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Every major shift in real estate marketing begins with a change in buyer behaviour.

Newspapers gave way to property portals. Desktop searches moved to mobile devices. Social media, video and personalised digital advertising then created more ways for buyers to discover homes before speaking with an agent.

Another shift is now underway.

Buyers are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence powered search tools to research suburbs, compare locations, understand auction results and explore properties that may suit their lifestyle.

Platforms such as ChatGPT, Google AI Overviews and Microsoft Copilot are becoming part of the broader property research journey. Buyers are also moving between Google, YouTube, social media, agency websites and property portals as they gather information.

For agents, this does not mean traditional listing portals are becoming irrelevant. It means property marketing must now work across a wider digital environment.

Property Portals Remain Important

Major property portals continue to play an essential role in real estate campaigns. They attract large numbers of active buyers and provide a familiar place to compare available properties.

However, they should be viewed as one part of a broader marketing strategy rather than the entire strategy.

Many buyers begin researching well before they are ready to submit an enquiry. They may watch suburb videos, compare school zones, review recent sales, follow local agents or ask an AI assistant which areas could suit their budget and lifestyle.

A listing that only appears on a property portal may not reach these buyers during the earlier stages of their research.

Agencies therefore need to think beyond where a listing is advertised and consider how buyers may discover the property across multiple platforms.

AI Is Changing Search Rather Than Replacing It

Artificial Intelligence is not replacing traditional property search. It is changing how buyers interpret and navigate the information available to them.

A buyer may still open a property portal to inspect current listings. Before doing so, however, they may ask an AI platform to suggest suburbs within commuting distance of work, compare local schools or explain whether a particular area has experienced strong buyer activity.

Google is also increasingly presenting AI generated summaries within search results. These summaries can draw from websites, articles, videos and other publicly available sources when answering a user's question.

This means agencies are no longer creating content only for people who visit their website directly. Their content may also help search engines and AI platforms understand the agency's local knowledge, services and property information.

The practical lesson is straightforward. Agencies need to publish information that genuinely answers buyer questions.

Successful Campaigns Create Multiple Digital Touchpoints

People rarely enquire about a property after seeing it once.

Buyer confidence usually develops through repeated exposure. A buyer may first see a property video on social media, later read a suburb guide, watch an auction livestream and then return to the agency's website before deciding to enquire.

Each interaction helps create familiarity. Familiarity can support trust, particularly when the information is useful, accurate and consistent.

A modern property campaign may include:

• ●search optimised property descriptions;
• ●professional photography and property video;
• ●auction livestreams and recordings;
• ●suburb guides and local market information;
• ●agent profile pages and educational content;
• ●social media promotion;
• ●targeted digital advertising;
• ●clear auction or offer information.

Every useful digital asset creates another opportunity for a buyer to discover the property, understand the campaign and develop confidence in the agency.

Digital Authority Is Becoming More Valuable

Search engines and AI platforms attempt to identify information that appears useful, relevant and trustworthy.

For real estate agencies, this creates an opportunity to build what can broadly be described as digital authority.

Digital authority is not created by publishing one article or uploading one video. It develops over time as an agency consistently publishes accurate local information and creates useful online experiences.

This may include:

• ●suburb profiles;
• ●recent auction results;
• ●property market updates;
• ●buyer and seller guides;
• ●livestreamed auctions;
• ●answers to frequently asked questions;
• ●information about local schools, transport and amenities.

When this information is published clearly and remains accessible, it can continue supporting the agency's visibility long after an individual campaign has ended.

The agencies that build the strongest digital presence will not necessarily be the ones spending the most on advertising. They will be the agencies consistently publishing useful information, creating better buyer experiences and making their expertise easier for both people and AI platforms to discover.

Anthony Nounnis, Director of RE Software - Auctions Live | Offers Live

Why Auction Content Has Lasting Value

Auction campaigns naturally create some of the richest digital content available to a real estate agency.

Before auction day, buyers may search for inspection times, auction dates, registration requirements, property videos and campaign updates.

During the auction, buyers may view a livestream, register to bid remotely or follow bidding activity online.

After the auction, people may search for the result, sold price, recording or recent market activity in the area.

This creates a valuable collection of information that can remain useful after the property has sold.

When auction information is published on an agency's own website, it can also help the agency build a stronger digital footprint rather than allowing every buyer interaction to take place on an external platform.

Auctions Live supports this approach by helping agencies manage bidder registration, online bidding, livestreaming, auction presentations and real time auction information across onsite, in room, virtual and multi-lot events.

The technology is important, but the broader value comes from creating a clear and accessible digital experience for buyers wherever they choose to participate.

Livestreaming Is More Than a Broadcast

Livestreaming is often viewed as a way to help remote buyers watch an auction. That remains one of its most important functions, but the marketing value can extend further.

A livestream can provide greater visibility into the auction process, help vendors follow campaign activity and allow interested buyers to observe market competition without attending in person.

A recording may also remain available after the auction, creating content that can be viewed and shared later.

For agencies, this provides another opportunity to demonstrate activity, transparency and local market knowledge.

