They are right. Between running the business, managing agents, dealing with compliance, and staying visible in their market, recruiting usually slips to the bottom of the list. Then production slows, agents leave and the panic sets in.

Most brokerages do not have a recruiting problem. They have a system problem.

The cost of doing it manually

The traditional way of attracting agents worked ten years ago. A few social media posts, referrals and some phone calls. Today, that is not enough. Agents are flooded with offers and “we’re hiring” messages. Everyone is chasing the same people off the same list.

If your process is inconsistent or generic, you get ignored. That means hours spent reaching out with little to show for it. Every hour spent chasing cold leads is an hour not spent leading your current team or growing your business. Over a year, that time loss can easily equal tens of thousands of dollars.

What automation really means

Automation is not a robot doing your job. It is a system that helps you stay in front of hundreds of agents while sounding personal. It makes sure no one slips through the cracks.

Here is what it can look like:

• Each day, the system identifies active agents based on recent sales data.
• Personalized messages go out that sound like you wrote them.
• When someone responds, you get notified to take over the conversation.

That is it. You only step in when it matters. The system handles the outreach, timing and follow-up. It runs quietly in the background, building relationships for you.

Recruiting as a profit center

Many brokers think of recruiting as a cost. The truth is, it should be one of your biggest profit drivers.

Let’s say one producing agent brings in $10,000 to $20,000 annually for the brokerage. If your recruiting system brings in three or four solid agents each year, that is an extra $30,000 to $80,000 in profit. That return compounds over time as each new agent keeps producing.

Once the system is built, the cost stays fixed, but the results multiply. Every new agent adds to your bottom line without adding to your workload.

Data gives you the edge

The best brokerages no longer guess who to approach. They use real sales data to identify who is active, who is slowing down and who might be open to a conversation.

By pulling transaction history, recent listings and office movements, you can target agents with precision. Instead of sending the same message to everyone, you send relevant, timely communication that feels authentic.

When an agent sees personalized data and a note that speaks directly to what they are doing, they pay attention. That is the kind of outreach that starts real conversations.  Its about disrupting their pattern through a multi-channel approach, so you become a household name to the agent.

From reactive to predictable

Most brokerages recruit only when they feel the pain of having too few agents. That reactive cycle creates stress and inconsistency. Automation breaks that pattern.

It turns recruiting into a steady, predictable process. The system keeps running whether you are in meetings, on vacation, or closing deals. It fills your calendar with interested agents so that every conversation starts warm.

The goal is not to remove the human touch. It is to make sure your time is spent only on high-value interactions. You still build relationships and conduct interviews, but you start with people who already want to talk to you.

That is how you grow without burning out.

Why this matters now

Margins are tighter. Competition is fierce. Many brokerages are already using automation in marketing, lead generation and transaction management. Recruiting should be no different.

An agent attraction system that runs daily is not a luxury anymore. It is how modern brokerages survive market cycles and maintain growth.

If you are still doing recruiting off the side of your desk, you are leaving money on the table. The goal is not to work harder. It is to work smarter, using technology to extend your reach and consistency.

Automation gives you freedom. It lets you focus on leadership, retention and profitability while your recruiting engine quietly builds your next wave of producers.

The bottom line

Growth in real estate is not random. It is built on systems. Brokerages that treat recruiting like a repeatable process will always outperform those that rely on luck or timing.

The brokers who win in the next five years will not be the ones shouting the loudest. They will be the ones who built systems that run even when they are not looking. These systems, run consistently, have a compound effect over a quarter.

Automation does not replace relationships. It amplifies them. It keeps your name in front of the right people until they are ready to move.

If you want predictable growth and a stronger bottom line, start by fixing how you recruit. The right system will pay for itself many times over.

Ghaz Syed

Ghaz Syed is the founder of AGENTC, a boutique recruitment firm that helps brokerages and tech-driven companies build teams that scale. He’s been recruiting since 2008 and built his career by challenging the way hiring is traditionally done.

A connector by nature, Ghaz blends data, automation, and human intuition to turn recruiting into a predictable growth system. He’s also a father of three, a believer in structure and faith, and someone who’d rather build legacies than follow trends.

