Agents Want Their Time Back. Here’s What to Do With It.

Key takeaways

• Saving time is now the top reason agents adopt technology, and it jumped 15 points in one year.
• Nearly half of agents use AI at least weekly. Only 12% say they aren’t using it and don’t plan to.
• The biggest barrier isn’t the tools. It’s the learning curve, followed closely by cost.
• Most clients like the technology, but more than a third still have reservations.
• Time saved only matters if you reinvest it in people.

Picture your Tuesday morning. A dozen emails waiting before 9. A listing description to write. Three showings to schedule. A contract that needs a signature from a buyer who is somewhere over Ohio on a flight.

A few years ago, that was your whole morning.

Today, a lot of it gets handled before your coffee cools off.

That’s the story behind the newest research from NAR, and their announcement of the 2026 REALTORS® Technology Report is worth a read. One number stopped me in my tracks. And it isn’t the one about AI.

What did the NAR 2026 Technology Report find?

NAR surveyed its members about how technology is shaping their business. Here’s why agents say they adopt new tools:

• Saving time: 81%, up from 66% in 2025
• Improving the client experience: 71%, up from 64%
• Closing more deals: 57%
• Less manual work: 54%
• Staying ahead of the competition: 44%

The tools agents lean on most are the MLS (96%), e-signature (79%), showing scheduling (68%), CMA and pricing tools (59%), drone photography and video (48%), and a CRM (46%). AI content tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, and Gemini came in at 41%.

NAR Deputy Chief Economist Jessica Lautz summed it up well. The two payoffs agents want most, she said, are time and “a smoother experience for their clients.” She also pointed out that when the routine work moves faster, agents have more room for the guidance and negotiation clients actually count on.

Read that again. Time first. Clients second. Closing more deals third.

Agents aren’t chasing shiny objects. They’re chasing breathing room.

How are real estate agents using AI?

AI has moved from novelty to routine. According to the report, 23% of agents use it daily and 25% use it weekly. Another 31% are experimenting occasionally. Just 12% say they aren’t using it and don’t plan to. A year ago, 32% hadn’t even tried it.

Among agents who use AI, here’s where it shows up:

• Writing listing descriptions (75%)
• Social media posts (56%)
• Emails and follow-up (52%)
• Market summaries (30%)
• Marketing content written in a personal tone (30%)
• Reviewing and summarizing documents (27%)

Notice what almost all of those have in common? They’re words. AI is helping agents beat the blank page. That’s a real gift. But it also means the thing that makes you different, your voice, is the thing you have to protect most.

Why the time matters more than the tools

Here’s the deeper principle. Saved time isn’t automatically valuable time.

If AI drafts your follow-up email in 30 seconds and you spend the 20 minutes you saved answering more email, nothing changed. You just got busier, faster.

But if you use those 20 minutes to call a first-time buyer who’s nervous about their payment, or a seller who is losing sleep over the inspection, you just did the one thing software can’t. You built trust.

I see this every week in the mortgage world. E-signatures and online applications have made our side of the deal dramatically faster. And yet the files that get saved are still saved on a phone call at 7 p.m. when the appraisal comes in low. Technology got the paperwork there quicker. A person got it closed.

Technology should make us more human, not less.

What’s holding agents back from using more technology?

The report was honest about the friction. 63% of agents said the learning curve is their biggest challenge, and 59% pointed to cost.

The good news on cost: you don’t need a huge budget. More than half of agents spend $250 a month or less on technology. The good news on the learning curve: you don’t have to learn everything. You have to learn one thing well.

And clients? 40% of agents said their clients reacted very positively to technology in the transaction. Another 37% said clients found it helpful but still had some reservations. That second group matters. Those are the people who want the convenience and a human who will explain it.

How can Realtors and loan officers put this to work?

For Realtors

• Pick one task, not ten. Choose one repetitive writing job, like listing descriptions or follow-up emails, and let AI draft it for 30 days. You edit. You add your voice.
• Protect the time you save. Put it on your calendar as client call time. If it isn’t scheduled, it will get swallowed by more admin.
• Check everything before it goes public. Verify property details, square footage, and school information, and review wording for fair housing concerns.
• Ask clients how they want to hear from you. Some want a text. Some want a call. Let the technology adapt to them, not the other way around.

