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AI can find your dream home, but experts say it won't replace real estate agents
Experts say technology is making investors better informed than ever, but human judgement remains essential when making major financial decisions
- PUBLISHED: Tue 14 Jul 2026, 9:37 PM
The technology is reshaping customer interactions across the real estate industry.
Prime Capital has integrated AI into its internal operations, including an AI-powered chatbot trained to answer common client questions on financing, Dubai’s property market, Golden Visa eligibility and investment opportunities.
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The result, according to Tahir Majithia, managing partner at Prime Capital, is faster customer service while allowing advisors to focus on more strategic conversations.
“It doesn’t replace the relationship between an advisor and a client; it enhances it,” he said.
By automating repetitive enquiries, advisors have more time to understand clients’ priorities and recommend suitable investment strategies. Buying a home in the UAE no longer starts with a visit to a real estate office. Increasingly, it begins with a question typed into an AI chatbot.
Within seconds, artificial intelligence can compare communities, estimate rental yields, analyse historical price trends, recommend properties based on personal preferences, and even generate virtual tours. Buyers are arriving at meetings armed with detailed market research that would once have taken days to gather.
For the real estate industry, that shift is changing not only how properties are marketed, but also the role of the real estate advisor.
“Five years ago, clients came to us looking for information. Today, they walk into meetings having already asked AI about rental yields, compared communities, researched developers and shortlisted properties,” said Majithia.
“Information is no longer the differentiator. Our job today is to help clients understand what the data means, challenge assumptions and identify opportunities that technology alone may not recognise.”
Smarter buyers, better conversations
AI has dramatically reduced the time it takes buyers and investors to research the market. Instead of spending hours searching multiple websites, investors can now compare neighborhoods, study historical transactions, and narrow down investment options within minutes.
Majithia believes that it has fundamentally improved the quality of discussions between advisors and clients.
“Instead of spending time gathering information, we spend more time helping investors make better decisions,” he said.
However, he cautioned that having more information does not automatically lead to better investment choices.
Many buyers arrive convinced they have found the right property, only to discover during discussions that it does not align with their financial goals.
Some prioritse rental income, while others seek long-term capital appreciation, relocation opportunities or holiday homes. Understanding those objectives still requires personalised advice rather than algorithm-driven recommendations.
Where AI still falls short
Despite its growing capabilities, experts agree AI has clear limitations.
While it excels at analysing historical transactions and identifying patterns, it cannot fully account for many of the factors that influence property values.
Majithia points to seemingly identical apartments in the same building that can command significantly different prices because of renovation quality, views, finishing standards, or planned nearby infrastructure.
Those are details that often require physical inspections and local market experience.
He also warned that AI-generated responses can sometimes reinforce users’ existing assumptions rather than challenge them.
“If someone asks, ‘I think this is a great investment; what do you think?’, the response is often framed around supporting that assumption rather than questioning it,” he said.
Unexpected events such as geopolitical developments, interest rate changes or government policy shifts can also quickly alter market conditions in ways AI models struggle to anticipate.
Relationships still matter
For Bahman Bandari, CEO of Bencorealty and star of Million Dollar Listing UAE, AI remains a valuable research tool but not a replacement for industry expertise.
“There are key areas where AI falls short,” he said.
“It can’t negotiate, access off-market deals, judge a developer’s credibility or handle complex legal situations. Real estate isn’t just about data it’s about timing, relationships and judgment.”
Bandari said he has seen buyers make costly mistakes by relying solely on online information, including overpaying based on average prices, investing in oversupplied communities or chasing heavily marketed off-plan projects without understanding broader market fundamentals.
“Data without context can lead you in the wrong direction,” he said.
The future is collaboration, not competition
Rather than replacing real estate professionals, both experts believe AI will raise the industry's standards.
Routine administrative work, research, and customer enquiries will increasingly be automated, allowing advisors to concentrate on strategy, negotiations, and long-term investment planning.
Majithia, who has worked in Dubai's property market for more than two decades, compares the role of an advisor to that of a doctor.
"Two clients may have the same budget, but their goals, risk appetite and long-term plans can be completely different," he said.
"My role isn't simply to recommend a property. It's to understand what they're trying to achieve before making any recommendation."
Bandari agrees that the profession is evolving rather than disappearing.
"AI won't replace real estate agents, but it will remove the average ones," he said. "The role is becoming far more strategic, where trust, execution and judgment matter most."
Arwa Almazrouei is an Arabic editor passionate about storytelling and journalism, and creating impactful content that highlights culture, society, and the inspirational.