More than half of future homebuyers in the U.S. (53%) lack confidence in their understanding of the home buying process. That’s according to a new Clever survey of prospective buyers who plan to purchase a home in 2026.
It’s one thing to set your sights on buying a home. It’s a whole other thing to know what that entails, aside from home shopping on Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, etc.
And what buyers don’t know is populating AI search queries across the U.S.
Generally speaking, a first-time buyer who doesn’t know what to expect moves more slowly than someone who’s been through it already. They also tend to be more anxious about what’s happening and what their agent is or is not doing on their behalf.
That’s an opportunity, and it should inform your content as well as your conversations with potential clients.
Think about what’s at stake for your buyer, as well as what’s at stake for your business if more consumers turn to AI instead of agents to get a better understanding of the process.
Here’s what the data says and what you can (and should) do with it.
What Future Buyers Don’t Know Is Scaring Them
Think about these stats for a moment:
- 94% of future buyers have concerns about buying a home
- 58% worry they may never be able to purchase a home
- 18% specifically worry their lack of understanding could lead to expensive mistakes
Now, look at the specific knowledge gaps among the 2026 survey respondents:
- 40% are concerned about rising property taxes, and 39% wish they understood how much they’d pay over time
- 37% are concerned about unexpected repairs and maintenance, with 43% wishing they knew more about hidden homeownership costs
- 29% are concerned about unexpected fees, and 35% wish they understood closing costs better
If you’re not answering these questions, who is? Either your competition or the AI chatbot prospective buyers are turning to in growing numbers to answer questions without calling a real estate agent.
To be fair, some of them probably have called or emailed a real estate agent to voice one or more of these concerns (or something related).
If they’re turning to AI next, you can probably guess why.
It’s not necessarily due to negligence or indifference. A lot of agents are overwhelmed with administrative tasks. Or they’re deprioritizing responses to “potential” clients in favor of the clients they have or in favor of those who’ve shown an interest in working with them.
Random questions get filed under “Get to this later.” And it doesn’t take long for the consumer to look elsewhere for answers.
One of the problems behind this is agents blaming AI (which consumers are using) but not learning how to leverage AI to get their own time back and improve their response time.
Buyers Are Turning to AI and Social Media Instead of Agents
According to Clever’s report, 37% of future buyers plan to use AI during the home-buying process, while 28% plan to use social media.
Social media adoption splits sharply by age.
- 49% of Gen Z plan to use social media, along with
- 36% of millennials, compared to
- 15% of boomers
AI adoption is more consistent across the generations Clever’s research measured (the term “Gen X” doesn’t appear even once in Clever’s report):
- 40% of Gen Z
- 41% of millennials
- 30% of boomers
Buyers on social media are more likely to take your real estate brand seriously if you’re answering their questions and getting them closer to feeling ready.
Turn Questions Buyers Are Asking AI into Content You Post
The report highlighted these top AI use cases for homebuyers:
- 49% are using AI to get step-by-step guidance on the homebuying process
- 47% are using it to learn more about mortgage rates and loan options
- 46% use AI to help them estimate what they can afford
- 45% ask AI what to look for during a home inspection
- 44% want AI to help them find and compare listings
- 29% are using AI to find a real estate agent
As to that last one, if AI isn’t recommending you, you need to know why and how to change that.
Aside from that, the gap in homebuyer understanding is something you, as a real estate agent, can address through conversations with local buyers and through your online content.
Every one of these questions can become a reel, a YouTube video, a carousel post, or a guide with your market and branding on it.
Put yourself in these buyers’ shoes for a minute. AI is giving them answers that are most likely generic, with no local context and no real human experience attached to them. If you’re answering the same questions in your content, in local events, and in other interactions with buyers, you stand out as someone who’s making them feel smarter about buying a home.
Hyperlocal content that answers the questions buyers are asking right now makes you a local guide to the market, to the process, and to everything human that goes into both.
Consider offering a free one-to-one consultation or a free local buyers event where every question gets answered directly, no pressure and no obligation attached.
The knowledge gaps highlighted in Clever’s report are openings. Use them to build trust.
