How real estate agents can use ChatGPT
ChatGPT is one of the most talked about things online recently in the business world. I’ve been testing it out and I can confidently say it’s one of the first new tools that actually earns the name game-changing.
First, to answer what ChatGPT is, I had it write the explanation itself.
I typed in “”Give me a 50 word explanation that a 5 year would understand” and it said:
ChatGPT is a computer program that can carry on a conversation with a person. It can answer questions, tell stories, and even make jokes! It uses a special set of rules and a lot of information it has learned to understand what you’re saying and come up with a response. ChatGPT is not a real person, but it can do a good job of pretending to be one when you talk to it.
Then I answered that response with “now explain it for an adult so they get a better understanding”:
ChatGPT is a natural language processing (NLP) model that has been trained to generate human-like text based on a given input. It uses a combination of machine learning techniques and a large dataset of human conversation to learn the patterns and structures of natural language. When given a prompt, ChatGPT can generate a response that is coherent and follows the rules of grammar and syntax. It can also be fine-tuned for specific tasks or domains, such as answering questions about a particular topic or generating descriptions of products. While ChatGPT is not capable of understanding or comprehending the meaning of the text it generates, it can produce text that appears to be written by a human and engage in conversation in a way that is similar to how a human would.
It’s an incredibly useful tool *if* you know how to use it.
Let’s be clear though, it’s not perfect. It can’t replace your expertise. It can enhance your productivity. For example, something that used to take me 2-4 hours to write can be done now in 1. What it spits out is generic in many cases but its faster and easier to edit the generic into something valuable than starting from scratch.
Our recommendation is to have it help you write, not write for you. You’re mostly limited by your imagination. So let’s give you some examples of how you can use it.
Emails
Not sure what to say to someone? Have it draft a response. You can even write a rough draft and say “rewrite this professionally.”
Need an auto-responder written but not sure what to say? Ask it to write one for you. This may not be as good as having an actual copywriter write it but it’ll get the job done and for many, done is better than perfect. You can get this written quickly and live and then come back and refine later.
You can bet in the next 6-24 months we’ll see email programs that will pre-write replies to every email you get and you just have to approve the response.
Drip Campaigns
It’s one thing to write a single email, this can help you write the outline for a full drip campaign. Then start writing the emails themselves. This is a classic case once again of done being better than perfect. The more descriptive your requests the better they are.
For example, writing “write me a drip campaign for new leads” will not get you a great response but you’d get better results with “write a drip campaign for someone who has requested a free home value report that is 6 emails long. Each email should include one question to get them to reply to the email while providing valuable information about selling their home.”
Especially in specific situations like this it takes refining. That’s where ChatGPT works really well. You can respond to each thing it writes and then ask it to improve it in a specific way. It’s a back and forth with iterative improvements. This is where you can cut time by 60-80% when you’re writing content.
Ads
Writing ads is a great use case for them. The ads aren’t perfect and from the tests we’ve run here at JSH, the ads we’ve written have outperformed BUT when we have it write variations, take a few pieces and put them in with how we write them, the results are similar. This can cut ad-writing time down significantly.
The key we’ve found is asking for specific copy styles. Instead of “Write an an for a free home valuation report” we’d type in “Write a direct response ad for a report on a home valuation report in the AIDA copywriting framework”
AIDA is Attention, Interest, Desire, Action. One of the more classic ones out there.
We’ve also found PAS and Before-After-Bridge have worked well for writing ads when we didn’t like the AIDA version. Then sometimes we’ll reply asking to make it shorter or longer. Turn it into a story, or write it more colloquially.
There’s a lot of variations and it can really speed up the ad creation process. If you aren’t familiar with proper copywriting techniques it will create better ads than an inexperienced person.
Content Outlines
Need some content outlines? YOu can ask it to write it out for you. I wouldn’t rely on it to create the content itself or it’ll be very generic and not valuable to your readers. It can create a good outline for the type of content and spark ideas for you.
For example, I typed in “write an outline for a home value report” and here’s what it came up with:
I. Introduction
- Purpose of the home value report
- How the report was created
II. Property information
- Address and location of the property
- Description of the property (e.g. type of home, number of bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage)
- Features and amenities (e.g. garage, pool, finished basement)
III. Market analysis
- Overview of the local housing market
- Comparison to similar homes in the area
- Analysis of recent sales data
IV. Home value estimate
- Estimated value of the property based on market data and property information
- Range of possible values
V. Factors affecting home value
- Condition of the property
- Location and neighborhood
- Recent renovations or updates
VI. Conclusion
- Recap of key points
- Suggestions for next steps (e.g. seeking a professional appraisal, updating the property to increase value)
- Contact information for any questions or further assistance
Not a bad place to start from!
