Why AI won’t replace buyers’ agents - February 2025

By Rich Harvey, CEO & Founder, propertybuyer.com.au

AI (artificial intelligence) is arguably one of the most significant generational tech advancements we’ve seen to date. Its application across all facets of our personal and professional lives is one of the hottest topics of discussion right now.

I’m among the first to say there are plenty of positives delivered by AI, but as it continues to worm its way into everything we do, I’m not the only one questioning what role human intelligence will have in the real estate sector, both now and in the future.

AI even has some people asking whether buyers’ agents are still needed now that we have advanced machine learning on tap. Call me biased but my answer to this is a resounding ‘Yes!’, and I’m about to explain why.

Emotion and analytics

As good as it is, AI can never replace the discernment and experience that buyers’ agents possess. Buying a home is an emotional experience for most purchasers. It’s something that sits beyond the numbers, and having a real human in your corner will prove essential when navigating that element of property acquisition.

AI also can’t replicate the crucial human networks and industry relationships a buyers’ agent will have established over many years in the industry. Emails and text messages are cold connections – but face-to-face interactions at open houses can create lasting and warm connections that AI can’t replicate. Then there are the subtleties in negotiations and evaluations that we exercise every day to help you succeed in the home-buying journey. AI isn’t equipped to tackle those in a meaningful way.

At the same time, there’s no doubt AI is here to stay. As such, it’s important for professionals like me to adapt how we operate so that AI can complement our services, rather than compete with them.

For example, the Propertybuyer team uses AI processes to assist with suburb and property selections as well as due diligence. Our AI programs can scour every available portal for online listings and off-market opportunities and within minutes we can have a curated shortlist for our clients with a matching score relevant to their individual criteria. But then there is still a fair bit of further culling to do to narrow down the real shortlist before client delivery.

And, while it can’t perfectly “understand” human nuances, AI can enhance and streamline repetitive and routine procedures and tasks including sorting through data and numbers. This can result in greater efficiency and productivity for buyer’s agents, and help you enjoy your new home faster.

AI shortcomings

Regular readers will know I discuss the personal experience of buying a property quite a lot in my blogs – and there is good reason for this.

Despite many folks saying you need to remove the emotion from the process of purchasing, a component of humanity is essential for success. For first homebuyers and owner-occupiers in particular, a house needs to be the best possible fit for your situation.

While AI can be an important assistant in a buyers’ agent’s sales and marketing plan, it can’t sit down with a client and discuss their personal situation. It can’t help them navigate their fears, concerns and needs.

AI can’t tackle the essential process of physical, real-life property inspections. Looking through a home and engaging with the selling agent requires an experienced eye and well-honed intuitive approach.

AI also can’t evaluate your potential neighbours and neighbourhood in real time and it should never take the place of a professional, licenced building and pest inspection.

Nor can it nurture those relationships between residential and commercial buyers and vendors, real estate agents, developers and investors. This is something our Propertybuyer team does daily.

Then, there’s the matter of your buying budget and which contract terms and conditions you consider either necessary or flexible. AI can’t successfully negotiate a deal that requires the nuanced balance between the buyers requirements and the sellers expectations.

Using AI as a tool

All of that said, there are plenty of advantages AI brings to a buyer’s agent’s procedures to help them find a new home for their clients faster. This is mostly around efficiencies in the process.

For starters, AI algorithms can evaluate huge amounts of data, information and analytics plus financial and market reports and documents in seconds. As a result, up-to-date suburb and property profiles, price estimates, risk assessments, due diligence issues and environmental hazards can be in your hands – or on your phone or computer – before you know it.

Then there is AI’s predictive analytics help, which draws on historical and current buyer and vendor behaviours and trends to forecast future market moves. We use a wide of AI and data sources to conduct extensive market analysis and identify suburbs and properties likely to deliver the best return using our unique data platform “Suburb SelectorTM”. This is a comprehensive investment analysis platform using over 35 key criteria such as annual capital growth, median rent, rental yield, vacancy rate, number of sales, days on market, population, gross weekly income, median monthly mortgage repayments, online search demand and many more… and it covers property data for every suburb in Australia.

Predictive analytics also involve AI running through vast amounts of data and gives buyers’ agents a swifter, streamlined approach to finding the best possible property option for a purchaser. The concept can then create personalised buyer profiles in seconds, based on a range of patterns and searches including price ranges, demographics and economic data.

Working together

So, there you have it: the good, the interesting and the other sides of AI that you may not have considered.

Talking about AI to other property people both in the know and on my team, the consensus is that buyers’ agents and AI should complement a professional’s skills rather than replace them.

My Propertybuyer team plans to stay ahead of the game when it comes to AI and all the impressive time-saving opportunities it has to offer. But we also intend to continue using our personal research, insights, knowledge and empathy to help buyers of all shapes and sizes find a great home. So, if you want to benefit from this combination, contact our crew at Propertybuyer. We stand ready to utilise all the resources available so you can quickly and efficiently secure your ideal property.

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