Targence study finds AI is shaping home seller choices before website visits

Targence says usability research with U.S. home sellers shows AI assistants are influencing which agents and selling options people consider, while citation clicks remain rare and marketing attribution misses the impact. The finding matters for real estate companies because AI may be steering demand before traditional analytics register any credit.

Why it matters: - AI assistants are becoming an early decision layer in home selling, shaping which agents, selling paths and questions sellers consider before they visit a website. - Real estate marketers may be undercounting AI’s influence because sellers act on AI answers without clicking source links, leaving traditional attribution blind to a growing part of the journey. - The research suggests budgets can stay tied to channels that appear to drive demand, even when AI has already changed the buyer’s path.

What happened: - Targence released findings from a home-selling usability study on September 9, 2026. - The study used video-recorded, task-based sessions through Userbrain with U.S. participants acting out a home-selling scenario. - Participants started with an AI assistant, then compared selling routes, narrowed local agent options and prepared questions for providers. - Participants said AI strongly influenced what they would consider or do next, and often pushed them toward actions they would not have taken otherwise. - Not a single participant clicked a citation link in an AI answer to check the source.

The details: - The AI response shaped decisions before any business was named. - AI influenced whether sellers considered an agent, a cash offer or fixing up the home first. - AI also influenced the criteria used to compare agents, including ratings, sales history and local experience. - AI helped set the questions sellers planned to ask, including net proceeds, fees and process. - Some participants scanned only the AI response, some did not notice the links and some said they had no reason to look further. - One participant theme captured the behavior: why click, when you already have the answer? - After getting AI guidance, participants searched Google to find an agent AI suggested, checked reviews of businesses AI had shortlisted, opened a recommended profile or asked AI for phone numbers. - Participants said they now start with AI first and use Google for validation rather than initial discovery. - One participant said, “That was the only way I found them,” after asking AI to narrow local agent options and provide phone numbers. - The study found that AI shaped the choice while other channels received the visible credit. - The sessions also showed that AI-assisted visitors can arrive at a website already knowing whom they want to investigate. - Those visitors are often looking for proof, reassurance and a clear next step, not an introduction to the category. - One participant wanted to speak with a person before signing up for a home-selling service and had trouble finding a contact route. - Targence recommends that websites serve both arrival states and make credible evidence and human contact easy to find. - Targence says the full research report and usability testing methodology is available here.

Between the lines: - The study points to a measurement gap, not just a marketing gap. - If AI shapes the recommendation before a click, the most important influence may never show up in standard reports. - That can lead leaders to underestimate AI’s role, overvalue measurable channels and miss the chance to shape what AI tells future sellers. - The findings also suggest real estate brands need content that is verifiable enough for both AI systems and cautious consumers.

What’s next: - Targence is urging real estate marketers to find out what AI says when sellers ask about them and why. - The company recommends making expertise verifiable so the evidence AI and prospects check can hold up. - Targence also advises closing gaps in the evidence AI relies on before a competitor’s story becomes the default answer. - The company says its technology identifies how leading AI systems understand, compare, trust and recommend a business. - Targence is headquartered in San Diego and says it helps organizations see what AI sees and shape what buyers believe.

The bottom line: - AI may already be influencing home seller decisions earlier than marketing systems can measure, which makes visibility into AI answers a growing competitive issue for real estate companies.