Automation Has Limits: Real Estate Still Runs on Relationships

Written by:

Rudi Davis

Date:

15 Oct 2025

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Former Climb Real Estate founder and now a CEO of Highnote, Mark Choey argues that despite AI advances, real estate transactions remain fundamentally human-driven, requiring trust that technology alone cannot provide.

The Irreplaceable Human Factor

“You need a service professional. It’s sort of like having a lawyer representing you in court. You know, you can’t automate this away,” says Choey, who built one of the top 250 brokerages in the country before its acquisition by industry giant Realogy, now Anywhere.

According to Choey, real estate transactions involve “a lot of face-to-face communication, a lot of documents, a lot of legal documents, a lot of human interaction, a lot of risk, a lot of liability, a lot of money, and a lot of things that just cannot be automated away.”

The Trust Equation

At its core, Choey argues, the decision to hire a real estate professional comes down to trust – but not just in the traditional sense. “Why you hire a service person is because you need to trust that person, and trust not only from an honesty perspective, but also your competence and experience and how you communicate,” he explains.

This multi-faceted trust becomes particularly crucial given the complexity of modern real estate transactions. Choey points out that agents must simultaneously stay current with market conditions, maintain legal compliance, manage client relationships, and effectively present their services, all while navigating an increasingly technology-driven landscape.

Technology as Trust Enabler

While Choey maintains that human relationships cannot be automated, he sees technology as a critical tool for building and maintaining trust. Through his current venture, Highnote, he’s working to help agents present themselves more professionally in the digital realm.

“The service professional needs to develop trust. And one of the ways you do that is by presenting materials in a better light, in a way that resonates with the target,” Choey says. “That means clarity, it looks good, it’s consistent with your brand, it’s thorough, it’s accurate, and it’s not fluff.”

The Path Forward

Looking ahead, Choey sees a future where technology enhances rather than replaces human relationships in real estate. His company is exploring ways to use AI to streamline workflows while preserving the essential human elements that make real estate transactions successful.

“We’re implementing the stuff that works in AI that have huge impact and ROI for the real estate professional in general, and consumer,” he notes. However, he maintains that these tools should support, not supplant, the fundamental human relationships at the heart of real estate transactions.