Discover how real estate professionals can use AI tools like Perplexity.ai to interpret automated valuation models (AVMs) more accurately and communicate property value more effectively with clients.
Hey everyone — Rick Fuller here with Icenhower Coaching and Training. Let’s talk about AVMs, or automated valuation models — and how you can use AI tools to not only understand them but speak more intelligently from them.
VIDEO: AVMs & AI: What Real Estate Agents Must Know About Home Valuations
AVMs Are Everywhere — And They’re Not New
Zillow released the Zestimate way back in 2006. Since then, nearly every major real estate platform — from Realtor.com to Redfin to Movoto — has introduced its own AVM. And you should, too. If you’re not offering a branded home valuation tool, you’re missing a huge opportunity to stay relevant and keep leads in your own ecosystem.
But here’s the problem: AVMs aren’t always accurate. You and I both know that.
I recently spoke with one of our agents who went on a listing appointment only to find the homeowner had built a spreadsheet of every AVM they could find — then averaged them together to estimate their home’s worth. But they got it wrong — by a lot.
Why? Because AVMs don’t know what we know.
They don’t recognize which side of the tracks the home is on
They can’t see upgrades, views, or additions
They don’t understand the why behind market dynamics
That’s where you, the real estate professional, come in.
Don’t Just Compete With AVMs — Use Them to Your Advantage
You shouldn’t walk into a listing appointment blind to what AVMs are saying. You should walk in armed with:
What Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, and Movoto show
Where they might be missing the mark
How your professional experience gives you an edge
You don’t speak to the AVM — you speak from it.
“This is what your Zestimate says. But here’s what that AVM doesn’t know: your home backs up to a greenbelt, has fully paid solar, and was recently remodeled — that changes everything.”
How AI Supplements AVMs with Real-Time Insight
The best way to strengthen your ability to interpret AVMs? Use AI tools that can gather real-time market data.
I’m not talking about ChatGPT here — I’m talking about Perplexity.ai.
Perplexity thinks like an engineer. It’s highly analytical. It can:
Pull local sales data
Summarize trends in inventory, days on market, and list-to-sale ratios
Break it down into clear, client-facing language
While ChatGPT is conversational and general, Perplexity is specific and data-driven. It gives you the market intelligence that AVMs miss.
If you’re not offering a branded home valuation tool, you’re missing a huge opportunity to stay relevant and keep leads in your own ecosystem.
Rick Fuller
The Winning Combo: AVMs + Perplexity + You
When you combine:
The consumer’s reliance on AVMs
Your own local expertise
And Perplexity’s live, research-backed insight
…you’re equipped to deliver the most credible, balanced, and persuasive pricing strategy to your sellers.
✅ We even created a full module inside the Agent AI Advantage course to walk you through how to use Perplexity.ai — plus a free downloadable prompt guide so you don’t have to figure it out on your own.
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