Registered real estate agents are now turning to technology primarily to get time back and give clients a better experience.
According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2026 Realtors Technology Report, 81 percent of real estate professionals said saving time is their primary goal in embracing new technology, up from 66 percent a year ago. The second most common reason was improving client experience, with 71 percent saying it was why they leveraged technology, up from 64 percent in 2025.
The report surveyed NAR members to better understand how technology is shaping real estate and how agents view its role in their businesses.
“Real estate agents are making practical choices about technology, and the two payoffs they want most are time and a smoother experience for their clients. Those priorities have grown stronger over the past year. When routine work gets handled faster, agents have more time for the guidance, negotiation, and steady advice that clients count on through a major financial decision,” said NAR deputy chief economist, Jessica Lautz.
The report also shows artificial intelligence moving from novelty to routine. Nearly half of agents now use AI daily (23 percent) or weekly (25 percent), and just 12 percent say they are not using it and have no plans to, down from the 32 percent who had not yet tried AI in 2025.
Sixty-three percent of agents said the learning curve is their biggest challenge in adopting new technology, and 59 percent pointed to cost. Clients appear to be along for the ride, with 40 percent of agents saying their clients responded very positively to technology in the buying and selling process and another 37 percent saying clients found it helpful while voicing some reservations.
Why Agents Adopt Technology
- Saving time (81 percent)
- Improving client experience (71 percent)
- Closing more deals (57 percent)
- Less manual work (54 percent)
- Staying ahead of competition (44 percent)
Top Technologies Used
- MLS (96 percent)
- E-signature (79 percent)
- Showing scheduling tools (68 percent)
- CMA/pricing tools (59 percent)
- Drone photography/video (48 percent)
- CRM (46 percent)
- AI-generated content (ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc.) (41 percent)
How Often Agents Use AI
- Daily (23 percent)
- Weekly (25 percent)
- Experimenting occasionally (31 percent)
- Curious but haven’t tried (nine percent)
- Not using AI and do not plan to in the future (12 percent)
Top Uses of AI Among Agents Who Use It
- Writing listing descriptions (75 percent)
- Social media posting (56 percent)
- Creating emails/follow-up (52 percent)
- Market summaries (30 percent)
- Drafting marketing content with personal tone (30 percent)
- Document review/summarising (27 percent)
Average Monthly Technology Spending
- Less than $50 (18 percent)
- $50 to $250 (36 percent)
- $251 to $500 (19 percent)
- More than $500 (22 percent)
The NAR report went further to reveal tech tools real estate agents rely on most in 2026 to save time and get ahead in the business. It noted that from ChatGPT to e-signatures, technology has become woven into the everyday business of real estate. While artificial intelligence (AI) tends to grab much of the attention lately, it’s just one piece of the technology puzzle for agents.
Lautz observed that agents want more from their technology without spending a fortune, adding that about half of the 1,200 agents surveyed say they budget between $50 to $500 monthly for technology expenses; 22 percent spend more than $500 monthly; and 18 percent spend less than $50 per month, according to the NAR report based on responses from 1,200 agents.
The report hinted that AI might be the newest addition to the tech stack, but agents continue to rely on a range of more established tools for their day-to-day job, like the MLS, e-signatures and home-showing schedule tools.
Overall, the top tech tools that agents say they most often use for their business are: MLS (96 percent); E-signature (79 percent); Showing schedule tools (68 percent); CMA/pricing tools (59 percent); Drone photography/video (48 percent); CRM (46 percent); AI-generated content, like ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini, etc. (41 percent); Transaction management (36 percent); Social media scheduling/content tools (32 percent); Virtual tours (29 percent); Personal website using IDX (26 percent); Lead generation (21 percent); Marketing automation (16 percent).
On the other hand, based on the report, the least popular tech applications are predictive analytics and chatbots for lead capture or client communication.
With relatively modest tech budgets, agents are putting a premium on the tools they do choose to use. AI is one way they are trying to stretch that investment. Nearly half of agents use AI daily or weekly, with only 12 percent saying they aren’t using it and have no plans to—down from 32 percent who had not tried AI in 2025. Among agents who use AI, 55 percent say it’s had a positive impact on their business, according to the NAR report.
Agents are turning to AI for some of the most routine parts of the job, from writing listing descriptions and social media posts to crafting emails and follow-ups. 54 percent of real estate pros expressed an interest in using generative AI for content creation over the next 12 months to enhance their real estate business.
The AI tools agents are most overwhelmingly turning to was led by ChatGPT, with usage at 91 percent of agents who use AI, followed by 42 percent who use Gemini, 27 percent use Copilot, 25 percent use Claude and 14 percent leverage Apple Intelligence, according to the report.
The 10 most common uses highlighted in the 2026 REALTORS® Technology Report: Writing listing descriptions: 75 percent (among those who use AI); Social media posting: 56 percent; Creating emails/follow-ups: 52 percent; Market summaries: 30 percent; Drafting marketing content with a personal tone: 30 percent; Document review/summarizing: 27 percent; Client education (such as for creating FAQs and guides): 26 percent; Pricing insights/comps support: 23 percent; Role-play and objection handling: 13 percent; Improve lead generation and prioritisation: 11 percent.
Meanwhile, the least popular uses of AI, among 10 percent or less of respondents, was using it to recommend next steps in a transaction timeline, providing pricing or risk insights, creating an automatic client update or status report, summarizing disclosures and contracts, or auto-filling forms from client-provided information.
