Facebook
X
Pinterest
Copy Link
AI has changed the way we find information. With a few questions, you can ask ChatGPT or another AI tool about home values, mortgage payments, negotiating strategies, market trends and almost anything else related to buying or selling a home.
And there’s nothing wrong with using it.
In fact, AI can be a useful research tool. The important part is knowing where AI is helpful — and where you still need a REALTOR® who knows your situation and your local market.
Because when you’re making one of the biggest financial decisions of your life, having more information isn’t necessarily the same thing as having the right information.
AI can give you information. Your REALTOR® can give you context.
Ask an AI tool, “What is my house worth?” and you’ll get an answer.
But what does that number actually account for?
Does it understand the condition of your home? The renovations you’ve completed? The view from the backyard? The quality of the competing listings? Recent sales that haven’t yet been reflected in its information? What buyers in Peterborough & the Kawarthas are actually responding to right now?
Those details matter.
A REALTOR® can look at the available market data alongside the specific characteristics of your property and explain how those factors may affect your home’s value.
The same applies when you’re buying. An AI tool can tell you about a neighbourhood or help you create a list of questions. Your REALTOR® can help you understand how a particular property compares with others currently on the market and what factors deserve a closer look.
AI can help you research. Your REALTOR® helps you interpret.
AI doesn’t know what it doesn’t know
One of the biggest challenges with AI is that an answer can sound confident even when the information behind it is incomplete or inaccurate.
That’s particularly important in real estate.
A recent survey of REALTORS® found that 63% identified the accuracy of AI-generated information as their top concern about using AI in their business.
That doesn’t mean AI is useless. It means you shouldn’t assume that a polished answer is automatically a reliable one.
Think of AI as a starting point for questions — not necessarily the final word.
Use AI to become a more informed client
There are plenty of ways AI can actually make the real estate process better for you.
For example, you could use it to:
- Create a list of questions to ask before buying a home
- Help explain unfamiliar real estate terminology
- Brainstorm questions for a home inspection
- Organize your priorities when looking for a property
- Compare general features between different types of homes
- Help you think through the pros and cons of different options
- Summarize information you’ve already received
You can even take a question to your REALTOR® after researching it with AI.
“I asked AI about this. Does that apply to our market?”
That’s a useful conversation.
Your REALTOR® shouldn’t be threatened by your questions. They should welcome them.
Where your REALTOR® brings something AI can’t
Real estate isn’t just a database of houses and prices.
It’s local. It’s personal. And every transaction has circumstances that can’t necessarily be captured in a prompt.
Your REALTOR® brings knowledge of the local market, experience with transactions, professional relationships and an understanding of your specific goals.
They can also see the human side of the decision.
Maybe the highest offer isn’t necessarily the simplest offer. Maybe a property that looks perfect online has a location issue you hadn’t considered. Maybe your initial asking price isn’t supported by the most relevant comparable sales.
Those are conversations — not just calculations.
REALTOR.ca also points out that a REALTOR® can help buyers determine their price range, compare homes and neighbourhoods, access listing information and navigate the process from searching through making an offer.
Your REALTOR® uses technology, too
It isn’t really AI versus REALTOR®.
Today’s REALTORS® are using AI and other technology themselves.
According to the National Association of REALTORS®’ 2025 Technology Survey, 41% of REALTORS® reported using AI or generative AI in their business. The survey also found that 64% of respondents were motivated to adopt technology to enhance the client experience.
Technology can help REALTORS® work more efficiently, organize information, analyze data and improve the client experience.
The important distinction is that technology is a tool. The REALTOR® remains responsible for applying professional judgement and helping the client understand what the information actually means.
So, should you trust AI or your REALTOR®?
You don’t necessarily have to choose.
Use AI to ask more questions.
Use your REALTOR® to ask better questions about your specific situation.
If AI gives you a number, ask your REALTOR® what the local data says.
If AI suggests a negotiating strategy, ask your REALTOR® how that strategy might work in your particular transaction.
If something you read online doesn’t match what your REALTOR® is telling you, bring it up.
A good REALTOR® should be able to explain why they are recommending something — not simply tell you what to do.
The best approach? Use both wisely.
AI has made it easier than ever to research real estate. That’s a good thing.
An informed client is an engaged client.
But when the decision involves your home, your finances and your future, don’t confuse an easy answer with a complete answer.
Use AI as a research tool. Use your REALTOR® as a trusted advisor. And when the two disagree, have the conversation.
Because the goal isn’t to have the most information.
It’s to have the right information — and understand what to do with it.
Sources
- Suze Cumming, Negotiation Intelligence: They don’t know who to trust anymore, Real Estate Magazine, September 4, 2026.
- National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey.
- National Association of REALTORS®, You’ve Tried AI, But Can You Trust It?, February 12, 2026.
- REALTOR.ca, Tips for Buyers.
