd. (リクルート株式会社)

Website

https://suumo.jp

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

SUUMO is a Japanese real estate portal operated by Recruit Co., Ltd. that aggregates nationwide residential property listings (rentals, condos, houses, land) across all 47 prefectures, monetizing through listing and advertising fees paid by real estate companies while serving individual property seekers free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Listing Fees from Real Estate Companies: Real estate companies (分譲・仲介会社) pay to list properties on the SUUMO platform. All listed companies undergo review by Recruit for credibility assurance.
2. Advertising Revenue: Revenue generated from advertising placements on the portal site, including promotional content for housing-related services and partner offerings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SUUMO operates a nationwide real estate portal that aggregates and lists residential properties for buying, selling, renting, and building from third-party real estate companies across all 47 Japanese prefectures. The platform is complemented by in-person and remote consultation services through SUUMO Counter, mortgage pre-screening tools, financial planning consultations, and moving cost estimation services. The platform monetizes through listing fees and advertising paid by real estate companies while remaining free for consumer property seekers.

Product overview

SUUMO is a comprehensive real estate portal platform operated by Recruit Co., Ltd., offering a multi-module product portfolio centered on its core property search portal. The main platform provides nationwide coverage for condominiums, detached houses, and land through dedicated sub-product sections (SUUMOマンション, SUUMO一汽ダー, SUUMO土地). The ecosystem extends to complementary services including financial consultation tools (スゴい速い住宅ローン審査), professional advisory services (スーモカウンター), moving estimates (SUUMO 引越見積もり), and editorial content (スーモジャーナル). The platform also includes specialized vertical services for LGBT users and second-home seekers, plus mobile applications for on-the-go access. Key differentiators include geographic coverage across all 47 Japanese prefectures, property verification through Recruit's screening process, and integration with broader Recruit Group services including commercial real estate (Tempodas) and moving services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SUUMO Portal (スーモポータル) Comprehensive real estate portal website providing nationwide property listings for buying, selling, and renting residential properties including condominiums, houses, and land, covering all 47 Japanese prefectures.
• SUUMO Counter (スーモカウンター) In-person and remote consultation service staffed by real estate advisors who provide guidance on home purchasing, custom builds, and investment properties at physical counter locations.
• SUUMO Home & Money Consultation (スーモ家とお金の相談) Free financial planning consultation service connecting users with certified financial planners to discuss mortgage selection and funding strategies for home purchases.
• Quick Home Loan Screening (スゴい速い住宅ローン審査) Fast-track mortgage pre-approval service that provides screening results from multiple financial institutions within minutes via Recruit's finance platform.
• SUUMO Moving Estimates (スーモ引越し見積もり) Moving cost estimation service that allows users to compare quotes from multiple moving companies to find competitive pricing for residential moves.
• SUUMO Mobile Apps (スーモアプリ) Free iPhone and Android mobile applications enabling users to search properties, save favorites, and access SUUMO services on mobile devices.
• Tempodas Commercial real estate listing platform operated by Recruit for store and retail spaces, featuring area-based search for business locations.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Real Estate Companies (Realtors and Developers)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAll real estate companies listed on SUUMO undergo Recruit's review process to ensure credibility. These companies distribute their property listings through the SUUMO platform, reaching millions of property-seeking consumers nationwide.
• Recruit Co., Ltd. (リクルート)coreOthersSUUMO is operated by Recruit Co., Ltd., one of Japan's largest information services companies. Recruit provides operational infrastructure, technology platform support, and brand backing.
• 積水ハウス (Sekisui House)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSekisui House, one of Japan's largest home builders, lists land and property listings on SUUMO. The company operates community housing developments listed on the platform across multiple regions.
• Real Estate Information Site Operator Liaison Council (不動産情報サイト事業者連絡協議会)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSUUMO is approved as a site operating under the voluntary self-regulation rules for information disclosure established by the Real Estate Information Site Operator Liaison Council.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Zillow: Zillow is the largest U.S. residential real estate portal with comparable marketplace dynamics — listings from agents, advertising revenue, integrated mortgage products, and consumer-facing home search. It is the closest global comparable to SUUMO's business model, though in a different geography.
• Rakumen (楽天市場 real estate / Rakuten LIFULL Stay): Rakuten is a large Japanese internet conglomerate with adjacent real estate and housing-related offerings and significant consumer reach. While not a pure-play property portal, its scale, loyalty ecosystem, and financial services create competitive overlap with SUUMO's portal/advertising model.
• Realtor.com: Realtor.com is a major U.S. residential real estate portal operated by Move, Inc. (a News Corp subsidiary). Its listing-based business model and integration with multiple listing services provide a comparable blueprint to SUUMO's agent/developer listing model.

Direct peers

• Yahoo! Real Estate (Yahoo!不動産): Yahoo! Real Estate leverages Yahoo Japan's massive consumer traffic to provide property search across rentals and purchases. It is a direct competitor to SUUMO with strong SEO/portal advantages and growing share in the Japanese online real estate market.
• Immobilienscout24: Immobilienscout24 is Germany's leading real estate portal with consumer property search and paid agent listings. It mirrors SUUMO's marketplace dynamics and broad residential coverage in a European context.
• Doorsteps / Zoopla: Zoopla is a major UK residential property portal combining listings, valuations, and agent connections. Its marketplace model and integrated tools (similar to SUUMO Counter and mortgage calculator) make it a close international comparator.
• at home (アットホーム): at home is a long-standing Japanese real estate portal operated by AtHome Co., Ltd., serving consumers searching for rentals and for-sale properties with broad coverage of agencies and listings. It competes directly with SUUMO for consumer traffic and real estate company listings.
• Rightmove: Rightmove is the UK's leading residential property portal, monetizing primarily through agent listing fees and advertising. Its dominant market position and portal-led monetization mirror SUUMO's business model in the Japanese market.
• LIFULL HOME'S: LIFULL HOME'S is Japan's other major residential real estate portal, offering property search across rentals, purchases, condos, and detached houses nationwide. It is the most direct head-to-head competitor to SUUMO in the Japanese consumer property search market.
• Idealista: Idealista is the leading real estate portal in Spain, Portugal, and Italy, offering consumer property search and agent listings. Its model of paid agent placements and consumer-first search is highly comparable to SUUMO's marketplace approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/suumo.jp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SUUMO