Collins: Will AI replace your human real estate agent?

While many artificial tools can help with home searches, can artificial intelligence truly replace the personal judgment and local expertise of a human Realtor?

Despite its endless capabilities, AI has clear boundaries. AI excels at delivering broad market data, but it falls short when analyzing specific micro-market nuances. Realtors, especially those who leverage AI tools, combine data-driven research with firsthand experience to offer a comprehensive view of market dynamics, explaining why two similar homes in the same area might sell at vastly different prices.

AI also cannot conduct a physical walkthrough or point out property details that directly impact a buyer. Nothing replaces the insight gained from years of active real estate practice, which is vital when navigating one of life’s major financial decisions. A knowledgeable Realtor helps determine whether a wall crack is a minor cosmetic fix or an indicator of structural foundation problems, or if plumbing issues and moisture signal a critical concern such as mold. These are just a few ways an experienced Realtor adds indispensable value to the process.

A recent example highlights the practical limits of AI in real estate: celebrity Realtor Ryan Serhant, in a CNBC-featured posting, recounted how ChatGPT gave conflicting recommendations about the price of a property. When the seller utilized ChatGPT, the advice was that the property was underpriced, but the prospective buyer’s use of the same tool resulted in an assessment that the property was overpriced. This inconsistency underscores a critical weakness in AI-generated advice, highlighting the system’s reliance on input data and potential interpretive bias depending on the user’s prompts.

Such discrepancies demonstrate that AI lacks uniformity and contextual understanding, often generating contradictory outcomes based on similar information. Michael Gordon, the 2026 president of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, argues this is precisely why humans must deliberately slow down, ask probing questions and rely on intuition and professional judgment.

AI tends to generate answers designed to reflect perceived user expectations and can reinforce biases present in its training data or user queries. Therefore, fact-checking and double-checking AI-generated recommendations with expert professionals remains essential, as only individuals with real-world insight and contextual expertise can clarify nuanced market differences and explain how advice should be applied to each unique situation.

Ultimately, the Realtor of the future is envisioned not just as a conduit of information, but as an advisor possessing both emotional intelligence and institutional knowledge, thus guiding clients skillfully through one of the most impactful financial decisions of their lives.

San José Spotlight columnist Neil Collins is CEO of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors, a trade association representing more than 6,000 real estate professionals in Santa Clara County and surrounding areas. Contact Neil at [email protected].