The era of the AI home broker approaches
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
With the breakup of the NAR cartel, the biggest potential disruption in the real estate industry is if buyers' brokers are replaced by AI bots.
The big picture: A well-trained AI would probably provide a better, more reliable service than most human brokers — at a tiny fraction of the cost.
Where it stands: The U.S. has what Business Insider has described as "a glut of mediocre Realtors" who are "screwing over homebuyers."
- As many as 2.8 million Americans are licensed as brokers, and even the National Association of Realtors said in a 2015 report that "the real estate industry is saddled with a large number of part-time, untrained, unethical, and/or incompetent agents."
What's next: An AI trained on the actions of very good brokers would be able to forward new listings to clients within seconds of them appearing; would be up to speed on the plethora of documents and payments that need to be brought to a closing; and could answer questions in an approachable, conversational style 24 hours a day.
- While a robot couldn't go on home visits, it could certainly recommend local surveyors and other home inspectors.
The bottom line: While buyers' agents do provide some value to buyers, it's never been clear that the value to the buyer is remotely commensurate with the amount they are paid.
- If a robot can provide 80% of the value at 1% of the price, that's a bargain many Americans might find very attractive.
