Estate agents risk being excluded from potential clients' initial consideration as AI platforms tend to produce shorter agency shortlists, according to new research. An analysis of 10,560 responses from AI platforms, including ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Google AI Overviews, found that these systems typically recommended just three to five agencies.
The research, conducted by Schutle, involved 116 commercially focused prompts across London, Dubai, and Marbella. The agencies selected varied considerably depending on factors such as location, nationality, customer requirements, and the specific AI platform used.
For example, Knight Frank appeared in 63.8% of relevant Central London responses, while independent agency Bromley Estates Marbella featured in 81.2% of responses concerning British buyers in Marbella. In Dubai, Allsopp & Allsopp was prominent in buyer-support and seller searches.
Jaimie Beers, founder of Schutle, stated that AI is already forming much smaller shortlists for customers and is not simply reproducing Google's search results. He added that an agency's visibility on one AI service does not guarantee similar prominence elsewhere.
The study also examined factors influencing AI recommendations, with agent capabilities featuring in 98.8% of analysed responses. Common factors included local expertise, operating history, independent reviews, professional standards, transparency, and language capabilities. Beers noted that agencies need clear online evidence of their services and expertise for AI systems to accurately understand and recommend them.