Only 5% of CRE operators achieve most of their AI program goals
According to JLLโs 2025 Global Real Estate Technology Survey of more than 1,500 senior decision-makers, 88% of commercial real estate investors and owners have already started AI pilots. Yet only 5% of firms report achieving most of their AI program goals, and more than 60% admit they remain strategically, organizationally, and technically unprepared for scaled implementation beyond pilots.
Martin (Marty) Mooradian (Pictured) is not in that 60%. A multifamily broker at Colliers in Richmond, Virginia, Marty has spent years quietly building a lean, AI-powered brokerage operation where custom agents handle rent comps, underwriting, and follow-up โ while he stays focused on relationships and deals. Here he shares his lessons and action steps.
The following article and key industry oversights are taken from Ascendix Technologies Commercial Real Estate Podcast โ The Concrete Voice. Use this LINK to subscribe and see/listen the whole podcast.
Listen to all episodes on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify.
Key topics covered:
01:08 โ Do you need technical skills to start building AI real estate agents?
04:14 โ Martyโs first AI real estate agent โFlow Governor.โ
08:21 โ What goes to AI real estate agents vs. what stays human
10:48 โ End-to-end prospecting workflow
14:06 โ Security, reliability, and risks when building AI real estate agents
21:04 โ Will AI replace real estate agents?
23:35 โ Should every broker build their own AI real estate agents?
29:18 โ AI adoption inside a traditional brokerage office
How Marty Started His AI in Real Estate Journey
Marty didnโt arrive at his current setup through a company initiative, a consultant, or a technology budget. He got there the same way he got into programming in 2007 โ by being curious about a problem. The inflection point came when he realized he was the bottleneck in his own operation. His human assistant and marketing associate were ready to work, but if Marty didnโt send the document, everything stopped.
โMy first autonomous agent that I created was someone, I called Flow Governor. And he had two things he did. He just came alive at 9.30 in the morning, would send my human assistant, Charles, an email that said, โDoes Marty owe you anything for any projects today?โ And if he said no, it slept for a while. And then around two oโclock, it would ask again. But if he said yes, then it pinged me every 45 minutes until I got the stuff to them.โ โ Marty Mooradian, Multifamily Broker at Colliers
Flow Governor is not impressive by technical standards. What it has is a clear job, a reliable trigger, and no tolerance for being ignored. Thatโs the actual template for a useful first agent: do not for an underwriting engine or a comp analyser, but something that solves one specific friction you already feel every day.
Martyโs Tactical Advice For Starting Out With AI Agents for Real Estate:
Ask for one step at a time. Donโt ask the AI to build you a full system โ ask it for the next single action. If step two changes because step one went differently, adapt.
Build something tiny and real. Marty taught a non-technical friend to code in 90 minutes. The first output was a program that surfaced the top 5 NBA headlines from ESPN. Small wins build momentum.
Declare your level. Tell AI: โIโm a newbie, I donโt know what Python is, treat me like I have no information on any of this.โ Then ask it to explain concepts at an appropriate age level and ratchet up as you progress.
Use two models. Play ChatGPT and Claude against each other. Submit the same problem, compare outputs, ask each to critique the otherโs approach.
โI started to realize that I became less of a programmer, more of a manager. Iโm a foreman. Iโm building a structure. And if Iโm not careful on the way in, itโll build me a beautiful building, but I might not have plumbing or electrical in it.โ โ Marty Mooradian, Multifamily Broker at Colliers
This is a practical warning, not a metaphor. The more capable your agents become, the more the quality of your instructions (your system prompts, your constraints, your guardrails) determines whether what gets built actually works safely. A poorly scoped agent will complete its task and still leave you exposed. We cover the specific risks that come with getting this wrong in the security section below.
Will AI Replace Real Estate Brokers?
There is no short answer to it, but there is another informative The Concrete Voice Podcast Episode with Todd Terry, co-founder of Ascendix Technologies.