For loan officers

• Match your agents’ pace. If your partners are e-signing and scheduling in minutes, your pre-approvals and status updates need to keep up.
• Automate the updates, personalize the strategy. Let your systems handle milestone notices so your calls can focus on the conversations that change outcomes.
• Keep compliance in the loop. AI-assisted marketing still needs to be reviewed and approved before it goes out.

For homebuyers

All of this is good news for you. Faster signatures, easier showings, quicker answers. Just ask your agent and your lender one simple question before you start: “When something goes sideways, who do I call?” The answer should be a person with a name and a phone number.

Want more ideas on using technology without losing the human touch? Browse more AI marketing ideas for Realtors and loan officers here on The Deal Doctor.

The bottom line

Technology changes. Markets change. Interest rates change. People don’t.

NAR’s report tells us agents are getting time back. That’s the opportunity. What you do with it is the strategy.

So here’s your challenge this week. Notice how much time one tool saves you. Then spend that exact amount of time on a real conversation with a client or a referral partner. No agenda. Just check in.

Because trust is still the greatest competitive advantage. And the tools just gave you more time to build it.

Source: “REALTORS® Adopt Technology to Save Time and Improve the Client Experience, NAR Report Finds,” National Association of REALTORS®, September 22, 2026. The full 2026 REALTORS® Technology Report is available from NAR.

About the author

Kate Deiboldt is a Senior Mortgage Advisor at VanDyk Mortgage Corporation serving Clarksville, TN and Fort Campbell, KY. With 26 years of local mortgage experience, she specializes in VA, FHA, THDA down payment assistance, reverse mortgages, self-employed borrowers, and complex files. As The Deal Doctor, she helps Realtors and loan officers keep deals healthy from contract to closing. Connect with Kate on Facebook.

---

Kate Deiboldt, Senior Mortgage Advisor, NMLS #18487. VanDyk Mortgage Corporation, NMLS #3035. Licensed in TN, KY, AL, FL, GA, TX, IL. Equal Housing Lender.

---

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the NAR REALTORS® Technology Report?

It’s an annual survey from the National Association of REALTORS® that looks at how members use technology, why they adopt it, what they spend, and what gets in the way. The 2026 edition was released on September 22, 2026.

2. Why do real estate agents adopt new technology?

Saving time is the top reason at 81%, followed by improving the client experience at 71%, closing more deals at 57%, and reducing manual work at 54%.

3. How many real estate agents use AI?

Nearly half. 23% use AI daily and 25% use it weekly. Another 31% experiment occasionally, and only 12% say they aren’t using it and don’t plan to.

4. What do agents use AI for most?

Writing listing descriptions is the top use at 75%, followed by social media posts at 56% and emails and follow-up at 52%.

5. What technology tools do Realtors use most?

The MLS leads at 96%, followed by e-signature at 79%, showing scheduling tools at 68%, and CMA or pricing tools at 59%.

6. What is the biggest challenge agents face with new technology?

The learning curve. 63% of agents named it as their biggest challenge, and 59% pointed to cost.

7. How much do agents spend on technology each month?

The most common range is $50 to $250 a month (36%). 18% spend less than $50, 19% spend $251 to $500, and 22% spend more than $500.

8. How do clients feel about technology in a real estate transaction?

Mostly positive. 40% of agents said clients responded very positively, and another 37% said clients found it helpful while voicing some reservations.

9. Can AI replace a Realtor or loan officer?

The report points the other way. Agents are using technology to handle routine work so they have more time for guidance, negotiation, and advice. Those are the parts of a transaction that still depend on human judgment and trust.

10. What’s the best first step for an agent new to AI?

Pick one repetitive task, like listing descriptions or follow-up emails, and use AI to draft it for 30 days. Always review for accuracy and fair housing concerns, add your own voice, and use the time you save to talk with clients.