Real Estate Clients Are Turning to AI, And Most Agents Aren’t Showing Up in the Results

Written by:

Steve Marcinuk

Date:

11 Dec 2025

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The real estate industry is facing a change in how clients discover agents, one that could surpass the impact of social media, according to Alex Mayer, a real estate agent with Rochester Area Homes by Alex in Rochester, Minnesota. Mayer believes that the adoption of generative AI tools for consumer research is already underway, and that agents who ignore this trend are ceding ground to those who understand how AI-driven platforms now recommend local professionals.

Mayer believes generative engine optimization (GEO) will ultimately have a bigger impact on real estate than social media. Unlike social platforms, where people browse casually, he says AI search is driven by clear intent and delivers recommendations based on synthesized research. Consumers who once asked Facebook groups for agent referrals, he argues, will increasingly rely on AI tools that provide immediate, data-backed answers.

The Visibility Problem Most Agents Don’t Know They Have

Most agents continue relying on traditional digital marketing—Facebook ads, Instagram reels, YouTube videos—even as more consumers bypass those channels in favor of AI platforms like ChatGPT and Gemini. Mayer says buyers are increasingly turning to these tools for real estate information, even if Google still dominates overall search traffic.

After about a month of working on generative engine optimization, he estimates he now appears in roughly half of AI-driven searches for agents in his area. “Around 50%” of local AI queries for real estate agents surface his name, he says.

Achieving this level of visibility required Mayer to rethink his approach. He focuses on maintaining consistent profiles, solid reviews, strong local endorsements, and quality content across every major platform. Instead of relying on traditional SEO or social media tactics, he says his strategy is about making sure AI tools can find him wherever they pull their information.

Why This Matters Beyond Individual Agent Visibility

Mayer believes AI-driven discovery is set to reshape real estate marketing, calling it “the new frontier” for nearly any business. He emphasizes that AI tools don’t just search — they synthesize information from reviews, third-party publications, local endorsements, and other sources to produce recommendations that feel more authoritative than traditional search results.

Because generative AI presents users with answers backed by aggregated research, Mayer argues that agents must be visible across the entire online ecosystem, not just on their own sites or social channels.

To boost his own visibility, he has focused on appearing in third-party publications, strengthening his review profiles, producing substantive local content, and building the kinds of endorsements AI systems treat as credibility signals. As he puts it, he’s actively working to ensure he surfaces in the external sources that AI platforms pull from.

The Challenge of a New Marketing Landscape

Mayer says the industry still lacks clear terminology or standards for this emerging type of optimization. He describes the space as so new that even the acronyms are unsettled. In his view, “ask engine optimization” (AEO) relates more to voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, while “generative engine optimization” (GEO) refers to shaping the answers that AI platforms produce for users.

This lack of standardization means there is little guidance for agents seeking to improve their visibility on AI platforms. Instead, agents must experiment and adapt quickly to maintain relevance as consumer behavior changes.

The Window for Early Adoption

For agents relying only on traditional marketing, Mayer’s experience suggests the window for early adoption is closing. After just a month of investing in generative engine optimization, he has already gained significant visibility in his local market and argues that this is quickly becoming the primary way consumers find real estate professionals.

His current appearance rate—roughly half of AI-driven searches for agents in his area—shows how much early adopters can benefit. Mayer warns that as more agents catch on, it will become increasingly difficult for latecomers to build the same level of authority.

He sees a broader industry risk as well: agents who ignore this shift may lose substantial market share to competitors who prioritize AI visibility. Mayer describes generative AI as the “new frontier” of real estate marketing, noting that most of the profession has yet to engage with it. The next few months, he suggests, will determine who becomes the go-to recommendation in AI-powered searches—and who gets left behind.