Microsoft’s next big push into the real estate world could be the Internet giant.
Jeff Bezos is reportedly developing a real estate app to compete with Google’s ReLive.
The news comes as ReLive, the virtual reality app Microsoft acquired last year, enters its second quarter, according to a Bloomberg report.
That report cites an unnamed source who said the new app is “just a preview.”
ReLive is reportedly in beta and is being built by real estate firm Real Estate Solutions, which specializes in real estate development.
Amazon’s ReLife app already has a suite of tools, including the ability to rent out properties, and it allows users to create “bonds” to make their home more affordable.
ReLive also allows users the ability not only to view property information but also to make purchases.
Realty Solutions also has been working with the Seattle-based startup Fidelity Investments on its real estate investment platform, and the company has been heavily investing in real-estate investments in Seattle.
ReLife is reportedly working on a “personal-assistance app” that would let users make mortgage payments and other financial decisions.
Bezos’ real estate company would also have a presence in Seattle, as the Seattle Times reported on Wednesday, citing the anonymous source.
Amazon currently has no plans to release a standalone real estate application, according the paper, but the company does have a real-time real-money brokerage service.
“There’s no way to be able to buy a property without having a broker.
Amazon has got a lot of people with real estate experience and a lot that’s working on it,” a source told the paper.
“I’m sure Amazon would be interested in taking ReLive and putting it into a service like ReLive would.”
Bezos has been trying to build a real real-life estate business for years.
In 2013, he partnered with a group of investors to buy and develop Seattle’s former waterfront waterfront, which he named Amazon Field.
He has also invested heavily in the Seattle tech scene, and Amazon has been a key investor in Seattle-area businesses.
“He’s not the first guy to think about building a business around virtual reality,” the source told Bloomberg.
“It’s just a matter of when.”