MRI Software Expands Ask Agora: Practical AI for Real Estate Teams
MRI Software has rolled out new capabilities for Ask Agora, its AI companion built to turn data and actions into intelligent workflows. It helps real estate teams ask questions in plain language, get context-aware guidance, and execute tasks across systems without bouncing between screens.
The update leans into agentic AI-tech that figures out user intent, chooses the best path to an answer, and takes the next step when asked. It's trained on real estate use cases, so it speaks the language of leases, budgets, occupancy, and work orders without needing extra hand-holding.
What's new and why it matters
- Context-aware assistance: Ask questions right on the page you're working on, and get guidance tied to that screen's data and actions.
- Agentic routing: The AI determines whether you need a quick answer, a data pull, or an action (like kicking off a workflow) and proceeds accordingly.
- Cross-source data: Pulls from multiple systems connected through MRI Agora, so answers aren't siloed to a single app.
- Real estate focus: Trained on industry-specific use cases-think lease abstractions, rent rolls, capex tracking, and portfolio views.
Real use cases for your team
- Asset management: "Show NOI variance across the last three months and highlight properties below target." Trigger an alert or create a follow-up task.
- Property operations: "Summarize open work orders by vendor and SLA risk." Then assign, escalate, or schedule.
- Leasing: "Which renewals this quarter are below market by 5%+?" Generate outreach lists and draft notes.
- Finance: "Reconcile budget vs. actuals and flag unusual expense spikes." Attach supporting transactions for review.
- Development/Construction: "Roll up capex burn by project and variance to plan." Push updates to stakeholders.
How it fits inside MRI Agora
Ask Agora sits on MRI's platform that connects MRI products, partner tools, and third-party apps into one experience. At the center is a secure data layer that aggregates and standardizes information from all relevant sources.
That same foundation powers MRI Agora Insights, which delivers portfolio visibility and analytics. Ask Agora taps into it to give conversational access to data, move users through workflows, and offer instant, context-aware help.
What clients are seeing
Growthpoint Properties, South Africa's largest REIT with operations in Australia and Europe, is seeing impact from MRI's AI approach. Alec Davis, CIO of Growthpoint, noted that Agora Insights makes their data easier to access with modern semantic models and tools like Power BI, freeing up development teams for higher-priority work. He added that Ask Agora gives non-technical users a simple way to ask questions and get answers through a natural language interface-and the benefits grow with use.
Adoption and availability
The enhancements were unveiled at MRI Ascend 2025 in Nashville. MRI reports that more than a quarter of a million monthly active users rely on the company's AI features across its platform.
Get value fast: a simple rollout plan
- Pick 3-5 high-impact questions (variance, occupancy, aging WOs, upcoming renewals) and make them "one ask away."
- Connect core data sources (leases, GL, work orders, projects) to the MRI Agora data layer.
- Define guardrails for actions: who can approve vendor spend, issue credits, or modify budgets.
- Pilot on one property or region, then scale. Track time saved, fewer clicks, and cycle-time reductions.
- Run 30-minute playbooks for asset managers, property managers, and finance so each group gets quick wins.
Why this is different
- Built for real estate: The AI isn't a bolt-on. It's trained on industry workflows and language.
- Actionable by design: It doesn't stop at answers-users can trigger next steps from the same conversation.
- Unified data: One source of truth reduces back-and-forth and conflicting reports.
Resources
- MRI Software for product details and platform information.
- Microsoft Power BI for semantic models and reporting referenced by clients.
- Building AI skills across your team? Explore role-based options at Complete AI Training.
Bottom line
Ask Agora turns common questions and routine actions into quick conversations that move work forward. For portfolios spread across teams, tools, and regions, that means fewer clicks, faster answers, and better focus on decisions that affect revenue and risk.
Your membership also unlocks:
