Real Estate Sales Agents
In short: today's best AI models could do about 40% of this job's working time (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) if the work were set up for them, and about 41% by the end of 2028 if progress keeps its long-run pace. The conversations, in-person and hands-on work, about 59% of the time, stays with people.
Rent, buy, or sell property for clients. Perform duties such as study property listings, interview prospective clients, accompany clients to property site, discuss conditions of sale, and draw up real estate contracts. Includes agents who represent buyer.
193,370 people do this job in the US. $52,830 a year.
Reviewed on September 30, 2026: what each task is made of, and what handing it over would ask.
A typical 40-hour week
- AI could take on3 h
- A person checks AI's work13 h
- Desk work AI can't do yet0 h
- Stays with people24 h
Real Estate Sales Agents, now: of a 40-hour week, AI could take on 3 hours, 13 hours become checking its work, 0 hours are desk work it can't do yet, and 24 hours stay with people.
The largest pieces: Market properties (about 4 h, a person checks); Price a property from comparables (about 3 h, a person checks); Keep up with the market (about 2 h).
Estimates for a typical week of this job, if progress keeps its long-run pace, counting work the best models finish four times in five. Every task is below.
of the working time. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- 31%
- 10%
- 26%
- 28%
- 5%
of the work: Anthropic's measure of what people already bring to Claude at work (2025). It counts help with part of a task, so it can be higher than the share within reach.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 2.4 work days long four times in five.
What handing it over would take, now
The 40% within reach splits by what a model would need. The dates, pace and reliability follow the controls above. Estimates.
of the working time. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
of the working time. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
is conversation short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the total.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 25%. Today's estimate: 40%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Measured use over time
Of the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks in May 2026, the 282nd largest of the 447 jobs that showed up at all; 1 of its 33 tasks showed up. Within each of Anthropic's methods, never across a change: 0.18% to 0.15% (released February and March 2025); 0.17% to 0.35% (August 2025 to February 2026); 0.034% to 0.032% (April to May 2026).
Each release
| Conversations | Share | Rank | Tasks seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Released February 2025 | 0.18% | 102 of 708 | 14 of 33 |
| Released March 2025 | 0.15% | 118 of 703 | 14 of 33 |
| The week of Aug 4, 2025 (released September 2025) | 0.17% | 107 of 655 | 11 of 33 |
| The week of Nov 13, 2025 (released January 2026) | 0.26% | 66 of 672 | 16 of 33 |
| The week of Feb 5, 2026 (released March 2026) | 0.35% | 61 of 677 | 18 of 33 |
| April 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.034% | 276 of 434 | 1 of 33 |
| May 2026 (released June 2026) | 0.032% | 282 of 447 | 1 of 33 |
Measured, not estimated: Anthropic's samples of Claude.ai conversations, each tied by a model to an O*NET task, from the Anthropic Economic Index. It says where Claude's use goes, not how much of this job's working time it covers, so it is not on the same scale as the reach above. The releases differ in their sample, their classifier and the smallest share they report (the June 2026 file rounds each task to a hundredth of a percent, so a smaller task reads as none), which is why a change of method starts a new line. At least 96% of each older release's task-tied use matched this site's tasks, and all of the newest. Claude.ai only, so use through other tools and other companies' models is not in it. Every job ranked.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 7% of this job's working time as physical work. For 3% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 3% in a purpose-built cell. 0.03 of 3, the 621st highest of the 923 jobs.
- Not physical 93%
- No robot shown 4%
- In a purpose-built cell 3%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. The robot behind each rated task is under the task below.
What changes for the people in this job
From the task-by-task review, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five. It says which parts of the work stay with people and which change, not whether anyone keeps a job: that depends on decisions no data set can see.
What stays with people
58% of the working time: the conversation, in-person and hands-on parts of the tasks.
- Advise clients on the market and terms, the conversation, 7%
- Market properties, the in-person work, 4%
- Keep up with the market, the in-person work, 4%
- Coordinate the parties before closing, the conversation, 4%
- Accompany buyers on visits, the in-person work, 4%
- Solicit listings, the conversation, 4%
What becomes checking the machine
31% of the working time: desk work a model could do by then, in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs. A person checks it. Another 8% is desk work that is small if wrong, which can be handed over with lighter checks.
- Market properties, a licensed person signs, 10%
- Price a property from comparables, a licensed person signs, 6%
- Prepare contracts and closing documents, a licensed person signs, 3%
- Compile rental listings, a licensed person signs, 2%
- Solicit listings, a licensed person signs, 2%
- Find and appraise building sites, a licensed person signs, 2%
What to learn
- Signing off under your license. Some tasks need a licensed, certified or sworn person to do or sign them. The license, and the judgment it stands for, stays with the person.
- The conversations. About 54% of the time is conversation and in-person work, which this site leaves with people: listening, explaining, persuading, calming.
- Dealing with people outside the organization. Customers, patients, suppliers or the public: trust with them is built by a person.
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself. The tasks under What becomes checking the machine, where a mistake costs something, stay a person's to check or sign: spotting what a draft gets wrong is a skill of its own.
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts. About 31% of the time is documents and data, the part models reach first: writing a clear brief, giving the right material, and checking what comes back.
Your own version of this job: read it against your job description. The headline is free; the full personal report, every task with its timeline and what to learn, is $19 (a sample).
