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Real estate AI leaders debate building tools vs buying them
Speakers said the decision can hinge on adoption by agents, data rights, and how long a vendor is expected to support the product as AI becomes more agentic.
Speakers at HousingWire’s AI Summit in Dallas said housing companies should anchor their AI strategy in the problem and the user workflow, rather than starting with a specific tool. They also highlighted the growing importance of responsible AI guardrails as systems shift toward agentic AI.
A session focused on a key practical question for brokerages and agents, whether to buy AI software or build it in-house. Tyler Morton, broker-owner of REMAX Victory + Affiliates and founder of TroyOS, said he initially chose to build, but his first attempt failed because it did not match what agents wanted and how they worked.
Morton said the tool he created to streamline communications was not used, because it required agents to adopt a new app and he was effectively solving for himself rather than for them. He later redesigned the approach so agents could text a phone number to get information, instead of being forced into another platform.
On the buying side, Morton said brokerages should pay close attention to how vendors use customer and business data, as well as the likely longevity of the product. He used an example involving data that had been tied to Facebook Workplace, describing how the platform changed after a period of use.