Check out our new The REAL AI Podcast for this week – Episode 32 6/22/26 – AI generated with hosts Miles and Grace
REAL AI: The ROI of AI, The REAL AI Guide on Prime Sale, AI stats and facts, headlines, and AI quote of the week
By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | June 22, 2026 – Vol. 4 Issue 25
REAL AI is the industry’s first and most popular weekly newsletter helping real estate professionals stay on top of the most important AI developments so they can save time, stay safe, and improve their business every day. Learn ways to use AI every day that you never thought of: The REAL AI Guide for Real Estate Agents at Amazon.
The ROI of AI
Have you asked yourself, “Is AI really paying off?”
It’s becoming a more common question. Agents are reading headlines about companies getting hit with huge AI bills. They’re seeing stories about heavy users burning through massive amounts of metered AI, costing companies millions of dollars.
Other companies have learned another hard lesson about AI: it cannot do everything they thought it could do. Some laid off people and expected AI to fill the gap, only to discover they still needed humans to do the work AI could not do well.
That should not surprise anyone in real estate. AI can help an agent work faster, but AI cannot be a real estate agent. AI cannot hold a license.
But are agents really getting a return on what they are investing in AI?
That’s a question that has prevented many agents from even trying to use AI. But I think many people are measuring AI ROI the wrong way.
What to measure
The mistake is treating AI like a separate business activity that needs its own special ROI formula. That’s not how you should look at it.
AI should be measured inside the work you already do every day.
Did it help you respond faster? Did it help you prepare better? Did it help you explain something more clearly to a client? Did it take a task that took hours – like reviewing an inspection report – and reduce it to minutes?
That’s where the ROI starts.
The first real return on AI is usually not money. It is time. And for agents, time prospecting. Time is follow-up. Time is client service. Time is getting your evenings back.
Training changes the math
AI ROI is not just about the tool you buy. It’s about the skill you build.
Once agents learn how to give AI context, ask for one task at a time, teach AI how to speak in their voice and master HIM (human in the middle) and HER (human evaluate and refine), everything changes.
When used improperly, AI can become a huge time suck.
After training and connecting with thousands of agents over the last three months, I have seen one problem over and over again: too many agents expect a free AI tool to perform like a paid professional tool.
Where to find the real ROI
The ROI problem with AI comes from using weak (and unsafe) tools, bad practices and not enough training.
Business-grade AI tools used correctly deliver massive ROI.
After every AI class I teach, someone who finally makes the switch from the free version to ChatGPT Business tells me they are blown away. The answers are better. The drafts are cleaner. It remembers automatically and learns their voice and their brand.
They finally understand that free tools are not for business, period. The performance jump is their proof; a massive leap in safety is the icing on the cake.
At a recent National Association of Real Estate Editors event, where I helped teach journalists about AI, the panel I was on was skeptical about the ROI of AI. I shared how NotebookLM and ChatGPT Business helped me find two things TurboTax had missed on my taxes.
Afterward, someone came up and told me her CPA said she owed $42,000. She put her tax information into ChatGPT Business, found a mistake the accountant had missed, and went back to the CPA, who reworked the return. Her takeaway: “If anybody wants to know about ROI, AI saved me $42,000.”
Agents who get the biggest ROI from AI are using the best tools in the best ways. This is where AI overdelivers: in time savings.
And there’s a bonus. The best-performing, business-grade AI tools are also the safest. That matters because risk is part of ROI, too. One bad AI mistake can wipe out all the ROI you gained. (-Kevin)
AI Facts & Stats
1. 89% of homebuyers surveyed said they would share personal financial information with an AI-powered lender tool in exchange for tailored mortgage advice.
2. 69% of prospective buyers said they are very or somewhat comfortable using AI-based tools to help with loan application documents.
3. 68% of prospective buyers said they completely or somewhat trust mortgage information provided by AI-based tools.
4. 53% of prospective homebuyers said they would be comfortable buying a home without direct human involvement and relying on AI instead.
5. 76% of prospective buyers said they are comfortable using AI tools to shop for mortgage lenders on their behalf.
Note: Research conducted by Sparketing via an online survey from March 13 to March 24, 2026, of 400 Veterans and civilians who intended to buy a home in the next three years.
Source: Veterans United Survey (-Korey)
AI Headlines
AI Education Demand from Real Estate Pros Moves from Curiosity to Competency | 6/15/26 CityBiz
AI training programs are surging as MLSs book hands-on AI classes by “The REAL AI Guy.”
ChatGPT forgets things in long threads. Here’s the fix | 6/18/26 PCWorld
This simple prompt will compact the chat and maintain the essential information.
Project NexusRE adds governance layer for MLS data and AI use | 6/16/26 HousingWire
The new AI platform is designed to improve broker visibility into where listing data is accessed and under what terms.
How should MLSs, portals address AI-enhanced listing photos? | 6/18/26 Real Estate News
As AI tools alter listings, the need for consumer transparency is greater than ever.
Regulatory Issues Forum Explores AI’s Growing Role in Real Estate and Public Policy | 6/16/26 NAR
AI’s power in real estate is growing, but so is the need for safeguards and the right balance.
AI is shrinking the knowledge gap between agents, consumers | 6/16/26 Real Estate News
It’s important for real estate pros to embrace AI innovation, but they should also understand the risks.
Stop Letting AI Tell You What Your Brokerage Is Worth | 6/16/26 WAV Group
Brokers must find guidance from professionals and should stop building their expectations around AI. (-Korey)
AI Quote of the Week: Michael Kratsios, White House
Buy The REAL AI Guide for Real Estate Agents and get it signed by Kevin Hawkins, The REAL AI Guy at Inman Connect in San Diego.