โEveryoneโs worried about AI taking jobs. I have four reliable assistants, right? That would cost me almost a half a million dollars in salary. I donโt have a half a million dollars to pay anybody, right? But Iโm able to grow this real estate business, making me more robust. And then maybe through that, I could hire one person and then theyโre going to manage X amount of bots. โ โ Marty Mooradian, Multifamily Broker at Colliers
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
Construction entrepreneur and TrueNorth Capital Group founder has a ten point plan for the next Prime Minister
Mr Bradley Lay wants Andy Burnham, or whoever becomes the UKโs next Prime Minister, to overhaul the policies which are holding Britainโs construction sector back. And to make things simple he has compiled a ten-point plan designed to restore growth, improve productivity and support the businesses that build the countryโs infrastructure.
Bradley has spent more than two decades in the industry and has specialised in acquiring construction businesses, says successive governments have created an environment where construction businesses are being penalised rather than supported.
He said: โHaving sat across the table from hundreds of subcontractor business owners and witnessed first hand what works and what breaks them, itโs clear that many of the problems facing construction today are entirely fixable. These recommendations arenโt based on political ideology. Theyโre based on watching real businesses struggle under policies that punish the people who actually build things.โ
The ten-point plan calls on the next Prime Minister to:
Reverse the recent increase in Employersโ National Insurance to reduce the cost of employing people.
Reduce corporation tax to encourage entrepreneurship, investment and business growth.
Restore meaningful Business Asset Disposal Relief to encourage business succession rather than closure.
Reverse recent Employee Ownership Trust tax changes to make employee ownership attractive again.
Introduce competitive tax incentives to attract large-scale housing, infrastructure and development investment into the UK.
Replace existing SME lending schemes with funding programmes that genuinely improve access to working capital for construction businesses.
Launch a national campaign promoting construction careers to attract more young people into the industry.
Rebuild Britainโs manufacturing base through lower industrial energy costs and targeted incentives for UK manufacturers.
Increase domestic energy production from the North Sea to improve energy security and reduce costs for British businesses.
Introduce government-backed payment protection to ensure subcontractors are paid on time when main contractors fail to meet agreed payment terms.
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
โDerbion Masterplanโ delivering new homes, commercial space at Eagle Quarter and Bradshaw Way
Shopping centre owner Derbion has secured planning permission for two major regeneration sites in Derby city centre, paving the way for 1,152 homes and around 3,500 sq m of commercial space on under-used land around Derbion. The Derbion Masterplan covers the former Eagle Market site, now known as Eagle Quarter, and Bradshaw Way Retail Park. Together, the schemes will bring new homes, public space, commercial uses and improved links across two prominent city centre locations.
National planning and development consultancy Lichfields led the planning process and secured consent for both regeneration schemes on behalf of the owners of Derbion Shopping Centre, having advised on the site since 2014. Both schemes required careful consideration because of their city centre locations, nearby listed buildings and the need to ensure new development sat comfortably within views connected to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site.
Eagle Quarter, granted outline permission in June 2026, will redevelop the former Eagle Market site to provide building up to 19 storeys, 674 homes, new commercial space and a large public square, creating a new entrance to the retained Derby Theatre and improving links towards the River Derwent. The scheme includes the Green Heart, a new landscaped space connecting Derbion, Derby Theatre and Morledge through a green boulevard. New walkable streets, ground-floor food and beverage, leisure and town centre uses are also planned, alongside a landmark building at the eastern corner of the site.
Bradshaw Way, which was approved in October 2025, will replace an existing retail park, currently dominated by low-rise retail units and surface parking, with buildings up to 14 storeys, with 478 homes and ground-floor commercial units. The professional team behind the project includes Leonard Design Architects, Eurofund Group, Currie & Brown, Bidwells and Waterman.
Alison Bembenek, Associate Director, Lichfields, said: โThese approvals mark an important step in the major city centre regeneration around Derbion.
โThe sites are important city centre sites, and the planning case had to deal carefully with heritage, townscape, design, viability and public benefit. Our role was to bring those strands together, working closely with Derby City Council and Historic England, and provide a clear route through a complex planning process.
โThe permissions show how a joined-up planning strategy can support new homes, commercial space and public realm improvements. The development will bring new footfall and revitalisation to Derby Centre, supporting its longer-term success, whilst respecting the cityโs historic context.โ
Andrew Stanton CEO Proptech-PR
