[T]echnology: Explaining AI to a 15-Year-Old
[E]ducation: Blue Book Value… For Your House
[C]oaching: Line in the Sand
[H]ow To: Be More Trusted Than AI
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[T]echnology: Explaining AI to a 15-Year-Old
In a nerdy, proud parent moment, my 15-year-old son asked me exactly what ToryOS does. I used this opportunity to teach AI 101. 🧠
I opened up ChatGPT to the project that knows basically everything about Tory and said, “Ok, this knows everything there is about Tory. What would you ask it to get a better understanding?”
He said, “What is ToryOS?”
Would it give him an overview? Yes. But I explained that it would be a very generic, high-level overview. I said, “Explain who you are and why you want to know.”
He said, “Ok. My dad is a real estate broker. I want to know what ToryOS does.”
I giggled because I knew he was on the verge of getting it.
I asked him, “Where is your dad a real estate broker? What company? How many agents? Why do you want to know? Better yet, who is your dad?”
As I’m typing this, I’m realizing that it’s a bit harder to illustrate this thought process than I anticipated, but all of those questions matter because I know what he doesn’t: AI only knows what you tell/ask it and otherwise makes assumptions that can be wrong.
I explained that because ChatGPT has 3 years of context and a memory of every conversation we’ve ever had. If you tell it that you’re my kid, you don’t need to explain where my company is located, how many agents we have, or what company I’m with.
He giggled a bit as well and finally felt confident enough to type: “I am the son of Ty, and I was curious what ToryOS does; I know very little about it.”
It continued on, but awe and excitement were all over his face. Mind you, this is the same kid who came down for breakfast before and saw me working on my laptop in the same place and in the same clothes as the night before, and asked if I had gone to bed… now he understood.
That wasn’t the exciting part for me. ⬇️⬇️
Sure, it was cool to see my kid finally understand and appreciate what I’ve spent countless hours building, but the exciting part was changing his mindset on how AI works and how to interact with it. This is what I try to instill in agents when I speak on AI across the country. It’s not the “perfect” prompt that everyone tries to sell you on social media; it’s the mindset, the workflow, the ANTICIPATION of snags that AI might have if you don’t give it the complete picture.
So before you ask AI anything…ask yourself if AI knows the who, what, when, where, why, and how. And when you don’t know what to ask AI, ask it what you should be asking.
[E]ducation: Blue Book Value… For Your House
For a hundred years, “what’s the Blue Book value?” has been the first question Americans ask before buying or selling a car. Now Kelley Blue Book wants to be the first question for houses too. 🚗🏠
Here’s the setup. Kelley Blue Book Homes opened to agents this week, with homeowners getting access August 1 in ten states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington) and a national rollout planned for early 2027. The tech behind it is True Footage, an appraisal technology company whose last funding round was led by Cox Enterprises... which, not coincidentally, owns Kelley Blue Book. A homeowner submits their property information and photos, and within 24 hours gets a valuation the company says will land within 3% of the final sales price.
Read that again, because it’s the part that matters. The homeowner submits the photos. A Zestimate has never seen the inside of your kitchen... it’s an algorithm running on public records and comps. KBB is betting that actual condition data straight from the owner, run through appraisal-grade tech, beats the drive-by estimate. If “within 3%” holds up in the real world, that’s CMA territory, and it changes the pricing conversation at every listing appointment.
The business model is a direct shot at Zillow too. Instead of taking up to 40% of your commission on a closed referral, agents pay a monthly subscription for seller leads by ZIP code. And you can’t just swipe a credit card to get in... agents apply to become “Verified Agents” and get vetted on sales volume, days on market, and sale-to-list ratio. Your production stats are officially your resume now.
Now here’s the number that made me sit up. In early testing, more than 17% of homeowners who requested a valuation ended up listing on the MLS within 90 days. Let that sink in... one out of every six requests became a listing. Compare that to the conversion rate on whatever leads you’re paying for right now. A homeowner who takes the time to upload photos of their own house to find out what it’s worth isn’t browsing... that’s a seller warming up. 🌡️
Two takeaways for your business. First, Ohio isn’t on the launch list, but national is coming in early 2027 and your sellers will hear “Kelley Blue Book for homes” long before that. Be the agent who can explain what these tools can and can’t see... a homeowner’s own photos are better than public records, but neither one has walked the street, called the other agent, or negotiated the inspection. Second, notice the pattern from last week’s Zillow story. Another well-funded platform is putting itself between homeowners and agents, and this one is picking agents based on stats instead of ad spend. Keep your days on market and sale-to-list numbers tight, because the next generation of lead platforms is reading them like a report card. And the distribution rule hasn’t changed: leads you rent live on someone else’s platform... relationships you build live in your database.
