Artificial intelligence is beginning to influence the way people search for homes with latest research suggesting a growing number of buyers believe AI could eventually rival, or even surpass, traditional property portals.
A survey of 500 homeowners who bought a property within the last year, conducted by UK Property Development (UKPD), found that more than a quarter (26%) believe AI-powered search tools will become more important than property portals in the future. A further 22% expect AI to become just as important.
While adoption remains relatively low, the research suggests buyers are increasingly turning to AI tools such as ChatGPT and Claude to help navigate the complexities of the homebuying process.
Currently, 15% of recent buyers said they used AI at some stage during their purchase journey.
SUPPORT DECISION MAKING
Rather than replacing property search altogether, AI is most commonly being used to gather information and support decision-making.
Among those using the technology, 15% used it to better understand the homebuying process, while 11% sought advice on making or negotiating an offer.
AI is also proving useful in helping buyers identify where they want to live. Nearly a third (32%) of AI users said it helped them narrow down potential locations, with buyers using the technology to research crime rates, local amenities, shopping facilities and transport links.
When it comes to finding properties, almost half (47%) of AI users said the technology helped direct them towards suitable listings. Others used it to compare properties they had already found or to identify relevant portals and estate agency websites.
DATED APPROACH
Andy Morrison (main picture), Director of UK Property Development, says: “Finding and buying a new home is such a vastly complex and winding journey that people are always going to welcome new tools and technologies that help simplify or demystify the process.
“This is how the portals came to dominate property search – creating a centralised listings marketplace.
“This one-stop shop convenience has served the portals supremely well for a long time, but the rapid rise of AI capabilities and its promise to not only deliver results, but help appraise those results in the blink of an eye means that simply displaying a list of results based on geographical search criteria suddenly feels very dated indeed.”
