Nearly one in four Realtors now uses AI tools like ChatGPT every day.
Twenty-three percent of agents use artificial intelligence daily, and another 25 percent use it weekly, according to the National Association of Realtors’ 2026 Realtors Technology Report, released Sept. 22. The share of agents who do not use AI at all fell to 21 percent, down from 32 percent a year ago.
Saving time remains the driving force behind that shift. Eighty-one percent of agents said it is their main reason for adopting new technology, up from 66 percent in 2025, and 71 percent cited improving the client experience, up from 64 percent.
Jessica Lautz | NAR Deputy Chief Economist
“Real estate agents are making practical choices about technology, and the two payoffs they want most are time and a smoother experience for their clients,” NAR Deputy Chief Economist Jessica Lautz said in the release.
How agents are putting AI to work
Brandi Snowden, NAR’s director of member and consumer survey research, told Inman the adoption pattern tracks with agents settling into specific applications rather than experimenting broadly.
Brandi Snowden
“The top reason was to write listing descriptions, targeting specific properties,” Snowden said. “They’re also using it for social media posting, creating emails and following up with clients, and market summaries — drafting marketing content with their own personal tone.”
That specificity shows up in the tool numbers, too. ChatGPT usage climbed to 91 percent of agents who use AI, up from 58 percent last year. Gemini rose to 42 percent from 20 percent and Copilot rose to 27 percent from 15 percent. “Our membership is using it more,” Snowden said. “They might be feeling more comfortable implementing it into their businesses.”
Where agents are getting stuck
The learning curve remains the biggest obstacle to adoption, cited by 63 percent of agents, followed by cost at 59 percent. Snowden said that gap may explain why some agents still hold back. “It could be that they’re not understanding or haven’t learned all of the different ways that they could use the technology,” she said. “That might be delaying them from adopting some of these tools.”
NAR points members toward its own resources to close that gap. The association’s Artificial Intelligence in Real Estate hub and events such as the upcoming Cybersecurity in the Age of AI webinar cover AI governance, human oversight and responsible use. Members also have access to AI tools built into Realtors Property Resource, NAR’s data platform covering more than 160 million properties, including its Market Trends AI ScriptWriter and Trade Area AI ScriptWriter.
NAR said AI should complement, not replace, an agent’s professional judgment and local expertise, and that members remain bound by its Code of Ethics regardless of which tools they use.
The impact numbers back that framing. Fifty-five percent of agents said AI has had a positive effect on their business, combining those who called the impact significant or moderate, up from 50 percent in 2025. The percentage of agents who reported no noticeable impact fell to 34 percent from 46 percent. Fifty-four percent of agents said they plan to use generative AI for content creation over the next 12 months.
NAR surveyed members in June and received 1,165 usable responses, a 1.5 percent response rate.
By the numbers
- 23% — agents using AI daily, up from 20 percent in 2025
- 25% — agents using AI weekly, up from 22 percent
- 21% — agents not using AI at all, down from 32 percent
- 91% — AI users on ChatGPT, up from 58 percent
- 42% — AI users on Gemini, up from 20 percent
- 75% — AI users who write listing descriptions with it
- 56% — AI users who write social media posts with it
- 55% — agents who say AI has had a positive impact on their business
- 63% — agents who name the learning curve as their top tech challenge
- 81% — agents who adopt new technology primarily to save time, up from 66 percent
- 54% — agents interested in using generative AI for content creation in the next 12 months
- 1,165 — usable survey responses NAR collected in June, out of 73,718 members invited
Read the report below.
