Gen Z Are Using AI to Buy Homes — But They Still Trust People at the Closing Table
A new Harvard-linked Fortune report shows one in three Gen Z buyers use AI to research their purchase, yet still turn to human professionals to close. The lesson for UK estate agents is simple: augment, don't replace.
By Olivier Jauniaux · Published 2026-07-03 · Updated 2026-07-03
Fortune's coverage of the latest Harvard housing research tells a story every UK agent, broker and conveyancer should read twice: one in three Gen Z homebuyers are using AI to do their homebuying homework — comparing areas, decoding listings, stress-testing affordability — but they still trust human professionals with the closing process . What this means for UK professionals The instinct in the industry has been binary: either AI replaces the agent, or the agent ignores AI. Both are wrong. The Gen Z buyer is telling you exactly what they want: AI for research, humans for judgement . They will arrive at your first viewing already knowing the sold comps. They will have modelled their stamp duty, their SDLT surcharge, and their monthly payment across three rate scenarios. They will ask you to justify your fee — and they will Google your reviews mid-conversation. What they still want from you is the thing AI can't do: read the room in a negotiation, hold a chain together at 9pm on a Friday, tell them honestly when a property is wrong for them. The professionals who will win They'll be the ones who are publicly verifiable — real completion data, real client reviews, a real track record