We’ve all experienced take-it-or-leave-it tech: Systems and platforms that some real estate agents swear by and other agents ignore. Maybe it makes you more productive (if you use it consistently), but it’s no real loss if you don’t.
That’s not the case with artificial intelligence. As the consumers you’re working with increasingly adopt AI in their own professional lives, it’s accelerating their expectations. They know how workflows can improve with AI integrations, so “I don’t use AI” is increasingly becoming a liability.
I recently talked with James Harris, principal at Beverly Hills-based boutique brokerage Carolwood Estates and former cast member of Bravo’s Million Dollar Listing, about why AI won’t level the playing field in real estate — it will widen the gap between average and elite agents, separating those who use technology to sharpen their professional edge from those who fall behind.
AI’s first use isn’t lead gen; it’s competence
According to Harris, the rise of real estate AI and the vast amount of content available online and on social media means that generic real estate content no longer moves the needle. Real estate professionals must “give the consumer something they can’t get themselves.”
“We’re in such a big world of tech and AI and 80% of our consumers are using AI every day,” Harris said. “They’re three steps ahead of us, so you’ve got to be five steps ahead of them.”
The question to ask yourself? “What can I deliver to a client that they can’t get themselves?” he said. That’s what makes you irreplaceable and ensures that clients need you.
For most agents, that comes down to in-depth market knowledge, dialed in comps and specialty tech tools that offer value-added insights clients simply can’t find on Zillow or from Google.
It also means tailored listing and buyer presentations that include specifics that differentiate your vision for the transaction. His new AI operating system tool, Breezy, combines with UnderBuilt, a proprietary data platform that identifies untapped development opportunities, to ensure that every presentation stands out from the competition.
With integrated branding and marketing collateral, agents can generate a property-specific custom report that would have previously taken hours or days to research and design.
Human vs. machine should be strategic
One of the biggest mistakes Harris identifies is that agents too often use AI for the “busy work” that’s based in communication and relationship-building. “Do you let it write the email and look like a machine?” he asks, instead of letting it do more of the behind-the-scenes busy work.
Human follow-through and communication that sounds like you is essential for making AI work in your business. Efficiency is only useful if it increases personal contact, rather than putting it on the back burner.
The more organized and prepared you are, with the help of your tech tools, the more you can use that time to solidify and nurture relationships through personal outreach and face time.
Data ownership is the next power battle
While you may love your brokerage’s tech stack, technological independence is an increasingly important aspect of long-term professional planning. Industry consolidation means that even if you stay put, you can’t be sure you’ll be able to use the systems you’ve bought into at your current brokerage.
Harris believes that tech should be “agnostic,” and that agents shouldn’t have to rely on their brokerage’s tech stack. “Our entire industry is changing every week, every month — whether it’s another brokerage being acquired or [the National Association of Realtors] has a new rule or something has changed.”
For Harris, “Technology shouldn’t hold you prisoner to any system or any company.”
Time is the real currency for work-life balance
Too often, tech saves time on one task but takes up even more time by forcing agents to toggle between disconnected platforms, copy and paste data across systems, and manage the friction of tools that don’t actually talk to each other. In Harris’ view, it’s time to make tech give time back to agents.
“As a father of two children, as a married man, what I’ve realized is you can’t get back time,” he said. “And I know this is going deep, but, I don’t want to get to the point where my children are 20, 25, and I look back and I’m like, ‘Shit, I didn’t spend enough time with them.’”
He envisions tech that maximizes every day so that he can get back “time to be with my family, be at dinners, be at school events.” Late night catchups ensure the next day is prepped and organized, making time for the things that really matter.
“For me,” he said, “I like to start every day with intention. And so I never want to be behind. I want to be current.”
Troy Palmquist is the founder of HomeCode Advisors.
This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of HousingWire’s editorial department and its owners.
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