A seller choosing between agencies tends to notice who picked up, so an answered phone is worth more here than in most trades.
What an AI receptionist for real estate does
An AI receptionist for real estate is an AI phone agent that answers an agent's or agency's local number around the clock, tells callers it is an AI, answers questions about listings and services from what the business has told it, books viewings and appraisals into free calendar times, and takes a detailed message for everything else.
It works on a normal local number that your plan includes. You put that number on your signboards, your listings and your profile, and the AI answers it. Each call is recorded and transcribed with a short summary, so every enquiry has a name, a number and a reason attached, even the ones that arrive at nine on a Sunday night.
Why real estate calls go unanswered
Real estate calls go unanswered because agents spend the working day face to face with clients, at viewings, appraisals and auctions, and cannot pick up without being rude to the person in front of them. Buyers and sellers also ring outside office hours, when the office line rings out.
A buyer who cannot get through does not usually leave a message. They scroll to the next listing. A seller ringing three agencies for an appraisal tends to go with whoever picks up and sounds organised.
The second problem is quieter. When you do answer on the run, the details go on the back of a flyer or nowhere at all. An enquiry that is not written down is hard to follow up.
The calls an agent gets, and what happens to each
| The caller says | What the AI does |
|---|---|
| Can we see it this weekend? | Tells them the open home times you have given it, or books a private viewing from your calendar |
| We're thinking of selling | Takes the owner's name and the property address, and books an appraisal |
| What's the price guide? | Answers from what it has been told about the listing, and nothing more |
| Is the price negotiable? | Takes a message or puts the caller through to you, whichever you chose |
| We'd like to make an offer | Flags it urgent and puts the caller through, or sends it to you straight away |
| Is the rental on Elm Street still available? | Takes their details and books a viewing |
The AI never guesses. If a caller asks about body corporate fees or the school zone and it has not been told, it says so, takes a message, and logs the question so you can add the answer.
What it will not do
It will not give an opinion on what a property is worth. It will not negotiate, pass on other offers, or tell a buyer what the seller might accept. Those conversations are yours, along with the duties that come with them. The AI's job is to make sure you know the buyer rang, what they asked and how to reach them.
How to set it up for an agency
Teach it your listings, honestly
The AI learns your business by reading the main pages of your website. That covers who you are, where you work, your services and how to book. It will not read every listing page on a large site.
So for the listings that generate calls, add the facts callers ask about to your Brain, the editable record of what the AI knows: address, price guide, open home times, bedrooms, parking, and whether it is still available. Take them out when the property sells. How an AI phone learns your business shows where that lives.
Five minutes per listing is enough. An out of date open home time is worse than none, so make it part of your listing routine.
Put viewings and appraisals in the booking page
Add viewing, appraisal and rental enquiry as services, each with a realistic length that includes travel. Then connect Google Calendar by signing in with Google on the Calendar page. The AI reads your busy times during the call and only offers times you are free, and each booking it makes is added to your calendar. Booking appointments by phone with an AI explains the mechanics.
Choose your urgent words
Out of the box, real estate has no built-in urgent words, because what counts as urgent differs between agents. Add your own. Good candidates are offer, deadline, auction, settlement and unconditional. A call that uses one is flagged for you, or put through if you have set a number for that.
Send each call to your CRM
From the Integrations page you can connect a CRM such as HubSpot, Pipedrive or Salesforce, so calls are logged against the contact. With HubSpot, for example, the AI phone finds the contact by phone number, creates one if the caller is new, and logs the call and what was said as a note. There is a walkthrough in syncing call logs with HubSpot and Zoho Bigin.
Property managers have a different problem
Tenants, owners and applicants all ring the same number, and only a few of those calls cannot wait. For a property manager the useful part is sorting.
- Urgent maintenance. No hot water, a burst pipe or no power is marked urgent. You see it first, or it comes straight through to your after-hours contact.
- Routine maintenance. The AI takes the address, the fault and a contact number, and leaves a clear message for the right person.
- Rental viewings. Booked from your calendar while the applicant is on the line.
- Owners. A message for their property manager, with what it is about.
The AI does not promise a tradesperson or a repair time. It tells the tenant the request has been passed on and marked urgent where it is. See the AI phone for property managers for example calls.
Recording and disclosure
The AI says it is an AI at the start of each call. That is on by default. Calls are recorded and transcribed, and recording rules vary by country and state, so check what applies where you work. AI phone disclosure rules is a plain summary.
Try it on your own listings
Start the 7-day free trial, with no card, and talk to your AI in the browser. Play a buyer. Ask about a listing, ask for a viewing on Saturday, then ask whether the price is negotiable and see what it does.
A plan includes your local number and runs 30 days, starting at US$29 for 100 minutes. Every plan is on the pricing page. There are pages with example calls for real estate agents and for mortgage advisers too.
FAQ
Can an AI receptionist book property viewings?
Yes. It checks your calendar during the call, offers times you are free and books the viewing. It can also tell callers the open home times you have given it.
Will it answer questions about a listing?
Yes, from what you have told it. If a caller asks something it has not been told, it says so and takes a message instead of guessing.
Can it handle appraisal requests?
Yes. It takes the owner's name, contact details and the property address, and books a time for you to see the property.
Will it discuss price or offers with buyers?
No. It takes a message or puts the caller through to you. Negotiation and price opinions stay with the agent.
Does it work for property management?
Yes. It marks urgent maintenance, such as no hot water or a burst pipe, takes routine requests as messages and books rental viewings.
Do callers know it is an AI?
Yes. It says so at the start of every call, and that setting is on by default.
