"Why Should We Believe You Over This?"

GROW WITH LIBERTAS & EXP REALTY

Kelly, one of the agents we coach, was in the middle of a listing appointment when the conversation turned to price. The seller slid a printout across the table. Their AI said the house was worth $648,000. It had pulled six comps and figured out their net to the dollar.

Kelly walked them through her numbers and recommended $620,000. The room went quiet. The husband tapped the printout and said, "This says $648,000. You're saying $620,000. Why should we believe you over this?"

That isn't really a question about price. It's a question about value: what do you know that the app doesn't? Most agents get defensive right there and lose the listing. Kelly walked out with a signed agreement. Here's how.

Yes. In NerdWallet's 2026 Home Buyer Report, 48% of people planning to buy in the next year said they'd use AI to do it, and sellers are doing the same. They're pricing their homes on their phones, reading listing agreements with a chatbot and checking your reviews before you pull into the driveway.

That's fine. NAR's 2025 Profile found 91% of sellers still hired an agent, and for-sale-by-owners hit a record low of 5%. Cotality's 2026 report found 44% of buyers would pay extra to have a human expert double-check what AI tells them. People want the app and they still want you.

It also raises the stakes. Most sellers only talk to one agent, so if you blow the appointment, you're done.

Even if you're right, you lose. AI tools sound confident even when they're off, and trashing them makes you sound defensive. Nobody hires you for your MLS login anymore. They hire you when they can see how you think.

Expect harder questions: How many homes like mine have you sold? What did you tell those sellers to list at, and what did they get? How do you use AI? Know your answers before you walk in.

Kelly turned the printout around so all three of them could see it. Then she used six lines we now teach every agent we coach.

She started by agreeing. They were right that the market was moving and right that the kitchen update helped. Once you do that, you're sitting on their side of the table.

AI can read the MLS. It can't hear traffic. Two of the seller's six comps backed up to a greenway. Their house backed up to a new four-lane road, and Kelly had sat out front at 6:30 that morning listening to the trucks.

Maria in Charleston got three AI printouts at one appointment: $571,000, $589,000 and $604,000. The seller wanted $639,000 because the house two doors down sold for $630,000. Maria had walked that open house. It had a brand-new kitchen, a finished bonus room and a cash buyer. Her sellers still had oak cabinets from 2004.

The biggest thing Kelly found wasn't a comp. The AI priced the house for someone who could wait forever. Her sellers had to be in Charlotte for a new job by August 1.

Maria skipped the slide deck and asked one question.

The wife answered first. Their daughter was having twins in August, and she wanted to be there, unpacked, before the babies came. After that, they were talking about a date instead of a number.

Maria recommended $599,000 and told them another agent would probably promise more. One did. The seller called Maria the next morning anyway. Nine days, 22 showings, two offers, sold at $603,000.

Kelly handled it differently. She suggested listing at $629,900 and agreed that if they didn't see results in the first ten days, they'd talk price. They signed that night and sold at $622,000. At closing the husband said, "The chatbot got a lot right. You got the part that mattered to us."

Never walk into a listing appointment without asking your own AI about price, and watch how you ask. If you tell it the seller wants $650,000, it will tell you what you want to hear. Give it the facts and let it come up with the number.

For brokers: Role-play the six lines at your next sales meeting, with one agent playing a seller holding three AI printouts.

What should an agent do when a seller has an AI home value estimate?
Don't dismiss it. Review it together, agree with what it got right, point out what it can't see such as condition, road noise or seller credits, and connect the price to the seller's timeline.

Are AI home value estimates accurate?
They can be close, but they rely on public data and can miss condition, upgrades, location details and the seller's deadline. Agents add what they've seen in person.

How should agents use AI for pricing?
Give the AI neutral facts, including home details and recent nearby sales, and ask for a range and the reasons it could be higher or lower. Don't feed it the price you want, or it will tend to agree with you.

Listen to the full conversation on Real Estate Coaching Radio: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/real-estate-ai-what-to-say-when-a-sellers-ai-says/id849772346?i=1000792066842

Tim and Julie Harris are America's most recognized real estate coaches, bestselling authors, and the voices behind Real Estate Coaching Radio, the nation's #1 daily podcast for real estate professionals. With decades of hands-on experience and a track record of helping thousands of agents achieve breakthrough success, Tim and Julie deliver real-world strategies that actually work. Whether you're looking to scale your business, sharpen your skills, or simply stay ahead of the market, their insights are your competitive edge.

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