Steam Engines, Snow Shovels, and AI in Real Estate
A snow shovel doesn’t clear a sidewalk by itself. A steam engine just sits on the track until a conductor makes it move. These are tools. They require a human hand, and a human will to mean anything.
AI in real estate is no different. It’s a tool. But it’s scary for some, and I get that. I hear the pushback constantly. People feel challenged by it. Threatened by it. Even frustrated by it. And honestly, I understand why.
But I’ve seen this movie before.
For nearly half a century, I’ve watched this same drama play out with the computer, the fax machine, the internet, the smartphone, and digital signatures. Every time, a group of people hoped that if they ignored the change long enough, it would just fizzle out and go away. Thankfully, those people were wrong. They just stood silently and watched as the world passed them by.
None of those things went away. The tech stayed. The people who refused to evolve were the ones who went away.
Some are terrified a large language model is going to take their job. Others are trying to automate themselves into a robot with no personality. Both are missing the point. AI doesn’t replace your vision, your leadership, or your judgment. It amplifies them. It’s an assistant to handle the "busy work" so you can get back to the human side of the trade: finding and taking care of clients or spending more time with your family.
The AI train has already left the station. It doesn’t much care who it left standing on the platform. We survived the computer, the smartphone, and the internet just fine. It's much easier to figure out how to make the next trend work for you than it is to fight it. AI is here to stay. Get on Board!
I’ve seen the "end of real estate" five times since 1979. I’m still here. Are you?
Until next time, keep your standards high,
Jeff.
About the Author: I am a retired real estate professional with a career spanning 47 years. Throughout decades of market changes, I remained dedicated to the idea that real estate is about more than square footage—it’s about the human experience. Today, I write about the lessons learned from a lifetime of helping people find the place that truly feels like home, hoping that sharing these insights will help the next generation of agents better serve their clients and find fulfillment in their own careers.
(C) 2026 Jeff Sorg
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