The tasks
Sorted by . 33 tasks from .
| Task | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Promote sales of properties through advertisements, open houses, and participation in multiple listing services.Listings written and posted, and open houses held.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 15% | 1.7 h25 min to 5 h | Documents 40%, systems 30%, in person 30% | 66%Desk part half by now |
| Review property listings, trade journals, and relevant literature, and attend conventions, seminars, and staff and association meetings, to remain knowledgeable about real estate markets.Reading and attending; the knowing is the agent's own.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 3.3 h | Documents 50%, in person 50% | 50%Desk part half by now |
| Advise clients on market conditions, prices, mortgages, legal requirements, and related matters.Conversations with clients.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Conversation 50%, in person 50% | Stays with people |
| Compare a property with similar properties that have recently sold to determine its competitive market price.Analysis at the desk.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | Documents 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Contact property owners and advertise services to solicit property sales listings.Calls and mailings to owners.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 6% | 50 min17 min to 2.5 h | Conversation 60%, documents 40% | 40%Desk part half by now |
| Solicit and compile listings of available rental properties.Calls to owners and the listings entered.Done more than yearly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 5% | 3.3 h1.3 h to 6.7 h | Systems 50%, conversation 50% | 49%Desk part half by now |
| Confer with escrow companies, lenders, home inspectors, and pest control operators to ensure that terms and conditions of purchase agreements are met before closing dates.Calls and emails.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Conversation 100% | Stays with people |
| Accompany buyers during visits to and inspections of property, advising them on the suitability and value of the homes they are visiting.Walking the property with the buyer.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 4% | 1.3 h38 min to 3.3 h | In person 100% | Stays with people |
| Act as an intermediary in negotiations between buyers and sellers, generally representing one or the other.Negotiation by phone and in person.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 4% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Conversation 70%, in person 30% | Stays with people |
| Locate and appraise undeveloped areas for building sites, based on evaluations of area market conditions.Site visits and the analysis.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 6.7 h2.5 h to 2.1 work days | Documents 60%, hands-on 40% | 46%Desk part half by now |
| Prepare documents such as representation contracts, purchase agreements, closing statements, deeds, and leases.Filling in and checking the documents.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.1 h25 min to 2.5 h | Documents 100% | 100%Half by now |
| Generate lists of properties that are compatible with buyers' needs and financial resources.Searching the listings and matching them to the buyer.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 3% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Systems 60%, documents 40% | 100%Half by now |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach. Made of: how the task's time splits among five kinds of doing. Only the documents and systems parts can count as within reach, so a task that is 30% documents can be at most 30% within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- Real Estate Brokers44% now, 45% by 2028
- Property, Real Estate, and Community Association Managers41% now, 42% by 2028
- Appraisers and Assessors of Real Estate79% now, 84% by 2028
- Securities, Commodities, and Financial Services Sales Agents69% now, 73% by 2028
- Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel59% now, 60% by 2028
- Appraisers of Personal and Business Property70% now, 75% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).
Questions about this job
- How much of the work of Real Estate Sales Agents is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 40% of the working time is within reach of AI models now and 41% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five. Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which tasks of Real Estate Sales Agents come within reach first?
- Weighted by the time each takes, the tasks with the most within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index) are: Market properties (66% of the task's time now); Price a property from comparables (100% of the task's time now); and Keep up with the market (50% of the task's time now).
- Which tasks of Real Estate Sales Agents stay with people?
- Tasks that are people work or body work are not counted as within reach at any date. The largest: Advise clients on the market and terms; Coordinate the parties before closing; and Accompany buyers on visits. Together such tasks are about 35% of the working time, and the people and body parts of the other tasks stay with people too.
- What should Real Estate Sales Agents learn as AI takes on more of the work?
- By the job's own task-by-task review, the first things to learn are signing off under your license; the conversations; and dealing with people outside the organization. By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 58% of the working time stays with people, 31% becomes checking a model's work and 8% could be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- Do people already use AI for the work of Real Estate Sales Agents?
- In the Claude.ai conversations Anthropic sampled for May 2026 and tied to a work task, 0.032% went to this job's tasks, the 282nd largest share of the 447 jobs that showed up; 1 of its 33 tasks appeared. Anthropic's labor market measure puts the share of the job's tasks seen in real Claude use at work at 28%. These are measures of use, not of how much of the work AI could finish, and they cover Claude only.
- Can robots do the physical work of Real Estate Sales Agents?
- Anthropic's robot exposure rating (September 2026) finds 7% of the working time is physical work, and that a robot has been shown doing most of the task, somewhere, for 3% of the working time. Its index is 0.03 of 3. One example: Spot with Autowalk / Orbit for "preview properties". A robot shown somewhere is not one in every workplace; this site's own estimates still count no physical work as within reach.
- How is this estimated?
- From the 33 tasks O*NET lists for the occupation, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval and a share of the working time, reviewed one task at a time on September 30, 2026 for what each is made of (documents, business systems, conversation, in person, hands-on), and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. Data checked November 10, 2026.
This job in your state or metro area
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.
Your own version of this job
The page above is the occupation. Your job is your title and what you actually do: give both, and they are read against these tasks in your browser, nothing sent anywhere. The headline is free: how much of your working time is within reach now and by the end of 2028, and how many of the tasks your description names.
The full personal report is $19, to print or save as a PDF: every task with when it comes within reach, which ones your description names, the parts of your description the task list does not cover, what stays with you, what becomes checking the machine and what to learn.