How Robots Are Driving
Transformation in Real Estate

From property tours to chatbots, robotic technologies have multiple uses that agents and brokers can leverage in their daily operations.

October 9, 2025

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Robotic Arm Moving a Model Home Onto a Lawn Surrounded by a Picket Fence | © Luxento Studio / Moment / Getty Images

The robots are coming, and of all the disruptive technologies bursting onto the market at warp speed, robots often tend to make many people uneasy. Robots tend to spark fears that they could overtake human jobs. But disruption doesn’t mean disaster. Once you understand what robots can do, you can decide what they can do for you—and your real estate business.

Robots are machines containing sensors, programs and actuators. Through those sensors, they can perceive things about the environment around them, process that information and respond with physical actions. Robots aren’t new. They’ve actually been working with us for decades—robotic arms were introduced into automotive assembly lines in the 1960s. And we are much more familiar with robots than we may realize—vacuums, drones, chatbots, autonomous vehicles, and even some litterboxes are examples of robotic technologies.

But like many new and emerging technologies, robotics is undergoing a period of explosive growth and evolution. As robotic technology continues to evolve, it’s important to understand the impact and benefits robots will have on the real estate industry.

Real Estate’s Robot Disruptors

Machines are on the move. There is no question that robotic technologies are moving well beyond industrial applications. As these technologies evolve, especially with the advancements of artificial intelligence (AI) and humanoid robots, these machines are learning to operate in more complex environments, and they are requiring less human oversight.

Here are a few ways:

New-home construction: This is an area in which AI and robotics are already having profound transformative impacts, especially on building processes that are dangerous and labor intensive. Drones and agile ground robots are capable of augmenting multiple tasks, including site inspections, surveying, welding, bricklaying, progress monitoring and more. Automated construction equipment, for heavy-duty jobs such as excavation and 3D printers for concrete work, is not only productive, but also cost effective. In fact, a McKinsey report indicated that “robotic technologies can increase productivity by up to 50%.”
Drones: These have already added tremendous value to real estate. Data from a PwC study indicates that by the end of this year, drone technology used for commercial applications in infrastructure and real estate could reach a market value of $45.2 billion. Drones and autonomous robots are proving incredibly useful in reducing the need for humans working in dangerous areas during property inspections, which can be facilitated and enhanced using robotic technologies. These machines can conduct inspections, identify structural issues and improve efficiencies in what is often considered a labor-intensive process. Cost-effective, accurate data collection is one of the top benefits of using drones and autonomous robots for inspections.
Property management: Robotic process automation (RPA) can be applied to property management to streamline routine processes, optimize operational efficiency, strengthen tenant relationships, and free people to focus on strategic growth.  RPA uses software “bots” to automate repetitive digital tasks such as data entry, processing transactions, and interacting with applications, mimicking human actions within computer systems. For example, lease renewals and related documentation can be automated. RPA can be used to send reminders, ensure timely regulatory checks and update documentation. Regular communication with tenants can also be handled using RPA, which can automate notifications for lease payment reminders, maintenance schedules and more. Maintenance requests can be logged, scheduled, tracked and updated automatically using RPA. The technology can also be used to streamline financial data gathering and reporting with more efficiency and fewer errors.
Building maintenance: Robotic systems are also adding tremendous value when it comes to building maintenance. Specially designed systems are being used to automate inspections—for example, robots equipped with thermal cameras, vibration sensors and gas detectors can patrol buildings and identify potential issues before they become serious. Robotics are also being used to ensure consistent cleaning standards and handle basic maintenance tasks. Security and monitoring are other areas in which autonomous systems can assist humans. Machines can provide continuous monitoring of environmental conditions such as temperature and air quality while providing round-the-clock surveillance.

As real estate use cases for robotic technologies continue to expand, real estate professionals will see increasing opportunities for robots to help improve efficiencies, expand productivity and unlock cost savings.

How They Can Drive Office Transformation

From property tours to chatbots, robotic technologies have multiple uses that agents and brokers can leverage in their daily operations to improve how they do business and how they add value to their buyers and sellers. Here are some additional use cases for robots that agents are starting to embrace:

Property renderings: Robots equipped with sophisticated cameras and sensors can gather all the data necessary to map and create 3D floor plans for virtual home tours, increasing convenience and accessibility to property listings.
Home tours: Autonomous and remote-controlled robots can actually give property tours to prospective buyers navigating each room while providing specific property details about homes and surrounding neighborhoods. Also, companies are experimenting with telepresence robots that let prospective buyers or renters take remote property tours, allowing them to move through a space and interact as if physically present from anywhere in the world.
Marketing listings: Drones are increasingly being adopted for use in marketing property listings. Drones can provide gorgeous, high-quality photos and videos—including aerial views of properties and surroundings—to help real estate professionals showcase every desirable aspect of property listings.
Instant responses: Chatbots can be used to enhance customer service by answering questions, providing more information or additional property details and responding to customers in real–time so every client gets the answers they need with no delays. Every real estate professional knows that excellent communication is crucial to meeting client needs and building relationships. Chatbots can limit gaps in response times and keep clients interested and engaged.

Robotics is no longer an experiment. In the next few years, many real estate firms will be actively using these technologies to enhance inspections, automate operations, improve safety, and reimagine client interaction. From construction to leasing, maintenance to analytics, robotics and AI are turbocharging real estate’s future. It’s setting the stage for properties and professionals alike to thrive in a world of intelligent, connected spaces.

Perhaps robots aren’t actually coming for human jobs but rather coming to our jobs in ways that improve processes, services and profitability for real estate professionals. And if robots are capable of doing human jobs, it’s our job as humans to give them the ones that make us more efficient, more productive, and help us better achieve our business goals. After all, what’s the harm in giving them the jobs we don’t want—like vacuuming?

Author

Sharon Love-Bates

Sharon Love-Bates is Director, Emerging Technology within the Strategic Business, Innovation & Technology group at the National Association of REALTORS®.