[C]oaching: Line in the Sand
I was at one of my kids’ events the other night when a text came through from another agent. Full transparency... the phone shouldn’t have even been out of the car, and that’s a boundary I’m still tightening. But I had it, and they wanted a phone call that evening.
I read the text. Not an emergency. So I sent back one sentence: “Is this something we can discuss first thing tomorrow?”
That was it. We talked the next morning and I can assure you, it was not an emergency. But here’s the part I keep chewing on. There was a time, not that long ago, when I would have walked away from my kids and made that call without a second thought. I can’t get any of that time back... and I don’t want to miss the next big catch, goalie save, or guitar solo.
Somewhere along the way, we became accustomed to jumping at everything ALL THE TIME. We convinced ourselves that instant response is the job. It isn’t. Not everything is an emergency, and when you treat everything like one, you train everyone around you to expect it. So draw your line in the sand. Here’s how.
Decide your non-negotiables before they’re tested. 📵
A boundary you invent in the moment isn’t a boundary... it’s a negotiation. Pick yours now: family dinner, the kids’ games, Sunday mornings, whatever is sacred to you. The time to decide the phone stays in the car is before you get to the field, not when it buzzes.
Steal that sentence. 💬
“Is this something we can discuss first thing tomorrow?” It’s respectful, keeps you in control of your calendar, and filters out real urgency fast. After 30 years in this business, I can count on one hand the things that genuinely couldn’t wait until morning. If it’s a true emergency, they’ll say so... and then you’re choosing to step away, not reflexively jumping.
Tell people where the line is before they find it. 🤝
At the listing appointment or the buyer consult: “Here’s how I work. I’m all over it during the week, but Sundays are for my family, and if something truly can’t wait, here’s what to do.” Clients don’t lose confidence in the agent with boundaries. They lose confidence in the one who sounds frazzled at 9pm. A boundary doesn’t read as unavailable... it reads as professional.
The agents who burn out aren’t the ones who worked the most hours. They’re the ones who never decided which hours were theirs. Draw the line. The deal will still be there in the morning... the moments you’re protecting won’t be.
[H]ow To: Be More Trusted Than AI
People are starting to take ChatGPT as fact.
The number of times I’ve watched someone ask ChatGPT a question and immediately accept the answer as truth is mind blowing. And your clients are doing it every day. 🤯
So, how do you show clients that what you’re telling them is more trustworthy than what an AI bot is saying? It starts with knowing your market better than anyone else. AI doesn’t know about the new subdivision that’s about to break ground, the neighborhood that’s becoming more desirable, or the local lender who just rolled out a new loan program. It can only work with the information it has, and sometimes that information is outdated, incomplete, or simply incorrect.
Your clients need more than information, they need insight. Stay on top of inventory, pricing trends, financing updates, local regulations, school districts, and community developments. 🏘️ The more current your knowledge is, the more confidence your clients will have in your advice. Don’t be afraid to explain why you’re recommending something instead of just giving an answer. That context is what builds trust.
Don’t make them feel bad for using ChatGPT to figure out the value of their home instead explain the reasons why ChatGPT’s answer won’t be accurate and why AI’s answer differs from yours. Instead of saying, “Don’t listen to AI. I think you should list at $425,000,” explain why. Walk clients through the comparable sales, current competition, buyer demand, and any improvements that add value. People trust professionals who can explain the “why.”
AI is a great tool, and it can absolutely help you work more efficiently. But it should never replace your expertise or your judgment. At the end of the day, clients aren’t hiring you because you can answer questions. They’re hiring you because they trust your experience, your local knowledge, and your ability to guide them through one of the biggest financial decisions they’ll ever make. Make sure they know the difference. 🧠
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-Ty Morton + Abby G