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It’s taking real estate by storm, dominating discussions in publications, on conference stages, and within companies eager to equip agents with more tech tools. But the key question remains: Is AI truly simplifying our business and helping us generate more deals, or is it just another distraction that places technology between people?

While AI can automate email replies and streamline interactions, potentially disrupting traditional business practices, it can also serve as a powerful ally when used for tasks like content editing and brainstorming. The challenge lies in leveraging AI effectively without allowing it to diminish the human connection that defines our profession.

The role of AI in real estate

AI holds transformative potential for real estate professionals. Tools that assist with brainstorming, idea generation, and marketing content creation can boost productivity and creativity. Automated data analysis tools can quickly identify market trends and investment opportunities, enabling Realtors to provide clients with more informed advice.

With the growing variety of AI-driven solutions, there is likely a tool available for almost any pain point you’re facing. The key is to explore your options and choose the right fit. When used strategically, AI can save time on labour-intensive tasks, freeing you to focus on the personal, relationship-driven aspects of your business.

The risks of over-reliance on AI

However, this technological evolution comes with caveats. As AI continues to advance, there is a real concern that it could one day automate the entire real estate transaction process, raising questions about the Realtor’s role and the justification for commission fees.

Sellers frequently ask, “How much commission do you charge, and would you consider lowering it?” Consumers always weigh price against value. If clients perceive that AI can handle tasks traditionally performed by Realtors, they may question whether paying for human expertise is necessary.

Think about your own consumer experiences—whether at a high-end restaurant, a luxury hotel, or a car dealership. The service you receive shapes your perception of value. Likewise, in real estate, the quality of service and the personal touch we provide influence whether clients return and refer others.

We’ve seen industries disrupted before—travel agencies and retail sectors, for instance. An over-reliance on AI could push real estate down the same path, leading clients to wonder, “Why should I pay for services a machine can perform?” The key is understanding when and how to use AI without letting it replace the human element.

How Realtors can use AI effectively

AI is great for:

• Brainstorming ideas
• Crafting emails, social media posts, video scripts, and marketing messages
• Automating internal processes
• Editing videos

But avoid using AI to:

• Do your thinking and final writing
• Communicate directly with clients
• Schedule your days
• Automate the entire transaction process

The human element in real estate

Real estate transactions are not just financial—they are deeply emotional. Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest decisions people make in their lives. The industry’s foundation has always been human connection, and those of us who have built our careers in real estate want to preserve that.

The art of the sale involves more than just logistics. It includes navigating client emotions, answering tough questions, and overcoming challenges. AI cannot replicate the subtleties of negotiation, the reassurance needed during setbacks, or the empathy required in high-stress situations. These factors reinforce why real estate will always need a human touch.

The challenges of AI integration

While AI’s potential is undeniable, its implementation presents challenges—especially for those who aren’t technologically inclined. Adopting AI tools requires an upfront time investment, and in some cases, that time might be better spent engaging directly with clients and growing your business through traditional methods.

However, in areas where AI can provide efficiency—such as video editing or automating repetitive tasks—it can be a worthwhile investment. For instance, if you record a long-form video, AI can help break it into shorter clips, add captions, and insert graphics, saving you time and money on editing.

That said, if your goal is to grow your business and maintain control, it’s crucial to remain actively involved rather than blindly delegating to AI. Your unique value lies in crafting personalized client experiences and proving why you stand out in a competitive industry.

The danger of widespread AI adoption is that it could make all Realtors appear the same, diminishing individual differentiation. If AI begins performing tasks that traditionally set Realtors apart, clients may struggle to see why they should choose one agent over another.

AI as a co-pilot, not the pilot

AI should be viewed as a co-pilot—a tool that enhances our capabilities without taking over the controls. I encourage you to explore AI tools while ensuring that you remain in the driver’s seat.

Action steps:

• Make a list of what you excel at, what you struggle with, what you enjoy in your business and what you dislike.
• Identify areas where AI could assist, such as content creation, refining your listing presentation, crafting marketing messages or editing videos.
• Schedule dedicated “AI exploration time” in your calendar to research tools while ensuring you continue focusing on the essential tasks that drive your business forward.
• If you’re new to AI, try a free tool like ChatGPT. Prompt it with: “Write a marketing email from me to my contact list, encouraging them to reach out if they want to buy or sell, or if they know someone who does.” Review the output, refine it with additional prompts and ensure the final message sounds like you.

