A New York Times technology reporter recently sold his home using an AI chatbot instead of an agent. No commission, no negotiation calls, headlines everywhere. It's a real story, and it's worth asking what a chatbot actually can and can't do at the negotiating table.
Here's a file from last year that answers it.
What happens when a seller says there's no problem, in writing?
We represented buyers on a home where the seller stated, in writing, that there was no oil tank on the property. We didn't take that at face value.
We wrote a clause into the Contract of Purchase and Sale requiring an inspection, and requiring the seller to remove any tank that was found.
The seller pushed back. We rewrote the language, held our position, and didn't back down on the protection our buyers needed. The clause stayed in, along with a second requirement we negotiated: if the tank came out, the seller had to restore the landscaping to its original condition.
A chatbot can draft a clause. It cannot read a seller's resistance and decide exactly where to hold the line.
What did the inspection actually find?
The inspection found a tank.
The seller removed it, remediated the site, and re-landscaped the property, all before our buyers ever set foot in their new home. Without that clause, they would have been the ones facing a multi-thousand-dollar bill the moment they moved in.
What That Clause Saved
Oil tank removal alone typically runs $2,000 to $3,000. But if soil testing finds contamination, remediation costs can climb fast, often $5,000 to $25,000, and in some BC cases, far more, depending on how far the contamination has spread, according to West Coast Tank Recovery. In this case, remediation came in around $7,000, a real cost that would have landed entirely on our buyers if the clause hadn't been in the contract. Without it, the full liability would have transferred with the title the moment the deal closed.
What happens when closing day goes sideways?
Then, on closing day, a new problem. The lawyer called: everything was ready except the funds. Financing took longer than expected to clear, and closing had to move back a couple of days.
The seller absorbed extra costs because of it.
Our buyers never paid a cent of it.
A chatbot can draft a clause. It cannot read a seller's resistance and decide exactly where to hold the line, and it cannot call in a favor from a lawyer or a contractor who trusts you because of years of relationship, not a prompt. No AI model can replace a relationship built over years in this community.
Key Moments
What happened, in four parts.
We represented buyers on a home where the seller stated, in writing, that there was no oil tank on the property. We didn't take that at face value.
We wrote a clause into the contract requiring inspection and seller removal of any tank. The seller pushed back. We rewrote the language, held our position, and the clause stayed in.
The inspection found a tank. The seller removed it, remediated the site, and re-landscaped the property before our buyers ever set foot in their new home.
On closing day, financing took longer than expected. The seller absorbed extra costs. Our buyers never paid a cent of it.
When it's a hidden oil tank, a cross-border move during a pandemic, or any situation where the stakes are high and the details matter, having someone in your corner who actually knows what to look for makes all the difference.
Elaine B moved from the USA to Canada during Covid in 2021 and needed agents they could trust remotely. As they put it:
"They supported us remotely, all the way up until we moved from the USA to Canada. Without them, we would never have been able to buy our beautiful home on Vancouver Island. They are incredibly trustworthy, have great knowledge of the area, the market AND what people need in their lives."
Elaine B, Happy Homes Team Client
Thinking about buying or selling in Victoria?
Work with a team that protects you long after the offer is accepted.
Talk to Us
About the Author
Anna Hakim & Perry Fanthorpe, Happy Homes Team
AI Certified Agents at eXp Realty in Victoria, BC. Anna builds emotional roots through community and belonging. Perry builds financial roots through mortgage helpers, ADUs, and property investment strategy. This is Post 2 of a 3-part series on what happens when a deal gets complicated and a team refuses to let it go.
