Answers by Todd Jones

Great question. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about this because, frankly, it could affect my livelihood. AI is incredibly powerful and useful, and I actually encourage clients to use it in certain ways. It can be great for getting a second opinion, understanding contract language, learning about different options in a transaction, or even double-checking something your agent has explained. In that sense, AI can be a fantastic educational tool and a helpful sounding board. But when it comes to actually selling a home or navigating a real estate transaction, there is simply no substitute for a great, experienced agent. Real estate transactions are rarely straightforward. They involve people, emotions, negotiations, timing issues, financing challenges, inspections, and countless moving parts that often change in real time. That’s where experience and judgment become critical. I lead a team, and they will all tell you that many of their transactions would have fallen apart if I hadn’t stepped in to help guide the situation. Sometimes that means quickly pivoting to another reliable lender when financing hits a roadblock. Other times it means talking a buyer off the ledge when they believe something uncovered in an inspection is a major issue, when in reality it’s common and manageable. And frequently it involves coming up with creative solutions during negotiations—especially when dealing with a Request for Repair—so that both sides feel heard and the deal stays together. AI can give you information, but it doesn’t sit across the table from a nervous buyer, read the tone of a conversation, or know when to push and when to reassure. It doesn’t have decades of experience navigating personalities, solving last-minute problems, or protecting a client’s interests when things start to get complicated. In my view, the future isn’t AI replacing great agents—it’s great agents using AI as a tool to become even better for their clients. At the end of the day, selling a home is often one of the largest financial transactions someone will make in their life. Having a knowledgeable professional guiding that process, anticipating problems before they happen, and negotiating on your behalf is something technology alone simply can’t replace.