Like any new tool, AI comes with a learning curve. Some Realtors will embrace it fully, while others will take a more cautious approach. Regardless, we must be strategic in how we integrate AI, using it to enhance—not replace—our irreplaceable human skills. 

As the industry evolves, maintaining this balance will be key to ensuring Realtors remain relevant and indispensable to homeowners for years to come.

David Greenspan

David Greenspan, CEO and founder of #MindShare101 is a nationally recognized keynote speaker, trainer and coach who helps sales professionals and businesses improve their sales and marketing efforts by bridging the gap between online and offline marketing to achieve a higher ROI on every marketing dollar spent. His direct, raw, and real approach is designed to motivate you and give you the advice you need to know.

David’s goal is to help you build MindShare, creating a top-of-mind intuitive, instinctive reaction so when people think of the product or service you offer, they think of your name first, always putting you in the right place at the right time to take your business to the next level.

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Ron O'Neil

For 24 years, Ron has been a driving force in the realms of training and speaking, with a special focus on real estate for the past eight years. Overseeing operations in 10 real estate offices, he honed his skills under influential mentors in the real estate industry. Transitioning seamlessly, Ron delved into the realm of artificial intelligence, dedicating the past four years to extensive research and global advocacy for the ethical and moral implementation of AI technologies. A visionary leader and educator, Ron continues to shape both the real estate landscape and the future of AI with his expertise and unwavering commitment to excellence.

The post Will AI replace realtors? Embrace it to stay competitive appeared first on REM.

Nicole Prince

Nicole Prince is a senior copywriter with Web of Words creative agency. As an award-winning journalist and writer, her work aims to promote the intrinsic value of storytelling in marketing and brand awareness. Nicole leverages her journalistic skills to ask people questions they haven’t thought to ask themselves, infusing their passion for their business into their copy and telling their story from an angle they’ve never seen. Her work has been published by CTV News, Global News, Salzburg Global Seminar and more.

The post The art of conversation: Maintaining a human touch in the era of automation appeared first on REM.

Chiyoko Kakino

Chiyoko Kakino is senior vice president of Brand Growth at CENTURY 21 Canada, and host of The Real Estate: Real Success Podcast.

The post Revolutionizing real estate: How AI is reshaping the industry appeared first on REM.

What should you automate? How? Where do you start?

The first place to start is with a great welcome email. This email gets sent out automatically to anybody you add to your database or who signs up online. Any decent email service provider (Constant Contact, MailChimp) has this feature. Send out a branded welcome email with information about the kind of emails you’re going to be sending out – and how often. This sets the tone for your marketing and makes it easier for people to recognize your email when it lands in their inbox. You can also use this email to point people towards your social media.

Nurturing new prospects:

The next questions to ask yourself are, Do you send out emails with the same information over and over again? Do you work with a lot of first-time buyers who need to be guided through the home buying process or are you dealing with seniors who are downsizing?

Put this information into a series of emails set to go out automatically to these prospects. The content isn’t time-sensitive, so these emails can work for you in the background, not to mention that you can include a call to action in each email encouraging them to get in touch with you.

Birthdays and anniversaries:

Everyone likes to be remembered on a birthday or anniversary of their purchase. Plug these dates into the system, set up an ecard (you can personalize it with their first name and other details) and you now have an additional touch for each person on your list that goes out automatically.

Social media:

Posting on Facebook and LinkedIn can’t be completely automated (unless you’ve hired someone to do it for you) but here are two free time savers.

First, sign up for a site like Feedly. Enter in all the websites you use to find content and Feedly will show you all the headlines without you having to visit all the sites. It’s an easy way to have plenty of content at your fingertips.

Second, consider using a tool like Hootsuite, which is free for up to three social media accounts. Rather than taking time every day to find and post content, do it once a week. Find five stories or photos you like and schedule them to go out on different days. Among its other capabilities, Hootsuite will also tell you how many people are clicking on your links, so you know what’s working and what isn’t.

