Most real estate professionals aren’t in a hurry to take career advice from anonymous X (formerly Twitter) accounts with handles like @CapitanSteveo.
But social media platforms have recently reignited a familiar industry debate: Could technology platforms like Opendoor ultimately reduce or even eliminate the role of traditional real estate agents?
A wave of tweets across the tech and real estate industries claim that AI, digital trading platforms, and streamlined buying tools are pushing the industry toward a future where buyers bypass agents and transact directly with software.
While the rhetoric around X may be exaggerated, the conversation reflects real anxieties in the industry that have repeatedly surfaced over the past two decades.
This concern has taken on new urgency recently as AI advances and companies like Opendoor continue to simplify the home-buying process.
Buy a house in 12 minutes?
One widely shared tweet claims that when you buy a home through Opendoor, it can take an estimated 12 minutes from entering the process to seeing your offer.
The post suggests that buyers can browse listings, make offers, and complete most transactions digitally without having to work with an agent. They are framing this as a preview of how the home purchase transaction will ultimately work.
It may seem crazy to some that you can buy a home online in just 12 minutes. But the point of the argument is much simpler. The need for agents may decrease as software can handle pricing, offers, contracts, and financing.
This is a well-known debate in the technology industry, where real estate commission structures are often cited as a prime target for disruption.
Faster 💨: $OPEN You now see an estimated 12 minute path from start of process to offer confirmation.
Traditional home buying requires coordination between agents, lenders, and paperwork before momentum begins.
It’s not just about convenience, it’s about reducing time to transaction… pic.twitter.com/qJvsCy26T1
— Nugget (@Nugget_Trades) February 28, 2026
“The profession isn’t going away.”
The discussion expanded further when entrepreneur and television personality Marcus Lemonis joined the conversation about X and warned agents about claims that their careers were coming to an end.
“A warning to all real estate agents,” Lemonis wrote, referring to a post suggesting there is a limited lifespan for real estate agents following the announcement of Opendoor’s 4.99% mortgage product.
Lemonis rejected the idea that agents will disappear, arguing that human experts equipped with AI tools will continue to thrive.
“I will take 15,000 of them, give them AI tools that actually work, and watch the humans who know how to use AI crush the AI, because they love humans,” he wrote.
The discussion also featured a response from Opendoor CEO Kaz Nejatian after Inman asked a question about the future role of agents.
Nejatian responded, noting that Opendoor continues to work with many real estate agents, “I think there will always be a place for a trusted advisor to help people get through a difficult process.”
The exchange highlighted growing tensions between online claims that technology will replace agencies and industry leaders who believe platforms will evolve alongside human experts.
I think there will always be a place for a trusted advisor to help people get through a difficult process. We at Opendoor work with many real estate agents and are happy to work with them.
— Kaz Nejatian (@nejatian) February 28, 2026
Personal relationships still drive real estate
Mike Hickman, CEO of Seven Gables Real Estate, argues that while technology can assist agents, it cannot replicate the deep community connections and nuanced understanding that human experts bring to market.
For Hickman, real estate is fundamentally a community-based, relationship-driven business. Agents often understand subtle movements within a region that are difficult to capture with software platforms.
Hickman believes that AI will primarily serve as a productivity tool within brokerages, rather than replacing agents. He recently spoke on the subject at the Luxury SUMMIT conference in Las Vegas, outlining a strategy focused on using AI to increase manager efficiency, rather than eliminating roles.
“My strategy when using AI is focus,” Hickman told Inman. “We use AI to answer less important questions, so managers can focus on more important work.”
Hickman also pointed to years of research from the National Association of Realtors showing that 88 percent of buyers and 91 percent of sellers still use agents for transactions. For Hickman, that reality reflects a deeper truth about how people make the biggest financial decisions of their lives.
“I’m willing to discuss this with anyone,” he said. “AI will not replace agents.”
“Casual part-time agents are in trouble.”
Blake O’Shaughnessy, co-founder and CEO of Ownli, says the argument that technology could replace real estate agents is worth serious consideration, especially now that AI is starting to automate more parts of the transaction process.
He cited platforms like Opendoor as examples of how the industry is pushing for simpler, more streamlined transactions, but noted that the company’s model is capital-intensive.
“Opendoor is trying to remove friction with buyers, but it’s a very expensive and capital-intensive way to solve the problem,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Still, it shows that consumers are willing to pay for simplicity.”
O’Shaughnessy doesn’t expect agencies to disappear completely, but he does think automation will shrink some parts of the profession, in the same way that Expedia reduced the need for travel agents and TurboTax reorganized many accountants’ jobs.
As O’Shaughnessy pointed out in a recent Inman article, membership in the National Association of Realtors has fallen from a peak of about 1.6 million at the end of 2022 to about 1.4 million today. Some analysts predict that number could fall to about 1.2 million by 2026. This number suggests that the industry has already been shedding agents for several years.
O’Shaughnessy added that many of these agents are not very active anyway. A recent analysis found that the median number of transactions completed by agents is less than two per year, highlighting that much of the industry operates on a part-time basis.
“This industry is so bloated that I think it needs to change,” O’Shaughnessy said. “Some agents will be replaced by technology and AI. Casual, part-time agents are in a bind.”
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