Artificial intelligence has ruled the headlines throughout 2025, with each day bringing news of the latest update to a large language model, the launch of another AI-powered platform, or the latest tip or trick on how to leverage AI to increase your bottom line.
Alex Vidal
ERA Real Estate Brand President Alex Vidal, like many of his fellow leaders, is excited about what AI can bring to the industry. And his latest slate of coaching sessions focus on how ERA brokers can become AI’s “favorite” Realtor — and get their names to consumers who rely on Google Gemini, ChatGPT and other platforms to begin their real estate search.
However, Vidal acknowledges there’s a glitch with that approach. AI models aren’t infallible and can be gamed, with Realtors finding ways to appear at the top of recommendation lists for markets in which they have little to no experience.
“AI is lying to our consumers,” he recently told Inman. “I don’t think consumers know yet that AI is lying to them. I think it’s going to take a little bit of time for them to realize that the AI is being doctored, for lack of a better word, to recommend people.”
“I’ve even seen instances of fake websites being created to recommend Realtors so that the AI picks up on it,” he added. “It’s crazy.”
Vidal said there’s little he can do about the current AI system — “I’m a real estate guy, not an AI guy,” he said — but he can help brokers reconnect with their spheres of influence and market themselves more authentically, so when consumers needs a broker who specializes in historical homes or loves serving new homebuyers, they’ll know exactly where to go.
“No matter what happens in our industry, you know, at some point, the AI stops. Like the AI runs out, and you actually have to be in front of a consumer,” he said. “What happens then? We need to have deep, meaningful connections and conversations with people. It’s an art, it’s a skill, and it’s been lost.”
“We coach that a lot in ERA — be with people and be face-to-face, belly-to-belly, palm-to-palm,” he added. “It goes back to a basic human need. We want to be felt. We want to be heard. We want to be appreciated, understood and seen, and that’s what consumers want, too.”
What follows is a version of Inman’s conversation with Vidal that has been edited for length and clarity.
Inman: Let’s start with a simple question. How has 2025 been for you? What are some of the major trends that have marked the year for you?
Vidal: What I’m paying most attention to, especially because of what we do at ERA with coaching our agents, is looking at the way consumers find Realtors.
So, like 20 years ago — and I know you’re probably thinking, ‘What does this have to do with 2025?’ — But 20 years ago, around 70 percent or 80 percent of consumers would find their Realtor because they either knew the Realtor personally or were referred to them through someone within their social circle, right?
The other 30 percent found Realtors through ads, magazines and all that stuff.
The [number of consumers who find their Realtor through referrals] in 2025 is more like 50 percent. For the remaining half, 9 percent is through advertising and 41 percent is through the internet and AI. So, the way consumers find the Realtor they’re working with has changed dramatically.
That’s what I would call the presenting behavior, right? But the underlying trend is that consumers still know, on average, 12 Realtors. However, Realtors are relying more on technology to generate their business and less on staying in touch and being what I would call the clear favorite among the 12.
So, they’re getting away from the foundation of what this business still is, even in today’s world of AI, and as a result, you’re seeing consumer behavior change.
When it comes to the AI part, it reminds me of an interview I had with Keller Williams’ Jason Abrams earlier this year. He spoke about the quest to become AI’s favorite agent, in terms of being the agent that’s recommended when a consumer asks ChatGPT or another large language model about real estate in their market.
Oh, don’t even get me started on that. Well, no, no, no — let’s talk about it, because this will actually answer your question about 2026. And can you please put this in the headline? AI is lying to our consumers.
Marian, what results do you think you would get if you searched ‘Who is the best Realtor in my neighborhood?’ Who do you think would show up?
I asked that question for a small town near Dallas/Ft. Worth called Southlake. AI gave me three or four top Realtors in that market, which I know very well. And none of the agents that were suggested to me actually sold in that city. But those agents did a great job of getting the AI to recognize them as someone who specializes in that particular community, because the average price points in Southlake are like a million and a half. And everybody, of course, wants to do a deal in that city like that.
The AI is lying. So when I think about 2026, that’s the trend I’m paying attention to. Will there be a shift in how consumers find their Realtors? Do we stay at the 50-50 split we see now? Will technology gain an edge? Or will we see the reverse because consumers know people are doctoring the system when it comes to AI to be the chosen one?
I’ve seen more conversations about how everything is supposedly optimized with AI, and how that’s, in some ways, made things worse. And, there appears to be a growing distrust and criticism of AI.
Is that anywhere close to what you’re seeing? If so, how does that impact consumers and agents?
You know, I don’t think consumers know yet that AI is lying to them. I think it’s going to take a little bit of time for them to realize that the AI is being doctored, for lack of a better word, to recommend people. You know, I’ve even seen instances of fake websites being created to recommend Realtors so that the AI picks up on it. It’s crazy.
They’ll have to be recommended a Realtor in X city, and then have that Realtor show up for a listing presentation, and ask them, ‘Well, how many homes have you sold in my city?’ And that Realtor will say, ‘Well, none.’
My hope is that the percentage of consumers finding their Realtor because they were referred to them or they know them goes up. I hope that happens in 2026, but I think it’s going to take some people, unfortunately, discovering that the AI is lying to them.
I think every industry is learning that AI isn’t infallible. I’ve heard of attorneys being reprimanded for citing fictitious cases in their filings that were generated by AI. And in the media space, there have been issues with journalists using AI to research, find sources, etc., and failing to properly fact-check. So, I think everyone has the potential to be deceived by AI if we’re not careful.
So, when it comes to consumers not understanding AI’s limitations, where is the industry’s responsibility in helping consumers recognize these limitations? And what’s the responsibility in helping consumers develop a more holistic and accurate search process that points them to a Realtor who will meet their needs?
Ooh, that’s a good one. I like that question. Where does it fall on us? Let me think about that for a second.
Sure — take your time.
I would tell you authenticity. Radical authenticity. That’s what we owe consumers.
I’m 47 years old, Marian. I’m in my era of radical honesty, and I think Realtors need to be honest. They need to be honest about what they can do, where they specialize, and how they can help the consumer. We can be radically honest about how we can help them, where we can help them, and what our experience is in a particular price point, niche, marketplace, or community.
That’s what we have control of. Hopefully, along the way, the AI will be able to shift.
For example, AI can’t read reviews. So, Zillow reviews can’t be read by AI. And I hope the technology changes on how they recognize and refer Realtors to the consumer who’s doing the search. So, change is going to have to go in two directions, right?
AI will have to change how it does things. I obviously have no insight into how any of that works because I’m a real estate guy, not an AI guy. But what I do know is that Realtors can be more authentic. That’s what we’re lacking in today’s day and age.
The future is here — and it’s powered by AI. October is Artificial Intelligence Month at Inman. We’ll dive into how agents, brokerages and startups are harnessing AI to reimagine real estate, and we’ll honor the trailblazers leading the way with Inman AI Awards.
