Trust, not tech: Home buyers set high bar for agents in AI integration

Despite AI increasingly becoming prominent across property search, valuation and lending, property professionals have remained the favoured source of information, with buyers preferring people over technology.

Ultimately, agents who use the technology in a transparent manner and understand AI’s decision-making processes in detail will be the best equipped to instill trust in buyers and sellers, helping them boost their sales and increase their listings in the long run.

According to Cotality’s global AI in Housing: 2026 study, which examined the views of recent and prospective home buyers, Australians had less tolerance than their global peers when it came to AI-made errors.

The data showed that 42 per cent of domestic purchasers had zero tolerance for errors in listing data, compared to 33 per cent of buyers from Canada, the US and the UK.

In general, home buyers said they would be less forgiving when AI made mistakes, with 70 per cent saying AI errors would reduce their trust in a platform, compared to 60 per cent if an agent made a mistake.

According to Cotality chief data officer Craig Dargusch, buyers increasingly relied on digital platforms to compare properties, prices, suburbs and risks before speaking to an agent or lender, meaning a small mistake could be costly for professionals.

“A single error in a listing, valuation or risk assessment can do real damage to trust,” he said.

“Australian buyers are telling the industry that AI needs to be accurate, explainable and accountable before it becomes central to property decisions.”

Dargusch said that ultimately, the companies that could show where data came from, how decisions were made, and who was accountable in the case of an error would have the upper hand.

“AI can support faster and better-informed property decisions, but only if the industry builds confidence around the technology. For Australian buyers, trust is the product,” he said.

Despite the clear scepticism around AI, the study found a widespread acceptance that it was already part of the industry.

Dargusch said while Australian buyers were not rejecting AI outright, they were setting a higher bar for where it could be trusted, particularly in larger decisions involving their homes or mortgages.

“Buyers want accurate data, clear disclosure and a human backstop when the stakes are high,” he said.

The report said three in four buyers didn’t question whether AI was already involved in the homebuying process, with 86 per cent globally already assuming property websites used the technology.

Cotality chief data and analytics officer John Rogers said the data showed the market had already passed the adoption phase, with buyers no longer asking whether AI was involved.

“The question they are now asking is whether the industry has earned the right to use it in decisions that change lives and finances,” he said.

Despite many people already accepting that AI is part of the process, 68 per cent of buyers globally said they still wanted to receive clear notifications when AI generated a listing or price.

Additionally, 68 per cent globally also said they would manually verify the details provided by AI in a housing context, while almost half of buyers, 44 per cent, would pay an additional fee for a human to verify AI-generated housing decisions.

Cotality chief commercial officer Lisa Jennings said that while the technology would boost efficiency in the sector, its ultimate value will depend on whether it was used in a way people trusted.

“That means being clear about how a model has informed an outcome, backing it with reliable data, and making sure clients and consumers can still rely on human expertise when the decision carries real weight,” Jennings said.