Spending a little time up front to put these systems in place will save you a lot of time down the road – and help build stronger relationships with your prospects.

Mark Brodsky

Mark Brodsky has been working with Realtors since 2008, producing monthly newsletters and social media management. Send him an email or visit his website.

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Halifax brokerage The Pike Group is a case in point. It launched the world’s first Facebook Messenger chat service that uses a chatbot named HaliBot.

Sandra Pike

“While there are already amazing business benefits to investing in chatbot marketing compared to email, the real reason I’m using a chatbot is to build the voice for my brand and to gather data.… to use artificial intelligence to learn who to talk to, and how and when to talk to them so we can serve them better,” says owner Sandra Pike. “It starts the conversation and engages new potential customers at scale.”

Pike created a property listings feature hosted in HaliBot last August. She markets primarily through Facebook with a link to her Messenger through “fun monthly contests.”

HaliBot developer Dean Bracko says the idea of the contest is simply to break the ice with first-time entrants. Surprisingly, many people who connect with Pike’s Facebook Messenger leave their “real” email address, not a fake one – a common response on non-chatbot sites.

“We see people share more and tour (the site) more in the second month’s contest,” says Bracko, owner of Ottawa-based NachosBot.

Bracko says HaliBot markets a soft sell. “It’s about building a relationship so when they are ready to buy or sell (a property), who is going to be top of mind?”

Calling it an “effortless audience building system,” Pike says HaliBot emails her when she has a lead or a question from a client.

Developer Dean Bracko and his HaliBot.

Pike primarily targets millennials (people under 36-years-old) – the largest group of home buyers, according to a trends report by the U.S.-based National Association of Realtors. That group most often starts its search online. They rarely call a Realtor until they have done extensive research, which includes Google and Facebook reviews.

A chatbot helps simplify their research, Pike says, adding that young clients have “zero interest in filling out live chat pop-ups. They know this is a marketing ploy to collect their email and put them in a sales funnel.”

Salespeople need to be where their prospective clients are – on social media sites like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, Pike says. “There’s a huge untapped potential for our clients to connect easily and quickly find the content they are looking for (with HaliBot).”

She says the majority of mobile usage is now occurring inside of popular messaging applications like Facebook Messenger (78 per cent of her prospects are on it). To get in touch with her, people simply scan a code using Messenger.

“Using Messenger chatbots to build and nurture an audience, completely automated, is amazing. But they need the pros to take over to help the client through the next phase.”

Traditional websites have lost ground because it takes time to sift through a site to find recent listings, contact info and links to reviews, she says.

Chatbots are still in their infancy – Facebook allowed them on Messenger in 2016. But they learn as they go and it can happen quickly, Bracko says. When HaliBot can’t answer a question, it replies with three ways to contact the salesperson.

In a short time, it has cultivated relationships “almost like a third entity,” he says. “We’ll see comments where people are telling HaliBot to tell Sandra things like ‘thanks’ or to tell her that that they have a new listing.”

HaliBot has tens of thousands of conversations per month and features listings with video – all within Messenger at the Pike Group. Listings can be shared to private conversations. Most of the conversations, however, are with people unprepared to buy or sell a property. If 100,000 people in Halifax are talking to HaliBot regularly, only about three per cent are ready to make a deal, says Bracko.

“I’m very clear with clients before building bots for them that we are not looking for ROI (return on investment) and we’re not looking for sales. We are looking to build a relationship tool,” says Bracko.

HaliBot’s success can be measured by the number of direct links it makes to Pike’s landing pages, he says.

Sales are generated, however. In one case with another sales rep Bracko serves, a prospective client messaged three salespeople about a property listing on a Friday night. One of the three had a chatbot, which collected the information and immediately emailed it to the real estate agent on duty, who set up an appointment the next day.  The two other salespeople were slower to respond and missed out on the deal, he says.

It cost Pike $1,500 to have HaliBot built (a cost similar to building a website). She pays a $200 monthly subscription fee that includes conversation optimization and monthly broadcasts.

