It all started with a long drive from southern Florida to North Carolina last vacation. As Robert Levine drove, he asked his wife in the passenger seat to ask ChatGPT questions about the home-selling process. “Can we do this?” they asked. “What’s a tactically realistic timetable?”
The conversation began as a way to pass the time on the long journey. But it quickly evolved into a comprehensive endeavor, with AI taking over marketing, planning, pricing and negotiation. With simple prompts throughout the home-selling process, Levine and his wife signed a contract to sell their Cooper City, Florida home for $954,800, $100,000 more than the real estate agent estimated the home was worth.
“When we met with real estate agents, they lacked confidence in pricing,” Levine told wealth. “ChatGPT gives us more confidence in the price point where the market is heading.”
Artificial intelligence models are increasingly capable of completing the most complex tasks, surpassing benchmarks that the world’s brightest mathematicians and lawyers consider daunting obstacles.
It’s not just businesses taking advantage of this technology. Americans are using artificial intelligence to serve themselves every day, some to sell their homes, others to do more questionable things like finishing school. Some AI experts and business leaders believe the technology could wipe out large swaths of white-collar workers, and real estate agents may not be immune.
Levine has the technical savvy to make the most of ChatGPT’s tools. As CEO of strategic consulting firm ComOps, he coaches casino and hotel brands on how to leverage artificial intelligence. Still, Levine believes even those who aren’t tech-savvy can achieve the way he sells their homes.
“I would recommend it to everyone,” he said. “ChatGPT is not coding. It’s a conversation, and if you want to move in this direction, you have to have that conversation with real estate professionals.”
ChatGPT as negotiator and painter
For Levine, a conversation with a real estate agent didn’t quite fit into his busy schedule. Although he talked to a few people, no one was confident about pricing his home. ChatGPT, on the other hand, assured him that listing the house for $100,000 more than the real estate agent recommended was the right move.
Even though the home doesn’t have the best views, the largest lot and isn’t the newest property in the area, it’s selling for one of the highest prices per square foot on the market, Levine said.
Artificial intelligence maps out the most delicate aspects of the home selling process. It provides tips on how to update your property and even suggests which walls to repaint. It also tells Levine when to schedule viewings to fit his schedule. The father-of-three ended up showing his house to 15 potential buyers, a third of whom submitted applications.
“It pushed us through all of that, including little things that I never would have thought of,” Levine recalled. “First impressions are important. We hear it all the time about curb appeal. But when they walk into the house, they don’t want to see wear and tear on the walls either.”
While the AI acts as Levine’s personal real estate agent, there are some obstacles to its capabilities. First and foremost, Levine must be fully committed every step of the way. This means prompting the AI to issue instructions rather than handing the responsibility to autonomous AI agents. He chose to hire his own attorney, despite recent research showing that artificial intelligence could theoretically handle most of the tasks lawyers do. Of course, the technology couldn’t host open houses or box up his family’s belongings.
Levine still believes real estate agents can meet the needs of some homebuyers, but believes all home sellers can benefit from the use of technology.
“It doesn’t necessarily replace professionals,” he said. “But it does give us all the ability to be more curious and more confident in the decisions we make.”
This story originally appeared on Fortune.com
