Will Realtors Get Replaced by AI? I Think the Job Is About to Change—A Lot
Sep 14
4 min read
AI can write a listing description in seconds.
It can analyze market data, organize property information, answer questions, generate marketing, search huge amounts of information and increasingly help consumers find homes.
So it's reasonable to ask:
Why would we still need Realtors?
My answer is probably a little different than you'd expect from a Realtor.
AI Will Replace Parts of My Job
I don't think pretending otherwise helps anyone.
There are plenty of things agents historically spent time doing that technology can now do faster.
AI is already useful for:
Research
Organizing information
Drafting marketing
Summarizing documents
Comparing data
Creating initial market analyses
Automating repetitive administrative work
Agents themselves clearly see the benefit. In NAR's 2025 Technology Survey, 66% said saving time was a primary reason they adopt technology and 64% cited improving the client experience. 20% percent were already using AI daily and another 22% weekly.
A February 2026 Realtors Property Resource survey found 71% of agents surveyed identified saving time as AI's biggest value, although 63% also cited accuracy as their biggest concern.
That's basically how I see it.
Use AI for what AI is good at.
Then spend more time doing what people are good at.
The Hardest Parts of Real Estate Aren't Data Problems
Imagine a seller receives two offers.
Offer A is $10,000 higher.
Offer B has better financing, fewer potential failure points and an agent on the other side who has been communicating clearly.
Which is better?
Software can compare the terms.
But someone still has to understand the seller's priorities, evaluate the risk, communicate the tradeoffs and help that seller make a decision they're comfortable with.
That's very different from generating a spreadsheet.
Negotiation Is Human
This is probably one of the biggest reasons I think good agents will remain valuable.
Negotiation isn't simply:
Buyer wants X. Seller wants Y. Calculate the midpoint.
You're dealing with people.
Sometimes the words someone uses matter.
Sometimes their tone matters.
Sometimes an agent says their buyer is “at their absolute maximum,” and experience tells you there may still be another move.
Other times you know pushing another $2,000 could legitimately kill the deal.
AI can help analyze a negotiation.
Reading the people involved is different.
Homes Are Emotional
Buying a home isn't like ordering a television online.
It's where someone may raise their family.
Selling can be even more emotional.
Maybe the seller has lived there for 30 years.
Maybe they're selling after a divorce.
Maybe they're handling a parent's estate.
Maybe they desperately need the transaction to close so they can buy the next house.
I've seen perfectly rational people become understandably irrational during a real estate transaction because the stakes are enormous.
Sometimes my job isn't finding another piece of information.
It's helping someone slow down, understand their options and make a good decision.
Local Knowledge Is More Than a Database
AI will become incredibly good at real estate data.
But Portland and SW Washington are full of situations where two properties that appear similar on paper aren't necessarily comparable in the real world.
A few blocks can change buyer perception.
So can:
Traffic
Street placement
School boundaries
Lot configuration
Condo association reputation
Development potential
Neighborhood character
Property condition
The way a house actually feels when you walk through it
The data matters.
But context matters too.
Then Something Goes Wrong
This is where real estate gets interesting.
Inspection discovers a sewer problem.
Appraisal comes in low.
Financing gets delayed.
Title finds something unexpected.
Seller can't complete a repair.
Buyer gets nervous.
Closing suddenly needs to move.
There isn't always a button that says “fix transaction.”
Someone has to understand what's happening, communicate with everyone involved, figure out the available options and keep the transaction moving.
That's one of the least visible parts of a Realtor's job—and one of the most important.
There's Also Accountability
AI can give you information.
But who is responsible for the transaction?
A licensed real estate professional has duties and responsibilities to their client. Someone is actually representing your interests, communicating with the other side and standing behind the advice and work being provided.
Even NAR's current guidance around AI emphasizes that agents and brokerages remain responsible for their decisions and work product when AI is used.
That's an important distinction.
So, Will There Be Fewer Realtors?
Possibly.
I think AI could make one good agent capable of doing significantly more work.
That could put pressure on agents whose value mostly comes from unlocking doors, forwarding documents or providing information consumers can increasingly obtain themselves.
But that isn't the same as saying the profession disappears.
The latest BLS projections actually show employment of real estate brokers and sales agents increasing from about 530,600 in 2025 to 538,800 in 2035, with roughly 40,400 openings annually over that period.
That's not explosive growth.
But it's definitely not a forecast of AI eliminating Realtors.
I Think the Realtor of the Future Looks Different
The best agents will probably use more technology, not less.
AI handles more of the repetitive work.
The agent spends more time:
Talking with clients
Negotiating
Evaluating strategy
Visiting properties
Solving transaction problems
Understanding the local market
Building relationships
Giving clients context instead of simply giving them information
And I actually think that's a better version of this job.
The Bottom Line
AI is going to change real estate.
It should.
If technology lets me spend less time doing repetitive administrative work and more time negotiating, advising clients, marketing properties and actually talking to people, I'm all for it.
Because ultimately, people aren't hiring me because I'm faster than a computer.
They're hiring me because when hundreds of thousands of dollars are on the line, they want someone they trust sitting on their side of the table.
If you're buying or selling in Portland or SW Washington, that's how I approach representation: use the best technology available, but keep the service personal.
For sellers, I provide full-service listing representation for 1.25%, including professional marketing, pricing strategy, negotiation and transaction management from listing through closing.
Jeremy Wilkerson
Portland & SW Washington Real Estate
