This has to be said: please do not use AI to compose real estate emails, especially if it’s your introduction to an agent with whom you may want to work. It may backfire.

This year, Clair and I have started to get strange emails that hit us as being “off”, and we’re eventually learning that these are consumers leaning on AI for their intro email. It’s happening enough that it’s worth a mention.

Please do not use AI to compose real estate emails: what they get wrong

An AI tool might suggest that you ask about any number of things all at once. What we’re experiencing is too many questions or topics desired to review given that we haven’t even met or spoken on the phone, or slight rudeness.

You know what it’s like when people over share, but do that with questions? That’s part of the problem. It doesn’t give a good impression.

A better way to send an intro email to agents with whom you may want to work

Your own words and your own regular email address are best! We want to hear from actual people, not programs!

A while back I wrote an article, How to Get a Great Buyer’s Agent – and Keep Them. This first set of tips is from there and it’s the same advice, just a different context:

To be taken seriously, when you first contact an agent, DO:

• • share your full name
  • share your real contact info (including an email address that you actually check)
  • specifically what you are targeting
  • how you got their name
  • your timing and anything else important

When we get AI generated emails, often the potential buyer or seller client is mysterious and doesn’t share  (sometimes won’t share) how they even heard about us, doesn’t include their name, uses an email that clearly won’t be checked  except when buying or selling (such as HouseSale2222@ – doman.com). That pretty much screams “I don’t trust you and I don’t want to be in touch after escrow closes.”

Don’t overshare or ask too much in the initial emails, keep it short

Sometimes the AI generated email will bring up in that first contact things that usually would be discussed in person or over a video chat or phone call, such as commissions or fees. When those are brought up out the gate it may signal that you’re simply hunting for the least expensive option, rather than someone who’ll help you net the most if selling and save the most if buying.

That’s like a first date when too much is shared upfront. This absolutely should be discussed at the first live conversation, but I would not advise putting it in the email where you introduce yourself, or before a real time conversation.

We recently got a 2nd email from someone with questions strewn throughout 7 follow up paragraphs, each paragraph with 4 or 5 questions. It was overwhelming. We later learned that these came from an AI tool, as the consumer didn’t know what to ask. But by dumping an avalanche of questions on us before we had spoken live or met, it screamed “this person is going to be too needy” or “this person is not respectful of my time”.  Take care not to be overwhelming. You can feed 25 or 30 questions at a time to an AI model, but please don’t do it to human beings.

Thoughts on what to say

Example – good:

Dear, hi, or hello(Agent name),

My name is … and I got your name from ….  (or I found you on specific website).  I’m interested in buying/selling in  (name or list areas). Are you available to talk by phone sometime in the next few days? I’d like to ask a few questions and see if our plans look viable. We are pretty open on (dates / times) if any of those work for you.

Even better:

My friend XYZ  told me about you and that you helped them to buy and sell before they moved out of state, and he/she said that both experiences were great. Then I read your website and was very excited that you write about my neighborhood. Are you taking on any new clients right now? I’d like to talk with you about… If you are free to chat this weekend I’m around.

When you make it more personal and open or genuine we know that we are really engaging with you. That does matter, at least to us (and I suspect most agents).

Do not use AI to compose real estate emails – a genuine email from you is 1,000 times better!

Bottom line: please do not use AI to compose real estate emails, especially not at the beginning (but I would say “never do that”). Be yourself!

Related reading:

Critical choice: Hiring Well Is Step # 1 (on popehandy.com)