Real estate professionals are quietly changing the way they use artificial intelligence, but the most useful lesson from the poll was not which platform won. It was why businesses are starting to use more than one.
Real estate professionals are quietly changing the way they use artificial intelligence, including which platforms they rely on to help run their businesses.
Real Estate Today put a simple question to its Instagram followers across Australia and New Zealand this week: ChatGPT or Claude?
Claude received 71 per cent of the vote, while ChatGPT secured 29 per cent.
The result came from an Instagram story poll rather than a formal industry survey. Those responding were real estate professionals who already follow a trade publication across both sides of the Tasman.
It should not be interpreted as evidence of broader market share. ChatGPT remains the more widely recognised consumer platform and is still the first AI service many people encounter when they begin experimenting with prompts.
However, the most revealing part of the poll was not the final number.
It was the reasoning provided by two industry professionals who voted differently but ultimately reached a similar conclusion.
From chat window to business infrastructure
Steph Molenaar, founder of GetConnects, said her business had already moved beyond using AI simply to answer questions or write content.
Prior to the release of Codex, Ms Molenaar believed ChatGPT had begun falling behind some of the alternative tools entering the market.
“Claude released relatively easy-to-use systems. Cowork was a game changer prior to us moving to using Claude Code locally in terminal,” Ms Molenaar said.
“Now that we have run the analysis on our businesses and know what tasks we want our agents to run, we are starting to look at how we can move to a locally hosted system and use multiple models to reduce costs.”
That may sound technical, but the idea behind it is relatively simple.
Ms Molenaar’s team first examined how the business operated and identified the repeatable tasks that could potentially be handed to AI.
Only after identifying those tasks did the business begin deciding which technology should perform them.
The long-term goal is not to become completely loyal to Claude, ChatGPT or any other provider. It is to build a system capable of using different AI models depending on the job, performance and cost.
Building an everyday assistant
Michael Anania, Head of Property Management at Laing + Simmons Corporate, voted for ChatGPT.
While Mr Anania acknowledged Claude’s strengths, he said ChatGPT’s broader integrations made it more useful as an everyday assistant.
“ChatGPT for me. Claude is good, especially for long-form writing and analysis of documents, but it is also the buzz for people following trends and not sure how to use AI as yet,” Mr Anania said.
“It will get there and grow, but it still lacks some depth.
“ChatGPT you can turn into your assistant rather than just really good AI models. I use both for different things, though Chat handles more complex and problem-solving issues more accurately and precisely, especially with the ability to use it through Siri and connections through CarPlay.”
That accessibility is particularly relevant in real estate.
Agents and property managers spend much of their working day travelling between appraisals, inspections, open homes, listing presentations and client meetings.
An AI platform that can be accessed through a phone, voice assistant or vehicle can help capture the time between appointments.
For an agent preparing for an appraisal while driving across Sydney or Auckland, being able to speak to an AI assistant may be more valuable than a technical feature that requires them to sit at a desk.
The real lesson from the poll
Despite voting differently, neither Ms Molenaar nor Mr Anania relies exclusively on one provider.
Ms Molenaar is considering a system that can use multiple AI models. Mr Anania already uses both platforms and chooses between them depending on the task.
That is the real shift taking place inside businesses.
The question is becoming less about whether ChatGPT or Claude is better overall. It is becoming a question of which platform is better for a particular job.
One platform might be used to review a lengthy contract, strata report or collection of CRM notes. Another might be used as a voice assistant, to solve an immediate problem or to prepare for a meeting while an agent is on the road.
AI providers will continue releasing new models and features. The platform leading in one area today may be overtaken within months.
Businesses that understand their own processes will be able to change models without having to redesign everything around them.
The greater risk is not choosing the wrong AI platform.
It is spending another year using AI only to write social media posts and emails while competitors quietly use it to rebuild the way their offices operate.
The agencies treating AI as a tool may become faster.
The ones treating it as infrastructure may become significantly bigger.
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This article was independently written and edited by Real Estate Today. © Real Estate Today 2026 – All Rights Reserved.
Real Estate Today is an independent real estate industry publication covering Australia and New Zealand.
