Lauren Henss

For years, real estate marketing was viewed as simply a support function responsible for campaigns, promotional materials and brand visibility. Now, there is a new model that is poised to help brokerages scale successfully. Today, marketing sits at the center of how brokerages drive agent recruitment, retention and revenue growth. It is no longer a support function; it is a growth engine.

AI hasn’t replaced search. It has replaced selection. Eighty-two percent of Americans said they are using AI tools to gather real estate and housing market information, with ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini leading the way as the platforms most commonly cited by consumers, based on a recent Realtor.com study. TAKE THE INMAN INTEL INDEX SURVEY Not just Google. Not just portals.

Every major merger reignites the same question across the industry: Can independent brokerages still compete as the big brokerage brands get even bigger? TAKE THE INMAN INTEL INDEX SURVEY For the best indies, the answer is unequivocally “yes.” That’s because the indie advantage — leaner operations that are more responsive to the market and able to make decisions in real time — haven’t changed.