In commercial real estate, the generative AI boom hasn’t yet produced a full-blown transformation — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t already reshaping day-to-day workflows in tangible, profitable ways. Across the country, professionals in marketing, multifamily investment, and brokerage are quietly integrating AI into their operations to automate lead gen, streamline marketing, accelerate deal screening, and improve internal communication.
From seasoned investors to boutique brokerage leaders, five CRE pros shared how they’re using AI right now — not as a silver bullet, but as a tool to boost efficiency and get more done. Common across all stories? AI isn’t replacing the human element — it’s supporting it. Real ROI requires deep setup, training, and domain knowledge. Still, for those who’ve made the investment, the payoff is clear.
Boosting Bandwidth for Brokers
Multifamily investment broker Taylor Avakian of The Group CRE uses AI to automate daily reports, streamline follow-ups, and prepare pitch meetings. By combining tools like HubSpot, Claude, and Lovable, he’s gone from managing 5 listings to 25. He’s even built custom ChatGPT prompts for land feasibility studies. His biggest insight: small automations can deliver massive time savings — and better revenue.
Smarter Marketing, Fewer Manual Hours
Nick Gardiner, Director of Marketing at ReadySpaces, oversees campaigns across 40 co-warehousing locations. He’s built a custom AI dashboard to manage six-figure monthly ad budgets dynamically, while another internal AI tool — Epoch — flags underperforming properties in real-time. With automation shaving off 5–7 hours of weekly work, Gardiner says companies that fail to adopt AI will be stuck doing avoidable busywork.
Efficient Due Diligence at Scale
At Uncommon Capital Group, founder Ben Harris uses AI to process hundreds of deal proposals a year — including an in-house Fund Screener trained on their own investment criteria. It doesn’t replace judgment, but it speeds up evaluations and saves the cost of hiring multiple new analysts. For Harris, it’s not about giving AI free rein — it’s about creating a closed system that extends his team’s capacity.
Faster, More Informed Internal Comms
Scully Co. VP of Marketing Renee McIntyre leans on AI for message drafting and pattern recognition from internal data — not crisis comms, but the day-to-day grind. Her AI setup is trained on the company’s own voice and values. She advises newcomers to start small: focus on one use case, master it, then expand.
AI-Powered Deal Flow for a Boutique Brokerage
Aspire Commercial Real Estate’s Topher Stephenson has used AI to overhaul nearly every internal workflow, from pitch deck templates to media-driven tenant prospecting. He built a custom GPT from interviews with his team to design a process system tailored to their needs. The result? Faster proposals, more automation, and a small firm competing toe-to-toe with much larger shops.
The Bottom Line
No one’s replacing teams with AI. But for these CRE professionals, AI has already become a real, repeatable part of their workflow — unlocking time, improving accuracy, and helping them win more business. The industry may still be cautious, but the professionals who dive in early are already gaining a competitive edge.
NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association representing 21,000 members across North America, has announced a strategic partnership with CREtech, the world’s leading platform for innovation in real estate technology. The alliance aims to dramatically increase technology awareness, education, and adoption across the commercial real estate (CRE) sector.
The collaboration brings together NAIOP’s broad network of developers, owners, brokers, and investors with CREtech’s fast-growing ecosystem of PropTech companies, AI startups, and digital solution providers. The shared goal is to build a more tech-enabled industry—one that prioritizes innovation, operational efficiency, and long-term asset value in a market defined by digital transformation.
A centerpiece of the partnership is CREtech New York, taking place October 21-22 at the Jacob Javits Center. Through this partnership, NAIOP members will receive exclusive and discounted access to the event, which will feature immersive tech demos, high-level roundtables, curated networking, and deep dives into AI, sustainability, and digital tools reshaping the built world.
CREtech will also offer its signature Hosted Buyer Program to qualified NAIOP members who are real estate owners, developers, occupiers, or brokers. The program provides complimentary event tickets and up to $800 in hotel, travel, dining, and entertainment reimbursements in exchange for participating in curated one-on-one meetings with tech providers. For those not joining the Hosted Program, discounted ticketing options are available based on role.
Marc Selvitelli, CAE, president and CEO of NAIOP, emphasized the significance of this alignment:
“The future of commercial real estate is tied to embracing technological innovation. CREtech is a recognized leader in real estate technology, and we’re confident this partnership will provide our members with meaningful opportunities to share strategies, explore emerging innovations, and engage with the leaders driving the next generation of the industry.”
Michael Beckerman, CEO of CREtech, echoed the sentiment:
“I have long been an admirer of NAIOP for their commitment to leadership, education, and increasingly, innovation. This new partnership is a major milestone in our mission to bridge the gap between real estate and technology. Our goal is to help NAIOP members discover how technology is reshaping the industry to be more efficient, sustainable, and future-proof.”
This collaboration marks a key moment for CRE professionals, as NAIOP and CREtech create a powerful channel for education, innovation, and access to emerging tools and strategies that will define the next era of commercial real estate.
