Expertise Meets Artificial Intelligence - The Evolution of Selling Homes

For generations, selling real estate has been powered by relationships and local knowledge. Today, innovation and technology are joining forces with that expertise and experience, giving agents an edge in an ever-changing market.

Data has long been important, but the latest proptech and AI-driven insights are deeper and more predictive.

Agents can target prospective buyers through social media based on age, location and even the restaurant they frequent, scope high-intent buyers and analyse the economic factors influencing the market. Combined with agents’ judgement and instincts, this gives vendors unprecedented guidance.

The ideal approach is balance, RT Edgar Bayside director Will Maxted says. Tech amplifies reach, adds value and sharpens efficiency, but the human element closes deals.

“Relationships are still what drive results,” Maxted says.

“Technology should be used to enhance the way that you already conduct your business, but it should not communicate for you, or as you.”

Alex Antal, Head of Securexchange at integrated technology company InfoTrack, says proptech makes agents more informed but it has not replaced their core skills. “There’s far more competition because a lot of agents have access to this information, but it still does come down to their proficiency as an agent to win the listing,” he says.

Cotality’s Chief Technology Officer Craig Dargusch says data was once static and backward-looking. Today it delivers suburb‑level intelligence and early indicators of shifts in demand and buyer behaviour.

Clarity around pricing is a powerful development. “Agents can now see real-time buyer demand, price sensitivity at a micro-market level, and how similar properties are performing right now, not three months ago,” Dargusch says. “Ultimately, these systems give agents the ability to take the emotion out of a passionate topic and clearly explain the ‘why’ behind a price to their vendors.”

​AI is helping agents to make sense of hundreds of variables in the market, and there is more to come. “Looking ahead, its role will continue to expand - becoming more predictive, more personalised and more embedded in everyday workflows,” Dargusch says. “The agents who benefit most will be those who use AI to augment their expertise, not substitute it, combining data‑driven insight with local knowledge and human relationships.”

As tech increasingly underpins transactions, trust rests on the systems that agents use. The latest software reduces cyber risk and protects money and identities during transactions, Antal says. “Agents who make the effort to secure your information are a point of differentiation, which can make one agency stand out from the next and builds credibility,” he says.

For all its upsides, technology cannot alter buyer psychology, which means traditional channels still have a role. Maxted says print advertising is effective for reaching passive buyers, while social media is deliberately controlled. “Print is absolutely appropriate in some instances, but social media opens up doors that we did not have before,” he says.

Even as tools become more sophisticated, Maxted emphasises that the fundamentals of a campaign remain the same - precise communication, informed decisions, and strong relationships.