Business Q&A: The role of AI in the future of real estate
AI is moving from buzz to utility in real estate. Kevin Greene, SVP and GM of Real Estate Solutions at Cotality, shared how data, risk clarity, and better workflows are changing how pros list, advise, lend, and close.
Data first: why the foundation matters
"AI is only as effective as the data it's built on." Greene's point is simple. With roughly 80% of North American property transactions touching Cotality platforms, their models learn from clean, first-party data at scale.
That's the advantage. Good data in, trusted outcomes out. The shift now is taking those historically back-end capabilities and putting them in front of agents, lenders, and consumers where they can make faster, clearer decisions.
What AI is already doing for busy teams
- Auto-generate multilingual listing descriptions that actually read like a human wrote them.
- Create 2D/3D floor plans from a set of photos in minutes.
- Scan CRMs to flag the next likely buyer or seller and prioritize outreach.
The result: fewer hours on admin, more time advising clients on trade-offs, risk, and timing.
Human + machine beats either alone
The agent isn't going away. Buying a home happens every 5-7 years for most people and carries the highest emotional and financial weight. Greene cites findings that 88% of buyers still want a person involved, and 83% would hire the same agent again-trust drives that choice.
At the same time, 73% of buyers self-research heavily, 59% of Gen Z feels overwhelmed by the process, and 68% of buyers value "comfort" even more than convenience. AI shifts the agent from gatekeeper to advisor: less hunting and formatting, more context, risk explanation, and strategy.
Weather risk is now a deal variable, not an afterthought
Insurance and exposure can make or break a closing. Traditional flood maps paint broad zones; they miss what really matters at the parcel level. Greene points to models that merge imagery, elevation, and materials to explain why one home in a zone may be reasonable to insure while the neighbor isn't.
Give that clarity upfront and you prevent surprises, save clients money, and keep offers realistic. For context on flood mapping standards, see FEMA's overview of flood maps.
Data quality and transparency build confidence
Buyers get frustrated by listings that vanish, shifting pre-approvals, and costs that appear late. Cotality tackles this by sourcing from the origin: MLSs, appraisers, property records, and mortgage filings-plus verifiable inputs like appliances, fixtures, permits, and elevation.
Training AI on that data lets pros explain "why" a valuation or risk score changed with evidence instead of guesswork. That's how you reduce doubt, not just speed it up.
What's next in the next 5-10 years
- Visualization at scale: Instant floor plans from images, immersive walkthroughs, and virtual staging-even letting buyers purchase the furniture they see through partners.
- Preference-driven search: Upload a few photos of a dream kitchen or yard and filter live inventory by look and feel. Cotality's OneHome already moves in this direction and cuts search fatigue.
- Confidence tooling in lending: About 30% of mortgage applications never close. AI can surface issues earlier, highlight trade-offs, and reduce fallout that drives cost for lenders and heartbreak for buyers.
Practical playbook for brokerages, lenders, builders, and teams
- Audit your data: Identify which sources are first-party vs. aggregated. Prioritize systems that explain "why," not just scores.
- Automate the busywork: Listing copy, floor plans from photos, and CRM lead scoring are low-lift, high-return wins.
- Put risk in the first conversation: Bring property-level flood and insurance insights to showings and offer prep.
- Shift the role on your team: Train agents to spend more time advising and less time formatting information.
- Measure outcomes: Track time-to-list, time-to-offer, fallout rates, and client satisfaction tied to AI-enabled workflows.
Why this matters now
Buyer stress is up. Inventory stays tight. Costs keep moving. AI won't replace the human guide-it will make that guide essential by arming them with clarity at the exact moment a client needs it.
Skill up your team
If your org is building AI capability for real estate roles, explore focused training by role here: AI courses by job. To scan new options as they drop, check the latest AI courses.
About the source
Kevin Greene is SVP and General Manager of Real Estate Solutions at Cotality, a global provider of property information, analytics, and data-enabled solutions. He notes that about 80% of transactions across the U.S. and Canada touch Cotality platforms, with active coverage across major metro markets.
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