Reapit urges agents to build lifetime customer relationships as AI reshapes property market
Reapit has warned estate agents that AI, changing consumer behaviour and growing competitive pressures are transforming the sector, with long-term customer relationships becoming increasingly important.
Reapit has outlined its vision for the future of estate agency, arguing that firms must focus on building lifetime customer relationships, improving data integration and embracing artificial intelligence if they are to remain competitive.
Speaking at Propertymark One, commercial director Dr Neil Cobbold said the traditional estate agency model is facing growing pressure from changing consumer expectations, the expanding influence of property portals and the increasing use of AI throughout the property search process.
Cobbold said many agencies continue to operate using fragmented systems built around individual transactions, creating disconnected workflows and limiting their ability to maintain ongoing relationships with customers whose housing needs evolve over time.
He told delegates: “An estate agent’s model has never been under more pressure than it is at this moment in time.”
Cobbold added: “You’ve got property portals going direct. Customers using AI to find their perfect property, and AI itself being set up for consumer searches.”
The presentation centred on three capabilities that Reapit believes will define the next generation of successful agencies: maintaining continuous relationships with customers across renting, buying, selling and investing; operating from a single integrated data model; and using AI-driven insights to identify opportunities and support decision-making.
Cobbold said: “You’re going to need to own the entire lifetime engagement of a client. Maybe they’re a tenant now, but they’re also a potential future buyer or a future landlord. You need to have one single data model supporting that lifetime relationship, a single data warehouse. If it’s in a single data warehouse, it means that your AI will be as intelligent as it can be.”
Demonstrating Reapit AI Copilot, Cobbold described how AI tools could help agencies automate routine tasks and improve customer engagement. He said: “Estate agents stop operating software, and start delegating to it. RAI Copilot works with you on the road. You speak, it listens. It can bring you context where and whenever you need it. A CRM is a system of record. But with AI, it can become a system of action.”
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