Will AI replace real estate brokers?

Some tasks are already handled by AI or machines; the rest still needs a person. About 2h 49m of an 8-hour shift goes to tasks that AI or robots largely take over. The other 5h 11m (65%) stays with people. Separately, BLS expects about 0.8% more of these jobs by 2035 (all jobs: +3.5%).

AI shows up regularly in 5 of 17 tasks, about 2h 49m of a typical shift. The biggest ones:

• Obtain agreements from property owners to place properties for sale with real estate firms. (55m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers over property prices and settlement details and during the closing of sales. (55m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Generate lists of properties for sale, their locations, descriptions, and available financing options, using computers. (27m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Rent properties or manage rental properties. (22m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)
• Appraise property values, assessing income potential when relevant. (11m a shift, AI mostly does it alone)

5h 11m of a typical shift, or 65%, goes to tasks with no AI or robot evidence yet. No AI usage or robot deployment has shown up for these so far. The biggest:

• Sell, for a fee, real estate owned by others. (1h 11m a shift)
• Manage or operate real estate offices, handling associated business details. (1h a shift)
• Monitor fulfillment of purchase contract terms to ensure that they are handled in a timely manner. (38m a shift)
• Supervise agents who handle real estate transactions. (33m a shift)
• Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price. (27m a shift)

Much of it comes down to where and how the work happens. In-person, hands-on and high-stakes work is where AI and robots have made the least headway so far. In the official O*NET survey of people in this job:

• 91% say dealing with the public is very or extremely important
• 82% are in constant contact with other people
• 82% talk face to face with others every day

We track 1 sourced company move that affects this job. Most recent:

• Oct 22, 2025: eXp Realty launches Mira, an AI business assistant for its agents (Announced)

For the 1 task in this job where AI shows up and timing data exists, a typical request takes about 3h 8m for a person alone and about 21m with AI. These are Claude's own estimates from real conversations in April and May 2026 (Anthropic Economic Index). They describe single requests, not whole workdays, and time saved on a task doesn't mean jobs are cut. The biggest gaps:

• Appraise property values, assessing income potential when relevant (about 3h 8m alone, 21m with AI)

On Indeed, job postings in the Sales sector are at 92% of their February 2020 level (all U.S. postings: 104%), up 1.5% from a year earlier, as of Oct 9, 2026. BLS separately expects about 7,800 openings a year in this job through 2035. Across all U.S. postings, 7.3% now mention AI skills. Sector postings cover more than this one job and move for many reasons besides AI.

The median pay is about $73,220 a year ($35.20 an hour), 44% above the median for all U.S. jobs ($50,980). Most people in this job earn between $37,110 and $143,300 a year; that range covers the middle 80%. Pay figures are from BLS, May 2025, and vary a lot by state and employer. Pick a state to compare:

BLS projects growth of 0.8% from 2025 to 2035, compared with 3.5% growth for all jobs. That's about 104,000 jobs in 2035. It expects about 7,800 openings a year, mostly from people retiring or changing careers. These projections don't single out AI as a cause.

About 46,000 people in the U.S., roughly 0.03% of all workers (BLS, May 2025). That makes it the 402nd largest of the 796 jobs on this site. BLS expects about 104,000 in 2035.

The most common requirement is a bachelor's degree: about 37% of people in the job said so in the official O*NET survey. O*NET rates the job at level 4 of 5 for preparation, which usually means: bachelor's degree. Requirements vary by state and employer, especially for licensed work.

These come from the job's official skill ratings and from the tasks that AI and robots touch least today. Building them keeps you strong in the parts of the work that still need a person:

• Skills that matter more here than in most jobs: Negotiation, Persuasion, Active Learning, Speaking
• Get strong at the parts of the job that stay with people (listed above), which take 5h 11m of a typical shift
• Tools employers list: Salesforce software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Office software, Adobe Photoshop, Facebook
• Learn to use AI well on the tasks where it already shows up in this job (listed above)

These use similar skills. Matches come from 109 official ratings of skills, knowledge and work activities, and each needs the same or less preparation unless the official list relates the jobs directly:

• Real Estate Sales Agents (2h 44m touched, $53k median pay)
• Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents (3h 43m touched, $79k median pay)
• Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers (1h 57m touched, $70k median pay)

Each task carries its own evidence label. For this job: 5 observed in real AI use, 12 with no AI or robot evidence found. The minutes per task are estimates, not measured hours, and "no evidence" doesn't prove a task is safe.