Industry news - page 8
Proptech AISource: Lofty (vendor announcement)
Lofty opens an MCP server so brokerages can plug their own AI into its CRM
Original headline: “Lofty Launches MCP Server to Give Brokerages an Open Foundation for Their AI Strategy” — Lofty (vendor announcement), Sep 24, 2026
Lofty announced Lofty MCP Server on September 24, a Model Context Protocol connection that lets brokerages hook MCP-compatible AI tools and in-house agents into the Lofty platform without custom integration code. Lofty says connected agents can read data, analyze activity and, where authorized, take actions — for example, finding leads that showed buying intent but haven't been contacted in a week.
Our take (opinion & analysis, not reporting)
CRMs are opening up to outside AI assistants; before connecting one, check what it can change in your database and who on your team approved it. This is a vendor announcement. Limit an AI connection's write permissions before you let it touch live client records.
Online discussion: no notable public discussion found yet (checked Oct 12, 2026).
Read the original at Lofty (vendor announcement) →Brief & share link
Proptech AISource: HousingWire
NAR: nearly half of Realtors use AI daily or weekly — only 12% plan to skip it
Original headline: “Realtors use AI more often, NAR 2026 tech report finds” — HousingWire, Sep 22, 2026
HousingWire reports that NAR's 2026 Realtors Technology Report finds nearly half of surveyed members use AI daily (23%) or weekly (25%), 31% experiment occasionally, and only 12% say they do not use AI and do not plan to — down from 32% who had not yet tried AI in 2025. Among AI users, the top jobs are writing listing descriptions (75%), social media posts (56%) and emails or follow-ups (52%), with about 30% using AI for market summaries or personal-tone marketing and 27% for document review or summarization. Beyond AI, HousingWire cites MLS use at 96%, e-signature 79%, showing tools 68%, CMA/pricing 59%, drone photo/video 48%, CRM 46% and AI content tools such as ChatGPT, Copilot or Gemini at 41%; 81% adopt tech mainly to save time and 71% to improve client experience, while 63% cite the learning curve and 59% cost as barriers.
Our take (opinion & analysis, not reporting)
For agents: if listing copy, social and follow-up email are already AI-assisted for most users in this survey, treat brokerage fair-housing and disclosure review as non-negotiable before you hit publish — volume without a compliance pass is the risk. CRM still sits under half of respondents in the report, so if you already run one, lean into the follow-up and document workflows NAR says agents want rather than stacking another content chatbot. Budget-wise, most agents in the survey spend $50–$500 a month on tech; pick tools that cut learning curve first, then chase shiny AI features.
What people are saying online
On X, broker/coach Matthew Rathbun highlighted the CRM gap in the same NAR numbers — 96% of agents use the MLS but only 48% use a CRM — and argued many relationship businesses still lack a system for the relationships.
Sources: Matthew Rathbun (X)
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