Tuesdays are 3 AI updates, one hot take, one action. Weekends are practical real estate agent workflows.
1. 37% of consumers now start searches with AI instead of Google. A recent study in Q1 found that more than a third of consumers now go to an AI tool before they open a search engine. The average ChatGPT prompt runs 10+ words, compared to Google's 3.5. That's a completely different kind of question. Not "Scottsdale homes for sale" but "Can I afford a 4-bedroom in North Scottsdale near good elementary schools on a $650K budget?" 60% of respondents said AI gives them better, clearer answers than traditional search but 85% still go back to Google to verify before they take action, so the two work together. Agents can effect how they appear on AI search today.
2. ChatGPT added GPS location sharing. ChatGPT users can now share their phone's GPS for locally relevant answers. It's opt-in, off by default, with two modes: approximate area or precise address-level. Once it's on, someone can ask "who's a good listing agent near me" and get recommendations based on where they're standing. The feature is free on all ChatGPT tiers, live on iOS and web. I’m sure you can see where this is going. When it’s opt-in by default and paired with the 10+ word prompts from the study above there will be someone sitting in your zip code, asking a specific question about your market, and AI deciding what agent gets recommended.
3. Zillow launched AI Mode, turning home search into a conversation. Zillow rolled out AI Mode in beta this month. Buyers type things like "Can I afford this apartment if I move in June?" and get affordability analysis, comp data, and neighborhood detail back in a conversation instead of a filter page. The AI interprets price cuts, days on market, and recent sales to tell buyers whether a home is priced well. It's worth knowing because Zillow is one of the platforms AI pulls from when it builds a picture of you. Your Zillow bio, your reviews, your sales history, your service areas all feed into that picture. If your Zillow profile says something different from your Google profile or your website, that's one more place where your story doesn't match.
HOT TAKE
My colleague Ethan Smith shared some great data recently and I think one line sums it up: AI doesn't rank web pages. It ranks people. When someone asks ChatGPT "Who's the best agent in (your area)?", it pulls your Google reviews, Zillow bio, LinkedIn content, and your website, all at once. It then builds a picture of one person. If your Zillow says "Short Hills" and your website says "Northern NJ" and your Google profile says "Summit," it reduces your power and expertise to be recommended as the top expert.
1 THING TO TRY
Open ChatGPT, turn on location sharing (Settings > Data Controls), and type: "Who's the best real estate agent in [your market]?" Do the same in Claude and Gemini. If you don't show up, pull up your Google Business Profile, Zillow bio, and LinkedIn side by side. Check whether they all say the same market name, the same specialty, the same version of you. Then look at your last five Google reviews. AI reads the actual words inside those reviews. "5 stars, great agent" is worth nothing to it. "Helped us buy in Westfield, knew every house on the market, walked us through inspection" gives AI something to cite when someone asks. This Friday's workflow will walk you through an audit and steps to improve it.
Cohort 4 of the AI Marketing System just finished. If you want in on the next workshops, join the waitlist. Have a great week!
-Matt
