11 Reasons Why AI Won’t Replace Realtors

A Miami homeowner who used ChatGPT to sell his Cooper City home went viral with his claim that he saved the commission on his transaction by replacing a listing agent with AI. But that’s not the whole story—in reality, the buyer’s agent says he may have left money on the table by going solo, according to Elinor Solomonoviz, a Realtor® with Avanti Way East Miami who represented the buyer in the deal.

That viral moment makes for a catchy headline, but it also underscores the gap between efficiency and expertise. AI can surface data, draft listings and even suggest pricing ranges, but it can’t read a seller’s anxiety, spot subtle buyer hesitation or interpret what’s not being said across the kitchen table.

It doesn’t know the unwritten rules of a neighborhood, the nuance behind comparable sales or how to navigate competing motivations when timing and price collide. In a transaction where emotions, money and life transitions are tightly intertwined, those human instincts—the ability to advise, advocate and adjust in real time—are exactly where real estate agents prove their value and where AI still falls short.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia, managing partner of Avanti Way Realty in Miami, uses AI and teaches her agents how to use it. However,  she recognizes the many ways real estate professionals continue to be essential for their clients.

For example, AI can’t:

1. Provide psychological insights.

The ability to read body language and understand what buyers or sellers aren’t saying is important to successful transactions, says Julie Harris, founder and educator with Tim and Julie Harris Real Estate Coaching. “AI can’t read the room or read the Zoom,” Julie Harris says. “[Real estate agents] use intuition to recognize stress in their clients, understand family relationships or the need for ego management when a seller wants to set an aspirational price for their home.”

They can read between the lines and help their clients recognize what they really want and need, says Katie Lance, CEO and founder of Katie Lance Consulting, based in Pleasanton, California.

2. Generate confidence and trust.

“The best way to generate leads is to show up on video and in person as someone people can know, like and trust,” Lance says. “Agents need to add their opinion and treat clients as if they were their best friend moving across country by giving the best advice they can. AI can’t provide that level of confidence.”

3. Recognize the feelings generated by a home.

While AI can generate facts, it’s not aware of a beautiful tree by the front door, the natural light in the kitchen or the angle of a house on the lot that provides extra privacy, Hegedus-Garcia says. “Agents can understand nuances and know that every house is different, every location is different and every upgrade is different,” Lance says.

4. Provide local knowledge.

While facts and figures are available, only experienced Realtors® have a higher sensitivity to what “good condition” means from one home to another, which floor plans are the most desirable in a certain community, or why one golf course community is more popular than another, Julie Harris says. “Most consumers want to work with the market or neighborhood expert, which is something agents can focus on rather than being all things to all people,” Lance says.

AI can’t replace inside information, says Dr. Lee Davenport, a real estate coach and educator based in Atlanta. “[Real estate pros] know things about their market that no one else does, things that are not on paper anywhere, and that’s an important value they can provide,” she says.

5. Give emotional support.

Buying or selling a home is often an emotional experience as well as a financial stressor. “AI can’t provide empathy to a seller who has to sell their family home when they don’t want to,” Julie Harris says. “It can’t help deliver the message to buyers that they didn’t get the house they want.”

Realtors can provide the handholding needed to manage the stress of buying or selling a home, which is one of the top five stressors in life, Davenport says.

6. Create connections.

Real estate is a relationship business, so real estate agents should lean into that and show their clients that the relationships they’ve built in the community can help them achieve their goals, Davenport says. “They can help clients find the other professionals they need and introduce them to others in the community,” she says.

7. Understand motivations.

Even if AI can identify properties and neighborhoods, it can’t recognize urgency on the part of a buyer or seller, Hegedus-Garcia says. “AI doesn’t get that the motivation of a buyer may be about finding the perfect home for their family or a place that reminds them of their childhood home,” she says. “It doesn’t know that a seller wants to sell for the highest price but also needs to move quickly. That’s where an agent’s expertise comes in.”

8. Be accountable.

Since AI is simply a tool, unlike real estate agents, there’s nothing that impacts it if the outcome for a buyer or seller isn’t what they hoped for, Julie Harris says. In addition, Lance suggests that agents can be accountable for accuracy. “We know consumers are using AI for information, so agents can be the ones to fact check and provide accurate information,” she says.

9. Deliver direct advice.

“What I call ‘AI Breath’—when you know something is written by AI and not a person—is often a symptom of the fact that AI is taught to be naturally neutral,” Julie Harris says. “A lot of clients really need direct, honest advice, not something watered down. AI just isn’t good at that.”

10. Interpret data.

“Consumers often focus on the data that AI can provide, but they lack the understanding of what it means,” Hegedus-
Garcia says. “Good Realtors take data, analyze it and present it in a clear way to help their clients see a path forward.”

11. Strategize based on experience.

Real estate agents can offer suggestions to clients to resolve their concerns, Julie Harris says. “For example, if a seller may start missing payments, the agent can counsel them with options such as leasing the house before they ruin their credit,” she says. “They have a human perspective that AI doesn’t have.” #

Michele Lerner is a Washington, D.C.,-based freelance writer.