Seeing the Possibilities: How AI is Changing the Homebuying Experience

You’re standing in a living room and looking at a fireplace. There’s red brick, family photos on the mantle, and beige walls behind it. It’s not quite your style, and it’s hard to imagine where you fit between these personal touches. But what if, in a matter of seconds, you could see that same room with a different wall color, updated finishes, and your own design aesthetic? 

A recent Berg Larsen Group client did exactly that using artificial intelligence. 

         The Listed Property                         The AI Exploration                             The Finished Result

“I stood there and watched a prospective homebuyer’s mindset shift from ‘I don’t know if this is for me,’ to, ‘Oh wow, I can see the possibilities’,” says Chad Larsen. 

Homebuyers have always tried to envision what a property could become. Not long ago, that might have meant collecting inspiration on a Pinterest board, flipping through design magazines, or comparing before-and-after photos. Today, AI offers another tool for bringing those ideas to life in a matter of seconds. 

Bringing Possibilities to Life

For this particular buyer, AI became a creative tool for exploring how a home could reflect her personal style. She could quickly visualize different wall colors, furniture arrangements, and design choices that were more her own.

“Artificial intelligence is changing the way people search for homes, prepare properties for the market, and explore what’s possible,” explains Barry Berg. 

“It’s not just the home buyers and sellers that are utilizing these tools,” adds Chad. “Our industry partners are exploring them as well.”

Berg Larsen Group has worked with professional photographers for years to showcase properties through both photography and video. Today these firms are also incorporating AI-powered virtual staging and other visualization tools into their work.

“If you’ve looked through listings on our website, you’ve likely seen virtual staging without even realizing it,” says Chad. “It’s an incredible tool for helping people look beyond what’s currently in a room and get a better sense of its potential.”

For buyers, that might mean imagining a traditional room with more contemporary furnishings. For sellers, it can help showcase an otherwise unfurnished or vacant home as being full of life for the online MLS presentation. It helps to captivate buyers at the most critical time, when they are first viewing the property online. Now, the technology has improved so much that images can remove an owner’s existing furnishings that might have a more specific appeal than what the current buyers are seeking. In its place, AI can insert furnishings that can demonstrate how a space might work for the next owner. 

For many buyers it is a challenge to imagine the possibilities in a home, let alone the whole house. Berg Larsen Group has also been leaning into AI to offer inspiration for vacant land listings. Builders have been offering sketched renderings for years. Now AI, with some guidance and data points, can generate imagery of homes of varying styles. This helps buyers to fuel their imagination and see the potential of an otherwise vacant lot or ‘tear-down’ property. 

Experience Matters

Just as technology continues to evolve, AI will undoubtedly continue to play a role in real estate and other industries.

“Chad and I think of it as one more resource that helps our clients see the possibilities and make informed decisions,” says Barry. 

But like every resource, AI tools have their limitations. They will never replace thoughtful guidance, trusted relationships, and decades of real estate experience. Those are the insights that match people with the homes that are right for them, season after season.