It also creates a useful digital asset that may support future listing presentations, social media content and broader brand visibility.

Technology Should Help Buyers Participate

Modern buyers expect to do more than simply observe a campaign online.

They want to access information quickly, register without unnecessary friction and understand what is happening throughout the sales process.

For auction campaigns, this may involve online registration, digital bidding, livestream access and real time updates.

For private treaty, Expression of Interest, tender and deadline sale campaigns, the same expectations apply in a different form.

Buyers want clear instructions, reliable communication and confidence that their offer has been received and managed properly.

Offers Live supports these campaigns by giving agents a structured environment for receiving, reviewing and comparing offers while maintaining visibility over buyer activity.

Used together, Auctions Live and Offers Live can form part of a broader digital sales ecosystem that supports both auction and negotiated sales campaigns.

These platforms do not replace the role of the agent. They help agents manage buyer participation, campaign information and communication more consistently.

Look Beyond the Existing Buyer Database

A well managed buyer database remains one of an agency's most valuable assets.

However, no database contains every potential buyer.

A suitable purchaser may live interstate, be planning a future relocation or only recently have begun researching a particular suburb.

An investor may be comparing several locations. A family may be considering school zones and commute times. A downsizer may be waiting for a property with specific accessibility or lifestyle features.

These buyers may not appear in the agency's database until a piece of marketing reaches them.

Digital advertising and useful online content can help agencies connect with people based on their interests, research behaviour and property needs rather than relying only on previous enquiries.

This does not reduce the importance of the database. It expands the number of ways new buyers can enter it.

Make Property Content Easier for AI to Understand

AI search platforms do not simply assess whether a page contains a property address or headline.

They attempt to understand whether the information helps answer a user's question.

For agencies, this means property and campaign content should be detailed, accurate and structured clearly.

Useful information may include:

• ●complete property descriptions;
• ●accurate location and suburb information;
• ●nearby schools, transport and amenities;
• ●inspection and auction details;
• ●buyer registration information;
• ●high quality images and video;
• ●frequently asked buyer questions;
• ●relevant local market observations.

The purpose is not to write content for an algorithm. It is to provide buyers with more complete and useful information.

Content that genuinely helps people is also more likely to be understood and surfaced by search platforms.

Your Website Should Play a Bigger Role

An agency website should be more than a digital brochure.

It can become a central place where buyers view listings, research suburbs, watch auctions, review results and learn about the agency's local expertise.

This matters because content published on an agency's own website contributes directly to its long term digital presence.

External platforms remain useful for reaching large audiences, but they primarily strengthen the visibility of the platform itself. An agency website allows more of that attention to remain within the agency's own digital environment.

By displaying auction campaigns, livestreams and results through an agency website, Auctions Live can help agencies provide a more connected buyer experience while retaining greater control over their brand and online traffic.

Offers Live can provide a similar role for negotiated campaigns by creating a structured path for buyer engagement outside the auction process.

Practical Steps Agencies Can Take

Agencies do not need to rebuild their entire marketing strategy at once.

They can begin by improving how campaign information is created, published and retained.

• ●continue using major property portals as an important source of active buyer enquiry;
• ●publish more campaign content on the agency's own website;
• ●create useful suburb and local market information;
• ●use photography, video and livestreaming to create richer buyer experiences;
• ●retain auction results and relevant campaign information where appropriate;
• ●make registration, bidding and offer processes easy to understand;
• ●ensure agent profiles clearly demonstrate local knowledge and recent activity;
• ●review how easily search engines and buyers can access campaign information.

The objective is not to be present on every digital platform. It is to create useful information and distribute it through the channels buyers already use.

The Competitive Advantage Is Already Emerging

The agencies that build the strongest digital presence over the coming years may not be those with the largest advertising budgets.

They are more likely to be the agencies that consistently create useful content, provide clear buyer experiences and make their local knowledge easy to find.

Artificial Intelligence increases the importance of these fundamentals. It rewards information that is relevant, structured and genuinely helpful.

Technology platforms such as Auctions Live and Offers Live can support this process by helping agencies create richer campaign experiences, improve buyer participation and generate useful digital assets throughout the sales journey.

The real advantage, however, comes from how those tools are used as part of a broader marketing strategy.

The Future Still Belongs to Trusted Agents

Artificial Intelligence is not changing the fundamental value of a good real estate agent.

Buyers and sellers will continue to value local experience, sound advice, strong negotiation and personal communication.

What is changing is how people find that expertise.

An agency may first be discovered through a Google search, an auction video, a social media post, an AI generated answer or a piece of local market content.

That first digital interaction may occur weeks or months before the buyer speaks with an agent.

The opportunity is therefore larger than simply advertising a property. It is about building a visible and trusted digital presence that supports buyers throughout their research and decision making process.

Agencies that publish useful information, invest in transparent buyer experiences and make their campaigns accessible across multiple channels will be better positioned wherever the next property search begins.

Auctions Live and Offers Live support this approach by helping agencies manage auction and negotiated campaigns within a more complete digital sales environment, while keeping the agent at the centre of the relationship.