For years, the real estate industry has talked about how artificial intelligence will change the way Realtors work.
Perhaps we have been looking at only half the story.
AI is also changing the way home shoppers shop—and that change may ultimately have an even greater impact on Realtors, homebuilders and everyone involved in selling homes.
Increasingly, the first conversation a prospective buyer has about buying a home may not be with a Realtor, a mortgage professional or a new-home sales representative.
It may be with AI.
That is what makes Realty Times' recent introduction of RITA, its AI-powered real estate advisory platform, worth paying attention to.
RITA gives consumers the ability to ask real estate questions conversationally and receive answers drawn from Realty Times' archive of more than 45,000 published articles. Instead of searching through dozens of articles, consumers can begin with a question. ([Realty Times][1])
That may sound like a technological improvement.
I think it represents something bigger.
The Home Search May Now Begin With a Question
For decades, the traditional homebuying path was fairly predictable.
A consumer decided it might be time to move. Perhaps they drove through neighborhoods, looked at newspaper advertising years ago, searched online listings more recently, and eventually contacted a Realtor or builder.
AI adds another step—often at the very beginning.
A shopper can now ask:
Can I afford a $500,000 home?
Should I buy a new home or a resale?
What should I know before visiting a builder?
What incentives are builders offering?
How much should I expect to pay in closing costs?
Is now a good time to buy?
And they can ask those questions privately, at 10 o'clock at night, without filling out a form or talking to a salesperson.
The National Association of Realtors recently described AI as becoming an early step in the homebuying journey. NAR cited research showing that one in five prospective buyers and current homeowners had already used AI tools or chatbots for homebuying research.
Other research suggests the influence may be broader depending on how AI use is measured. A 2025 Realtor.com survey found that 82% of Americans surveyed used AI in some form for housing-market information. Importantly, the same research found that consumers still considered real estate agents their most trusted and accurate source of information.
That combination is important.
**Consumers are not necessarily choosing AI instead of real estate professionals. They are increasingly using AI before reaching them.**
That Changes the First Conversation
Imagine two buyers walking into a model home.
One says, "We're just starting to look."
The other says the same thing.
But the second buyer may already have spent three evenings asking ChatGPT, Gemini, RITA or another AI system about mortgage rates, builder incentives, school districts, energy efficiency, closing costs, negotiations and whether a new home is a better value than a resale.
They may be physically beginning their home search.
Mentally, however, they may be much further along.
Realtor.com is already designing around this behavior. Its RealAssist AI was created to interact with consumers by asking questions such as whether they can afford to buy, whether a neighborhood fits their needs, and whether renting or buying makes sense. Realtor.com reports that much of the early interaction involves consumers seeking additional context rather than simply looking for listings.
That should get the attention of Realtors.
It should also get the attention of homebuilders.
Homebuilders Have Just as Much at Stake
Builders spend enormous amounts of money generating traffic to communities.
But before a buyer ever enters a sales center, AI may increasingly influence which communities make the shopping list.
That creates some important questions for builders.
What will AI say when someone asks about your company?
Can AI accurately find your communities, available inventory and incentives?
Can a consumer easily understand why your new home may compare favorably with a resale?
Is the information AI finds about your homes accurate and current?
Builders have spent years thinking about search-engine optimization.
The next challenge may be making certain they are equally prepared for answer-engine discovery.
The goal is not to manipulate AI. It is to make authoritative, useful and current information available so consumers—and the AI systems assisting them—can find it.
AI Can Inform. People Still Decide.
There is another reason I like the direction Realty Times has taken with RITA.
Realty Times does not present AI as a substitute for the professionals involved in a real estate transaction. Its own terms remind consumers that AI-generated information may be incomplete or outdated and recommend using licensed professionals where appropriate.
That distinction matters.
AI can explain.
AI can compare.
AI can organize enormous amounts of information.
AI can help shoppers develop better questions.
But buying a home eventually requires judgment.
Is this the right neighborhood?
Is this incentive really the best option?
Should we make the offer?
Should we walk away?
Which compromises can we live with?
Those are not simply information questions. They are decisions involving money, family, timing, risk and emotion.
That is where knowledgeable Realtors, builders' sales professionals, lenders and other experienced professionals remain essential.
RITA represents something more important than another real estate chatbot.
It recognizes where the consumer is going.
The home shopper of tomorrow—and increasingly the home shopper of today—may arrive at the Realtor's office or the builder's model home having already had a lengthy conversation with artificial intelligence.
The opportunity is not to compete with that conversation.
The opportunity is to be ready for the next one.
