Could AI Replace Estate or Letting Agents?
Artificial intelligence and Large Language Models (LLMs) are everywhere. Along with their rise has come the question of whether they will replace jobs. It is a discussion that has been around for a while, but recently it feels much more urgent. So, we decided to explore it.
ChatGPT says…
When asked, “Could AI replace estate or letting agents?”, ChatGPT responded:
“In the near term (5–10 years), AI is more likely to reduce the amount of administrative work than eliminate the profession. A single agent equipped with AI could potentially handle two to five times as many properties because much of the paperwork, communication, and scheduling could be automated. So the future is probably:
- Fewer administrative staff.
- More productive agents.
- AI acting as the first point of contact, with humans stepping in for complex decisions and relationship management.”
That seems like a sensible prediction. AI is undoubtedly becoming a powerful tool for improving efficiency. But is greater efficiency always the right answer?
“Creepy”
Speaking of ‘first point of contact’, a company recently pitched us AI-powered phone receptionists. They are remarkably inexpensive and, given the number of marketing calls we receive every day, we wondered whether it might be worth considering. Before being tempted by the potential savings, we asked a number of our clients what they thought.
What struck us was how unanimous the response was. They thought the idea was creepy. More than that, they said they were simply tired of losing genuine human interaction.
Perhaps that is influenced by the age profile of the clients we asked. But there also seems to be a growing frustration with being pushed towards using automated systems.
Think about how many everyday interactions have changed. We now have self-checkout kiosks instead of cashiers, ATMs and mobile banking because local branches have closed, self-service check-in at airports and hotels instead of receptionists, and increasingly, the first point of contact with a business is a chatbot or voice bot. Not so long ago, people complained about overseas call centres. Now, in many cases, there is not even a person to speak to.
It raises a simple question: why can’t we speak to another human? Are people really that expensive? In today’s economy, perhaps. But should independent businesses like ours simply accept that as the future?
Buying My Coffee
Recently, I ordered a bag of coffee from a company I had been looking forward to trying. After a while, it still had not been dispatched, so I sent them an email. Within seconds, I received a reply. Not from a person—but from an AI. The response answered my question, but because it arrived almost instantly, the apology felt hollow. There was no sense that anyone had actually read my email or cared about my experience.
A few days later, I emailed again, asking what had happened to the order. Almost as an experiment, I also requested a refund. Again, the AI responded immediately and processed the refund without hesitation.
Yes, getting my money back was fine. But as a prospective new customer, I came away feeling that my custom simply did not matter. Rather than trying to keep me as a customer, the business gave up at the first opportunity. It left a poor impression, and I am unlikely to go back to them again.
That is not the sort of business we want to run.
For now…
This leaves me with a few questions: Is efficiency really the most important ingredient for growing a business? Is growth worth pursuing if it comes at the expense of the human touch? Is that simply the price of becoming bigger? And is bigger always better? Better for whom?
AI or not, these are questions we have been asking ourselves for some time.
Running an independent estate agency is no easy task. Compliance requirements continue to increase. Regulation becomes more complex and expensive. Small agencies frequently end up paying the same, if not more, than larger agencies because we lack the purchasing power that comes with scale.
When we think about businesses that have stood the test of time, I often think of Japanese and Italian artisan shops. They may be small, but they have earned a reputation for craftsmanship, consistency and longevity. Many have been run by the same families for generations.
Whether it’s a tiny ramen shop, a leather workshop or a family bakery, their success is not built on becoming the biggest. It is built on mastery, and on taking the journey hand in hand with customers.
Why should service businesses not aspire to the same?
We are still working through these questions ourselves, and our thinking will continue to evolve. But for now, first impressions matter, and there will be no AI receptionists. We will continue to embrace automation where it genuinely improves the customer experience. AI can replace some functions of estate and letting agents’ workload, but the property sector is, and always will be, a relationship business. Human judgement, empathy and kindness are qualities that technology cannot replace.