Avatar Antics: The New Face of Estate Agency

In a move that’s as futuristic as it is fascinating, Spicerhaart has taken a bold leap into the digital realm by cloning its chairman, Paul Smith, into a hyper-realistic AI avatar. Alongside nine other regional avatars, this digital doppelgänger is set to revolutionise the way estate agencies communicate, from market updates to training modules.

The tech promises to free up human negotiators to focus on tasks that still require a personal touch. But as with any technological advancement, there’s more beneath the surface than meets the eye.

The Allure of Avatars

At ModelProp, we're seeing estate agents are diving headfirst into this digital pool for several compelling reasons. Firstly, there's the scalability factor – record a video once and distribute it across hundreds of branches. Then there's consistency; no more off-brand pitches or Monday-morning blues affecting the delivery. With local accent cloning, these avatars can even mimic regional dialects, making the content feel less corporate and more personal.

The time and cost savings can be significant too, with video production costs plummeting and turnaround times shrinking from days to minutes. Plus, these avatars offer a 24/7 presence, perfect for out-of-hours explainer clips on various platforms.

Real-World Applications

The potential applications for these avatars are vast and varied. From hyper-local market snapshots to property-tour intros, avatars can deliver quick, snackable content without the need for travel. They can also clarify complex terms and conditions in smart-contract explainers, boosting e-signature rates.

However, while avatars can standardise coaching in on-boarding and performance reviews, delivering bad news via an avatar might come across as cowardly. And while they can help triage out-of-hours lettings issues, they can’t exactly call a plumber at 2 a.m.

The Path Forward

For estate agencies, the future is both exciting and daunting. Avatars offer a new communication layer that can eliminate hours of repetitive tasks, allowing agents to focus on meaningful human interactions. However, agencies must establish robust rights frameworks, pilot low-risk channels, and maintain transparency to build trust with stakeholders. Ultimately, the agencies that succeed will be those that clone themselves responsibly, using saved time for genuine conversations and connections that no algorithm can replace – at least not yet.

It’s not just about embracing technology but doing so in a way that enhances human connection rather than replacing it. Much of the future face of estate agency may be digital, but its heart will always be human.