How We Use AI So We Can Spend More Time With You

by Mike Ferrante

I teach a continuing education class for Ohio real estate agents on using AI in their business. I like to open it with a question. If you hired a brand new assistant tomorrow, what's the first thing you'd have to do? Train them. Nobody walks in on day one and starts working on your behalf.

That's how we think about AI on the Mike Team. It's an assistant. A fast one that never takes a day off, but still an assistant. It doesn't replace the agent you're working with. It handles the repeatable work so that agent has more time for you.

The work we hand off

A surprising amount of real estate is legwork. Before an agent sits down with you, someone has to gather information, organize it and turn it into something useful. That's where AI earns its keep:

Research. Pulling rental listings for a quick rent estimate, checking what's near a property, gathering public information before a listing appointment.
First drafts. Listing remarks, follow-up emails, market summaries. A draft gives the agent a starting point, not a finished product.
Organizing. Turning a pile of notes, a spreadsheet or a stack of documents into something clear.
Reading photos. AI can look at listing photos and pick out features like countertops, lighting, a deck or a pool, which helps make sure nothing gets left out of a description.

None of those tasks need a relationship. They need time. Every hour AI saves is an hour our agents get back.

What AI can't do

AI can't walk through a basement and notice the fresh paint on one wall. It can't sit at your kitchen table and pick up that you need to be moved by the end of the school year, even if you haven't said it yet. It can't tell another agent on the phone why your offer is the one their seller should take. It can't stand next to you at an inspection and tell you which items are a price conversation and which ones are a reason to walk.

Those moments decide how a sale or purchase goes, and they're the moments we want our agents fully present for.

Where the time goes instead

When we're not spending an afternoon clicking through websites or retyping the same information, the time goes where it should: showings, listing appointments, returning your call the same day, being at the inspection, and preparing for a negotiation instead of rushing into one.

Speed matters in this business. So does being prepared. AI helps with both.

We train our tools the way we'd train a person

Out of the box, AI tools give generic answers because they draw on what's most common online. So I've set up the tools I use with specific instructions. Cite your sources. Don't make things up. Be accurate, because mistakes erode trust. Write like a person, not a machine.

The more specific the instructions, the more useful the output. It's the same as training a new hire. Vague direction gets vague work.

A person checks the work

Our standard is that AI output gets reviewed by one of our people before it goes to a client, onto a listing or into a contract. If AI pulls an HOA fee, we confirm it. If it reads a feature from a photo, we make sure the feature is actually there. If it drafts listing remarks, an agent reads them, fixes them and makes sure they follow fair housing rules.

AI is fast. Our job is to make sure it's also right.

What this means for you

Sellers: a better prepared listing appointment, a listing description that's thorough and accurate, and an agent with more time to market your home and handle the negotiation.
Buyers: quicker answers about a neighborhood or a property, and an agent with more time for showings.
Investors: faster numbers on a property while you're still deciding whether to pursue it.

The Mike Team has completed more than 3,000 transactions. The ones that go smoothly almost always have a prepared, available agent behind them. AI helps us be that agent more often.

Frequently asked questions

Is AI talking to me instead of my agent? No. AI helps with research and drafts behind the scenes. Your conversations are with your agent.

Does AI set my home's price? No. Pricing comes from comparable sales, the condition of your home and your agent's judgment. AI can help gather data faster, but people make the call.

Is my information safe? We're careful about what goes into any tool. Ask your agent anytime how your information is being used.

The bottom line

Technology should make the experience better, not more distant. We use AI so our agents spend less time at a keyboard and more time with the people they're helping. If you're thinking about buying or selling in Northeast Ohio, we'd love to show you how we work. Schedule a time with me or someone on our team at 21mike.com.

Mike Ferrante
The Mike Team at LPT Realty
www.21mike.com
Google Business Profile: https://g.page/r/CSQoYzel0Z68EAE
+1 (216) 373-7727