Artificial intelligence might be rewriting the rules of the housing market, but the vast majority of Americans are drawing the line at letting a machine handle their mortgages. According to new research released by Home Marketing Services (HMS), 65.32% of Americans believe AI should not replace human Realtors, real estate agents, or brokers.
In contrast, only 34.68% of respondents said they would support a completely automated, AI-only real estate model.
The data lands amidst a wave of viral headlines highlighting automated real estate successes. Recently, a Florida homeowner generated national buzz by using ChatGPT to assist in selling his home in just five days, reportedly beating local agent valuation estimates by roughly $100,000.
However, the HMS survey indicates that these isolated internet success stories do not align with mainstream consumer comfort levels.
Demographic breakdowns from the study reveal widespread resistance across almost every age and gender bracket. While younger generations are typically quick to adopt new software, 79.10% of adults aged 18 to 29 opposed the idea of AI replacing human agents. Senior citizens over the age of 65 showed the strongest resistance at 83.22%.
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The survey also highlighted a prominent gender split. While male respondents were nearly divided—with 54.47% opposing the phase-out of human agents—female respondents showed much higher resistance, with 74.81% favoring human professionals. Geographic and economic variations were also present, noting that higher-income households and residents on the West Coast showed the most openness to AI agents, while residents in the Midwest were the least receptive.
Bob Lovell, the founder of Home Marketing Services, noted that the data points to a major boundary line between utilizing AI as a supplemental tool versus letting it manage an entire transaction.
“People may be comfortable asking AI what a home is worth or how to write a listing description,” Lovell said. “That is very different from trusting it to catch a bad inspection, negotiate builder incentives, explain financing risk, or tell a seller they are about to create a timing problem between selling one home and buying the next.”
Lovell emphasized that the primary concern isn’t whether AI can assist industry professionals, but rather whether regular consumers fully comprehend the risks involved when human oversight is removed entirely.
“A home sale has too many pressure points,” Lovell stated. “Price is only one piece. You have repairs, appraisals, contracts, emotions, moving dates, financing, and sometimes a family making a decision under stress. That is where people still want someone accountable.”
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Regarding the unexpected pushback from younger demographics, Lovell pointed out that high financial stakes alter consumer behavior, regardless of how tech-savvy a generation is.
“Younger buyers will use tools all day long, but many of them are first-time buyers,” Lovell said. “They know they do not know everything yet. When it is your first mortgage, your first inspection, and your first real negotiation, having a human guide still matters.”
Ultimately, the study suggests that the immediate future of real estate leans toward AI-assisted professionals rather than completely automated brokerages.
“AI can make agents faster and buyers more informed,” Lovell concluded. “But replacing the person completely is a much harder sell. Real estate is still a trust business, and trust is built when someone has to stand behind the advice they give.”
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