Brackos, who first met Pike at a conference in Las Vegas, says although she was unfamiliar with chatbot technology she was “open to the idea of change and taking those next steps.”

In 2007 Brackos started helping clients build websites and tapping into the growing social media phenomenon. Today his company has a number of chatbot clients in the real estate industry.

Pike says the long-term objective is to see HaliBot have “complete conversations. This is the future of the internet; fragmented content being shared in conversations. Your chatbot will serve you warm leads on a platter.”

Don Procter

Don Procter is a contributing writer for REM.

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One product slated to hit the market at the beginning of October is Ella, by start-up tech company Ampify. Using artificial intelligence, Ella automates published social media content, saving both time and money.

As a cost-cutting measure, Ella will alleviate the need for digital media agencies and social media teams, and the time saved by sales agents can go towards their myriad other duties, including prospecting and following up.

“Typically, when an agent manages social media, they have to publish content and make Facebook ads, which takes time and effort, and quite a bit of knowledge, if you want to do it properly,” says Hayden James, Ampify’s co-founder. “With Ella, all an agent has to do is log in and give a target area, then we pull the content.

“The agent puts in their target location, and we pull relevant content from the library, and then they’re able to set ads based on buyers and sellers and how much money they want to spend. Essentially, all they do is set a daily budget and we manage it from there.”

By using AI, potential clients who have searched specific housing types will be targeted by Ella with ads corresponding to their searches.

“Our content is auto-scheduled,” James says. “A lot of social media companies that do advertising do it manually, so it’s more expensive. We cut the cost down. We’re giving social media marketing to independent professionals who couldn’t afford it before.”

He also says this platform benefits brokerages too, because each individual agent can push the brokerage’s messages more effectively than a single advertisement would. “It’s a win-win for the brokerage and agents, because agents get more listings and the brokerage gets to push its business better. The brokerage gets to keep their happy agents and recruit new ones.”

Ampify is “beta testing” with Vancouver’s Century 21 In Town Realty by establishing an instant feedback loop. Using the brokerage’s sales reps, Ampfiy’s team can heuristically augment their product. While Ampify is working with other brokerages too, In Town’s feedback loop has been instrumental.

Michael La Prairie

“When we were looking to launch the data version of our product, we approached some local brokerages within Vancouver, then went and sat down with Michael (La Prairie, president of Century 21 In Town Realty) and we just kind of hit it off,” said James. “He was looking for a technology company to come in and we were looking for a place to work so that we could work side-by-side with their users to establish a really fast feedback loop. If we need to make a change, we can do that almost instantly.”

La Prairie says he believes in what Ampify is trying to do.

“My ultimate goal with Ampify is to generate more leads for my Realtors and get better exposure for our Realtors,” says La Prairie, as well as getting “into the eyes of the competition for recruiting purposes, to show them we’re not just a standard brokerage, but a brokerage that doesn’t compete with our agents but enhances what our agents do to get more business.”

BombBomb

La Prairie is also an enthusiastic user of another product, BombBomb, which allows users to send video messages as emails.

BombBomb’s enterprise account executive, Justin Doornbos, says video messages can help a sales rep sell themselves in a few ways, but perhaps the most important is by building rapport with clients. For that, he says, text is vastly inferior to video.

“In the real estate industry, there are a lot of agents,” said Doornbos. “What sets you apart from everybody else? You sell yourself more than your product. People do business with people they know, like and trust and doing it through video speeds that process up.”

Additionally, because of how important referrals are, using an innovative video platform also lends an air of professionalism. Doornbos says BombBomb videos can be used for listing presentations, so “you’re going to market that house differently and better than anybody else.”

BombBomb also has a tracking feature that alerts the sender to when their message is viewed. That is perfect for lead generation, says Doornbos, because the sales agent will know when to follow up with their potential client.

“If you’re a real estate agent and you had a hot lead go completely cold on you, but you notice five days later they open your email and watch your video, you now know when the best time to contact them is. Videos can be uploaded on mobiles, but the tracking analytic also lets you know how long your video was viewed for.”

La Prairie says, “BombBomb helps me retain and recruit my associates, whether they’re new to the business or established in the business.”

