Artificial intelligence is transforming nearly every corner of real estate. But what happens when AI is used to rethink one of the industry’s most familiar experiences: searching for a home?
That’s the focus of Episode 2 of Inside AI hosted by me, The REAL AI Guy, a new interview series that gives real estate professionals an insider’s look at the people shaping AI across the industry. Through candid conversations with technology leaders, innovators and executives, this new one-on-one interview series cuts through the hype to explore what’s working today, what’s changing tomorrow and what agents, brokers, MLSs and associations need to understand as artificial intelligence reshapes real estate.
In this episode, debuting today on RE Technology’s YouTube channel, I sit down with Dan Troup, CEO of Broker Public Portal and the driving force behind Cribio, an AI-powered consumer home search experience designed from the ground up for the AI era.
Unlike many AI discussions that focus on theoretical possibilities, this conversation explores what happens when a company starts with a blank sheet of paper and asks a simple question: If we were building consumer home search today, how would AI change it?
More than another home search website
Cribio isn’t simply another portal or a traditional home search site with an AI feature bolted on. During our conversation, Dan explains why his team chose to build an entirely new experience around today’s AI capabilities rather than retrofit yesterday’s technology.
It’s a fascinating discussion that goes beyond software to explore how AI is changing the way technology companies think about product development, consumer expectations and innovation itself.
The future of search is about more than AI
Much of today’s AI conversation centers around chatbots. But is conversational AI really the future of home search? Or is something more nuanced emerging?
Dan shares his perspective on where AI genuinely improves the consumer experience, and where the technology still needs to earn consumers’ trust. It’s an honest discussion about balancing innovation with reliability, especially when one missed listing could mean a buyer never sees the perfect home.
Why trusted data matters more than ever
As AI-generated content floods the internet, one question becomes increasingly important: Where does the information come from?
One of the themes we explore the source of truth: MLS data, and how it could become even more valuable in an AI-powered future. We discuss the role trusted information plays in helping consumers make informed decisions and why the quality of the underlying data matters just as much as the intelligence interpreting it.
Is AI changing the competitive landscape?
The conversation also examines one of the industry’s biggest questions: Is AI lowering the barriers to building sophisticated real estate technology?
For years, consumer home search has been dominated by a handful of large companies. Dan shares his perspective on how advances in AI, cloud computing and modern software development may be changing that equation, and what those changes could mean for brokerages, MLSs, agents and consumers.
Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, it’s a thought-provoking discussion about where the industry could be heading over the next several years.
What it means for real estate professionals
While the conversation focuses on consumer search, agents and brokers will find plenty to think about.
We discuss why trust remains a competitive advantage, how AI can enhance the role of real estate professionals without replacing them, and why technology works best when it helps people make better decisions rather than making decisions for them.
If you’re trying to separate AI reality from AI hype, this episode offers a practical look at how one industry leader is approaching the future.
Watch Episode 2 of Inside AI featuring Dan Troup, CEO of Broker Public Portal and the driving force behind Cribio and discover why AI-powered home search may be entering its next chapter.
Watch the full interview on YouTube – here!
Learn more about AI in real estate and get your free REAL AI newsletter subscription at wavgroup.com/ai.
About Kevin Hawkins
Kevin Hawkins, known throughout the industry as The REAL AI Guy, is a WAV Group partner and the author of the Amazon bestselling book The REAL AI Guide for Real Estate Agents. He is also co-creator, with WAV Group’s Korey Hawkins, of the REAL AI newsletter, real estate’s most popular weekly newsletter dedicated exclusively to artificial intelligence for agents, brokers, MLSs and associations. Through his writing, training and interviews with industry leaders, Kevin helps real estate professionals cut through the AI hype and focus on what is practical, useful and safe. Hire Kevin to speak, train or host your webinar by contacting him here.
