The Age of AI in CRE Brokerage: What's Changing (Part 1)

There's a lot of noise out there about AI, especially within Commercial Real Estate. Every new technology brings with it a wave of speculation, and the promise of radical, overnight shifts. But if PropTech has taught us anything over the past few years, it's that rapid, wholesale change often remains a wild ambition. As Bill Gates once put it, "not much changes in a year, but everything changes in a decade." Our view at Enaia is that while this industry will fundamentally be transformed, it will happen at a moderate, deliberate pace.

So, what does this evolution look like for the CRE broker? In part one of this series let's break down where AI is already accelerating existing trends and fundamentally redefining aspects of our work.

The Accelerated Era of Data Democratization

We've already been witnessing shifts in data accessibility, even before the current AI boom. Think back to a few decades ago: joining a major brokerage was partly about gaining access to proprietary information – exclusive tenant rosters, hard-to-find decision-maker contacts – that simply wasn't available to the public. There was no ZoomInfo, no Google Maps, no readily available public records. Aggregating that critical data was a laborious, expensive process, often residing within a firm's massive internal research arm. It was a competitive moat.

Today, much of that information is increasingly ubiquitous. AI is now supercharging this data democratization, bringing with it several profound implications for how brokers operate:

• From Scarcity to Ubiquity: The days when a "huge Rolodex" of basic contact information or a list of building tenants was your sole competitive advantage are fading. AI can quickly pull and verify contact data, enrich company profiles, and even identify new market players from vast public and private datasets. This means less time on manual research and more time on analysis and relationship-building.
• Redefining "Proprietary Data": If basic contact and tenant data are becoming democratized, what is truly proprietary? It shifts towards the insights derived from that data, the unique connections made, and the strategic applications within a deal. Your proprietary edge moves from access to information to interpretation and action on information.

Prospecting Transformed: Smarter, Faster Outreach

The initial steps of identifying and engaging prospects have long been a time-consuming grind. But AI is already demonstrating its power here, moving us beyond simple database queries to more intelligent lead generation. Here are a few ways we’re seeing:

• Intelligent Lead Generation: Imagine asking an AI tool: "Give me 10 tech companies in Nashville that are growing rapidly and would be good prospects for office expansion." AI can sift through countless data points to deliver targeted lists. At Enaia, we're building capabilities that take this further. When you enter a new prospect, our system might suggest similar companies based on size, industry, or location. This helps you broaden your reach efficiently.
• Automated Engagement, Curated by You: We're seeing the rise of tools that can draft highly personalized emails or even suggest call scripts tailored to specific prospect profiles. While human oversight is always critical, these tools can dramatically increase the volume and quality of your initial outreach, allowing you to "turn your brain off a little bit" on repetitive tasks and focus on the art of conversion. The key is that this automation is curated by you, ensuring your unique voice and strategy remain intact.

The Broker as a "Banker": Expanding Service Capabilities

Historically, certain highly specialized functions, like running detailed financial analyses for complex transactions, were often the domain of internal finance teams or required deep expertise in tools like Excel. This is changing rapidly in a few ways:

• Financial Acumen at Your Fingertips: AI is empowering brokers to perform sophisticated financial modeling and deal comparisons with remarkable accuracy, often with minimal manual input or prior expertise. This means you can swiftly evaluate lease structures, analyze investment returns, and compare deal terms side-by-side with confidence.
• Delivering 100x Service: This new capability expands your capacity to deliver comprehensive client service. You're not just finding space; you're providing deep financial insights that were once out of reach, making you an even more indispensable strategic advisor. This is crucial because, unlike attorneys or project managers, the broker is often the only one holding the client's hand through the entire lifecycle of a CRE transaction. AI enhances your ability to guide them with precision and data-backed confidence.

From Pure Sales to Strategic Marketing: The New Differentiator

As data and core capabilities become increasingly democratized, the playing field levels. A newer broker, equipped with the right AI-powered tools, might soon be capable of delivering the same level of service accuracy that, in the past, only a 30-year veteran could. This fundamental shift makes a new skillset paramount: marketing.

• Beyond the Hard Sell: Differentiation will no longer be solely about who can "Always Be Closing." It will increasingly be about how effectively you market yourself, your brand, and your unique insights. This includes strategically using personalized marketing tactics, generating high-quality thought leadership, and consistently showcasing your expertise. 10 years ago, excessive posting on Linkedin or Twitter (now X) was frowned upon within the industry; today, it's par for the course.
• Building Your Digital Footprint: As stated, not too long ago, it was taboo to be overly promoting a broker's services or market insights on LinkedIn or creating elaborate digital marketing assets. CRE brokerage was predominantly a sales-first industry. Today, creative marketing is an equally vital, outbound strategy for winning new business. AI tools enable this, from mass email capabilities for rapid video-editing to even ghost-writing books about a broker's vast experience. The focus will be on personalized, intelligent marketing that establishes your authority as the first step in building long-term relationships.

Navigating the Evolving Broker-Brokerage Relationship

The democratization of data and broker capabilities brought by AI is also stands to create tension between brokers and their brokerages. If broker productivity increases and Client relationships become even more valuable, what is the role of extremely large CRE brokerages if they can't outcompete the many startups that are focused on creating broker productivity? What was historically a 50/50 split between the broker and their brokerage is likely to cause brokers to question why they're giving so much to their brokerage if they're able to accomplish so much more on their own. This places enormous pressure on CRE brokerages - "Do we try and build internal software to compete with startups or do we license these technologies to arm our brokers with best-in-class technology?"  When pattern-matching to other industries (especially fintech), licensing or acquiring has typically been the most successful course of action as building and managing technology assets is not the core skill set of these companies.

• Autonomy vs. The "House": If brokers can leverage technology on their own to independently produce best-in-class marketing assets and client reports, questions naturally arise: "Why am I paying so much in commissions if I'm capable of doing so much more?” With AI, what can be done by a broker versus what needs brokerage support will naturally create friction.
• The Data Ownership Debate: This increased autonomy fuels a long-standing dispute: "who owns the data – the broker or the brokerage?" When client contacts and deal information are highly democratized and portable, this conversation becomes much more nuanced. While brokerages view their independent contractors' data as theirs, brokers often feel they have a right to this data. The legal reality typically lands at "The data is owned by both of you."  The resolution of this friction remains to be seen, but with AI, the puck likely favors brokers if so much data is aggregated through LLM's that are generating this information.

This first blog in our series highlights the profound shifts AI is accelerating in Commercial Real Estate. In Part 2 of this series, we'll explore the equally critical question: amid all this change, what are the fundamental, unshakeable pillars of Commercial Real Estate brokerage that AI will not change, and why these elements make the future of the broker more positive than ever.