One major disadvantage to regular emails, he says, is people cannot read one’s tone, but that isn’t the case with a video message, which leaves very little margin for misunderstanding.

“It puts a personal touch on the business we do, and last time I checked we’re in the relationship business,” says La Prairie. “I was introduced to BombBomb in February and I loved it. I drank the Kool-Aid and I use it religiously.”

La Prairie says, “These technologies are reinventing our lives and making them a lot easier. They make you look taller and thinner.”

Neil Sharma

Neil Sharma is a contributing writer for REM.

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Nowadays, potential home buyers and renters do not walk by a brick and mortar real estate office and view available listings from a printed catalogue or listings on a window. Those days have passed. In fact, 88 per cent of home buyers and renters visit a property website before finding their next home according to the National Association of Realtors’ recent survey.

The same printed property details and photos may have been digitized but the one thing that has failed to make the same digital transition is the customer service element. This is still the key element for home buyers when selecting a real estate professional. The process of relationship building and customer service, in general, is seemingly diminishing.

When you step into a brick and mortar store you are typically greeted by a sales representative who helps you with any typical questions or concerns that you may have regarding a particular product. An online shop doesn’t have that same luxury and some customers often times feel disconnected from the business due to the lack of this personal interaction.

Many real estate websites feel like unmanned generic stores. You know there are people running the website, but getting in contact with them can be a challenge. One of the false assumptions that the people behind these faceless websites make is that if users are opting to use a website, they probably want to be serviced by the web without an interactive presence. Coupled with a motivation to reduce customer inquiries, some websites go as far as hiding or making it difficult to locate their contact information. This could be likened to walking into a real estate office without anyone physically in the shop. There’s no one to interact with or to assist you with your hunt for your next home – there’s just a catalogue on a table for you to spend endless time scouring through.

What if you could be greeted by someone on your next visit to an online real estate storefront?

Instead of browsing through the catalogue of properties on your own, what if you could be assisted with your home hunting process in real time? If this “person” could note your specific requirements and suggest a few recommendations to get you started, would this keep your online shop visitor shopping longer on your site? Could it perhaps prompt them to provide their direct contact information?

Allow me to introduce you to the real estate chatbot. Chatbot’s response time, memory and knowledge bank would rival any agent within your office. Not to mention the fact that the chatbot also works 24/7 and can keep a conversation going with multiple visitors simultaneously. Chatbot is an artificial intelligence powered assistant built for real estate client interactions.

Examining market expectations

While over 90 per cent of real estate brokerages have a website, their most common feature includes property listings (90 per cent) followed by staff photos (71 per cent) and testimonials (40 per cent).

If your website has these three elements, you have made it to the top 40 per cent more or less. Perhaps you may have a few other differentiating elements on your site, like an interactive map or some cumbersome home financing widget. But where is the customer service? Is it simply limited to an email address buried somewhere within the website?

An online chat component puts your site visitors in direct contact with a customer service representative through short messages that are exchanged in real time. It’s best utilized for quick spur of the moment questions that do not require extended responses – the kind of questions that a visitor may not have bothered taking the time to compose an email to ask. They are looking for more of a responsive service where they can have their questions answered promptly.

This is where the chatbot excels. While you are busy with your open houses or viewings, the chatbot ensures that all those marketing dollars you spent driving traffic to your site are optimized for conversions and not gone to waste.

Forrester Research found that 44 per cent of consumers say that having questions answered by a live person in the middle of an online transaction is one of the most important features a website can offer. An ATG Global Consumer Study discovered that 90 per cent of customers consider live chat helpful.

Clearly, the surveys support having a live chat, while at the same time 46 per cent of real estate brokerages cite keeping up with technology as their primary challenge. Installing a chat widget on your site will definitely put you ahead of the pack, but who is going to man that station all day long? You guessed right – real estate chatbot.

Nick Kljaic

Nick Kljaic is the co-founder of Apartment Ocean, which recently developed a real estate chatbot. He has been involved in the real estate tech for many years, working with real estate companies and helping them to improve the process of buying/renting properties. Passionate about real estate and technology, he is always looking to connect with real estate professionals. Email Nick.

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