A new survey shows digital tools such as eSignature, social media and drone photography remain the most popular used by agents, but artificial intelligence (AI) is quickly becoming a go-to business-building tool, especially for listing descriptions.
The National Association of Realtors®’ (NAR) 2025 Technology Survey, released this week, surveyed NAR members to better understand how technology is shaping real estate and how agents view its role in their businesses.
“These results show a profession that is adapting quickly to technological change while prioritizing client satisfaction,” said NAR Deputy Chief Economist Jessica Lautz. “Technology continues to be a powerful force in real estate, driving efficiency and marketing innovation. But at the heart of it all remains the trusted relationship between the agent and client.”
According to the survey, the top tools in use are eSignature (79%), remaining the most widely used technology by agents who are Realtors®, followed closely by social media at 75%.
Drone photography and video are used by 52% of agents, while 46% report using AI-generated content (e.g., for listing descriptions).
Artificial intelligence rose to the fourth-most popular digital tool by agents with 20% using it daily, 22% weekly and 27% a few times a month—with 32% not having yet used AI in their business.
As for the impact of AI on their business, 17% reported a significantly positive impact, 33% saw a moderately positive impact, and 46% said AI had no noticeable impact.
The top AI tools used are ChatGPT by OpenAI (58%), Gemini by Google (20%) and Copilot by Microsoft (15%).
ROI on AI
Rajeev Sajja, senior vice president of digital marketing and innovation at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach, REALTORS®, recently discussed the topic of return on investment on AI on a panel with industry experts at RISMedia’s CEO & Leadership Exchange. He shared that he conducted an experiment at his firm to find out how much time he was really saving when using AI, so he documented one week of time-consuming tasks—with and without the help of AI.
Through this experiment, Sajja noticed a 35% increase in his production during Q1 of this year and estimates a 40%-plus improvement now.
“It’s important for all of us to kind of focus on what’s going to move the needle for our agents, or whoever you service, and really look at those things and collapse time, and give the easy button to your agents,” he told the audience.
More quick stats from NAR’s survey:
Client response to technology
- 82% said their clients responded very positively or positively to the integration of technology in the buying and selling process
Brokerage support
- Two out of three agents either agree (38%) or strongly agree (29%) that their brokerage provides all the tech tools they need
Monthly technology spending
- 34% spend between $50 – $250 per month on tech tools for their real estate business
- 20% spend between $251 – $500 per month
- 24% spend over $500 per month
Cryptocurrency
- One in four NAR members have either invested in cryptocurrency (14%) or plan to invest (11%)
- 9% have had clients ask about using cryptocurrency in real estate transactions
To view the full survey results of the 2025 Technology Survey, visit https://www.nar.realtor/research-and-statistics/research-reports/realtor-technology-survey.
