78% of U.S. homebuyers now use AI to help buy a home

A majority of U.S. homebuyers are now utilizing artificial intelligence to assist in their home purchase process, according to a survey conducted by Zoodealio and ResiClub. The survey, which was completed by 208 real estate agents across the country, revealed that 78% of agents are leveraging AI tools to support their clients.

The survey, conducted between August and September 2026, also found that buyer demand is cooling nationwide, with 63% of agents reporting a decrease in demand compared to a year ago. This trend is most evident in the Midwest, where 74% of agents noted a decline in buyer interest, while the Southwest saw no increase in demand, with 66% of agents reporting a decrease.

As buyer demand softens, nearly three-quarters of agents (74%) believe that leverage is shifting towards homebuyers in their local housing markets. This shift is particularly pronounced in the Southwest (89%), followed by the Southeast (78%) and the West (74%).

Despite the changing market conditions, seller urgency is on the rise. Nationally, 49% of agents report that seller urgency has increased compared to the previous year, with the Midwest leading the trend (60%), followed by the Southwest (55%) and the Southeast (48%). In contrast, the Northeast appears more stable, with half of agents reporting that seller urgency remains the same as a year ago, and half indicating that leverage is not shifting in either direction.

Looking ahead to 2027, agents' expectations for home prices have shifted. Only 30% of surveyed agents expect home prices to increase over the next 12 months, down from 39% in Q4 2025. The majority of agents (30%) now anticipate slight declines, while 33% expect prices to remain flat. Only 1% of agents expect price increases of 5% or more.

Mortgage rates have also become a more significant concern for agents. Since the last survey, expectations for mortgage rates have moved higher, with the majority of agents now expecting rates to land in the upper-6% range over the next 12 months, with many anticipating rates to stay above the 7.0% range or higher.

Agent confidence has weakened, with fewer than half (48%) of surveyed agents maintaining an optimistic outlook for the coming year. Business outlook remains most positive in the Southeast (62%), while pessimism is highest in the Northeast, where half (50%) of agents describe their business outlook as pessimistic.