Listing Descriptions
I went on Realtor.ca and grabbed a random listing description.
Here’s what I copied:
Stunning* 4Bed/5Bath New Home, On Rare, Nearly 1/2 Acre Lot Minutes To All Amenities. Luxurious Finishes & Design, $$$$ In Upgrades Including Hardwood Throughout, Quartz Countertop/Bksplsh In Kitchen, Frendel Custom Kitchen Cabinets, Waffle Ceiling In Family Room W/Gas F/P, Lg Primary Bed W/5 Pc Bath And Immense W/I Closet. Finished Bsmt. W/Lg Rec Room, Electric F/P, & 3Pc Bath. *See Attached List Of Upgrades/Features!* $214.95/Mo Fee Incl. Rd Maint./Garbage**** EXTRAS **** Bosch S/S Fridge, B/I Oven, B/I Microwave, B/I Gas Cook, S/S D/W, W/D. Gdo W/2 Remotes, Central Vac And Attchmts., All Window Coverings, Elf’s *Excluding Fam.Rm Light Fix. & 2nd Bd. Light Fix.*
I now told ChatGPT to rewrite it and it produced this:
A luxurious 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom home with numerous upgrades, including hardwood flooring, quartz countertops and backsplash, custom Frendel kitchen cabinets, and a waffle ceiling in the family room with a gas fireplace. The large primary bedroom includes a 5 piece bathroom and a spacious walk-in closet. The finished basement boasts a large recreational room, electric fireplace, and a 3 piece bathroom. This new home is situated on a rare, nearly half acre lot that is minutes away from various amenities. The $214.95/mo fee includes road maintenance and garbage. Additional features include a Bosch stainless steel fridge, built-in oven, microwave, gas cooktop, dishwasher, washer/dryer, garage door opener with 2 remotes, central vac and attachments, all window coverings, and electric lights (excluding the family room and second bedroom fixtures). See the attached list of upgrades and features for more information.
Now I can expand with something like “write an email to my email list promoting this property with a call to action to book a private showing”:
Dear [Name],
I am excited to announce a new property that has just come on the market and would be the perfect fit for your family! This stunning 4 bedroom, 5 bathroom home boasts luxurious finishes and design, with numerous upgrades including hardwood flooring throughout, a quartz countertop and backsplash in the kitchen, custom Frendel kitchen cabinets, and a waffle ceiling in the family room with a gas fireplace. The large primary bedroom includes a 5 piece bathroom and a spacious walk-in closet. The finished basement features a large recreational room, electric fireplace, and a 3 piece bathroom.
This new home is situated on a rare, nearly half acre lot that is minutes away from various amenities. The $214.95/mo fee includes road maintenance and garbage. Additional features include a Bosch stainless steel fridge, built-in oven, microwave, gas cooktop, dishwasher, washer/dryer, garage door opener with 2 remotes, central vac and attachments, all window coverings, and electric lights (excluding the family room and second bedroom fixtures).
If you’re interested in seeing this property in person, please don’t hesitate to contact me to schedule a private showing. I would love to assist you in finding your dream home.
Best regards,
[Your Name]
Now I follow that up with “Write an instagram caption for the property” and I get:
Looking for your dream home? Look no further! This stunning 4 bed, 5 bath home has luxurious finishes and design, $$$$ in upgrades, and is situated on a rare, nearly 1/2 acre lot. Features include hardwood floors, quartz countertops, custom kitchen cabinets, a gas fireplace, and a finished basement with a large rec room and electric fireplace. Contact me to book a private showing and make this your forever home! #dreamhome #luxury #realestate #newconstruction
This last one is a great example. It’s a decent post but I’d personally not use those hashtags. They’re too generic. They won’t actually help discoverability in your area. Is it better than what a lot of people in the industry put out? Absolutely. It also did it in just a few seconds.
Brainstorming
Whether you’re brainstorming blog topics, email subject lines, or headlines, it can help. For example, I’ll write a blog, paste it into a ChatGPT and say “Give me 10 titles for this blog post” and it will give 10 options. Then it’s just simple rewriting and minor editing and you’re good to go.
Don’t like what it wrote? Ask for new variations. Can ask for more or less clickbait style, more punchy, more professional, etc…
ChatGPT can allow a great reduction in time spent writing content. It can get rid of writer’s block and give you ideas. It can’t replace your expertise, your talents, and what makes people want to work with you. Your unique style is still your own.
Leverage ChatGPT to make you more productive and get more done. Don’t let it write entire pieces and post them without editing. It won’t be good enough to help you, especially for blog posts. Google knows how to identify AI written content and you won’t rank as well if you have all AI written content.