A homebuyer in your city just asked ChatGPT: "Who's the best real estate agent in Austin for first-time buyers?"
ChatGPT gave them three names with short explanations of why each agent is a good fit. One of those names is an agent two blocks from your office. A competitor who's been in the business half as long as you.
You weren't mentioned. The buyer contacted the recommended agent, toured a few properties that afternoon, and you'll never know this lead existed.
This is happening in every market, every day. People are asking AI for agent recommendations the same way they used to ask friends and family. And the agents who show up in those answers are getting calls while others wonder why their phone stopped ringing.
Real estate runs on trust, and AI is the new trusted source
Your business has always been referral-driven. Someone buys a house, loves their agent, tells their coworker. That's worked for decades.
But the referral model has a new player. When someone moves to a new city, or when a first-time buyer doesn't have a network of homeowner friends, they turn to AI. "Recommended real estate agent in [city] for [situation]" has become one of the most common prompt patterns in real estate.
AI recommendations carry the same weight as a friend's recommendation. The buyer didn't see your ad and feel skeptical. They asked a tool they trust, got a name, and felt confident reaching out. That's a warm lead delivered to someone's inbox for free.
Why most agents are invisible to AI
You have a Zillow profile. Maybe a Realtor.com page. A personal website with your headshot, a few listings, and a bio that says "Passionate about helping clients find their dream home."
That describes roughly every real estate agent in America.
AI can't recommend you if it has no way to distinguish you from 500 other agents in your market. Your Zillow reviews might be great, but if your online presence doesn't clearly communicate your specialty, your market expertise, and what makes working with you different, AI has nothing specific to latch onto.
The agents getting AI recommendations have done something most haven't: they've made their expertise visible and specific online, in a way that AI can actually parse and reference.
The prompts that bring real estate clients
Real estate AI queries are almost always local and specific. This is actually good news for you, because it means you can own a niche.
"Best real estate agent in [city] for first-time buyers." "Top luxury real estate agents in [neighborhood]." "Who should I hire to sell my condo in [city]?" "Real estate agent specializing in investment properties in [area]."
Each of these prompts has a different right answer. The agent who has clearly documented their expertise in first-time buyers gets the first-time buyer prompt. The one with luxury market content gets the luxury prompt.
You don't need to win every prompt. You need to win the ones that match your actual specialty and the clients you serve best.
What makes AI recommend real estate agents
Local market content that demonstrates knowledge.
A monthly neighborhood market report on your blog does more for AI visibility than 100 "just sold" posts on Instagram. When someone asks "How's the real estate market in [neighborhood]?", AI looks for content that answers that question with data and insight. If you've been publishing market analyses, you're the expert AI turns to.
Write about your local market. Average prices by neighborhood. Market trends. Buyer vs seller dynamics. School district analyses. Commute comparisons. This content positions you as the local authority, and AI rewards authority.
Client testimonials and reviews that mention specifics.
"Great agent!" doesn't help AI understand when to recommend you. "Sarah helped us buy our first home in East Austin. She knew the neighborhood inside and out and found us a house under budget." That tells AI exactly who you help and where.
Encourage clients to mention specifics in their reviews. The neighborhood. The type of transaction. What made your approach different. These details are the data points AI uses to match you to future queries.
Specialty and niche clarity.
"I work with buyers and sellers across the greater Austin area" is generic. "I specialize in helping first-time buyers navigate the East Austin market" is a clear signal to AI.
You probably already have a natural specialty, whether it's a neighborhood you know deeply, a client type you work with most, or a property type you handle frequently. Make that specialty obvious on your website, in your bio, and in your content. AI recommends specialists, not generalists.
Community and press presence.
Being quoted in local news articles about the housing market. Contributing to neighborhood guides. Sponsoring local events that get online coverage. Being featured in "best agents in [city]" lists.
These third-party mentions tell AI you're a recognized expert in your market. Your own website is one data point. External validation from local sources multiplies your credibility.
Building real estate AI visibility step by step
Claim and optimize your niche. Pick the intersection of location and client type where you're strongest. Update your website, bio, and profiles to reflect that specialty clearly.
Start publishing local market content. Monthly market updates. Neighborhood guides. "Moving to [city]" resources. Content that answers the questions buyers and sellers in your market are actually asking.
Upgrade your review strategy. Don't just ask for reviews. Ask clients to mention the neighborhood, the type of transaction, and what specifically you did well. These details make your reviews useful to AI, not just flattering.
Get local press and mentions. Offer commentary to local journalists covering the housing market. Contribute guest posts to community blogs. Build the kind of third-party validation that AI weighs heavily.
Track your visibility. This is where most agents are flying blind. You have no idea whether AI recommends you for "best agent in [your area]" or not. You don't know if a competitor just started showing up for your neighborhood. Without tracking, you're guessing.
The advantage of moving early
Most real estate agents aren't thinking about AI visibility. They're focused on Zillow leads, open houses, and social media posts. Those things still matter.
But the clients who ask AI for agent recommendations are some of the best leads you can get. They have intent. They've decided to work with an agent. They just need the right name. Being that name, the one AI recommends, puts you in front of motivated buyers and sellers before they ever contact anyone else.
The agents who build this visibility now will own their local AI recommendations. It compounds over time as you create more content, get more reviews, and build more authority.
Sign up for Mentionable. Enter your website. Find out whether AI recommends you when people ask about agents in your market. If it does, you'll see exactly which prompts are working. If it doesn't, you'll know exactly where to start.