How a Top Realtor and Business Owner Uses ChatGPT in Real Estate: Interview with Missy Plunkett

As someone deeply involved in the real estate industry, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting many successful professionals, but Missy Plunkett stands out. Not only is she a top Realtor in South Carolina and Tennessee, but she also owns multiple flourishing businesses, and still finds time for balance in her life. During our conversation, I was blown away by Missy's advanced use of ChatGPT in her real estate practice. Her innovative approach and practical applications of AI were so impressive that we extended our interview into a two-part series which is fully below. Scroll halfway down if you’ve already read Part 1.

Interviewer: Hi Missy, thank you for joining us today. As a successful Realtor and lifestyle consultant in South Carolina and Tennessee, how has ChatGPT integrated into your daily real estate operations?

Missy Plunkett: Thank you for having me! ChatGPT has become an invaluable tool in my business. It's like having an extra assistant who's available 24/7. I use it for a variety of tasks, and it's been a real game-changer that saves me so much time at work and in my personal life.

Interviewer: Could you give us some examples of how you use ChatGPT in your daily tasks?

Missy Plunkett: Absolutely. One of the primary ways I use ChatGPT is for generating and refining listing descriptions. Before ChatGPT, writing a compelling property description could take hours, but now I can generate a high-quality draft in about 20 minutes. This efficiency allows me to focus on other important aspects of my job, like client meetings and property showings. Overall, this saves me about 4 hours a week, which adds up to 16 hours a month!

A completely different example that comes to mind is when working with buyers that have specific criteria in mind, say, school zoning, a swimming pool, or other characteristics. I’m able to input these into ChatGPT and get not only facts that would otherwise take me much longer to assemble, but also a creative sounding board for alternatives and ideas that I hadn't considered. ChatGPT brings ideas to the table.

Interviewer: That sounds incredibly efficient and I’ve had a similar experience with the ingenuity that ChatGPT brings. Are there other areas where ChatGPT has proven to be beneficial?

Missy Plunkett: Definitely. Another area is client communications. I use ChatGPT to draft emails and messages, ensuring they are personalized and professional. Whether it's a follow-up email after a property viewing or a newsletter to my client list, ChatGPT helps me maintain a high level of engagement without spending hours on writing. On average, I save about 4 hours a week on email communications alone, allowing me to handle more clients effectively. I feel that the communications are an even better representation of me, ironically, compared to when I draft them unaided. They come across in my voice and in a professional manner that sometimes I struggle with when writing unaided.

Interviewer: Personalization is key in real estate. How does ChatGPT assist you with that?

Missy Plunkett: Indeed, personalization is crucial. ChatGPT can help tailor emails by incorporating details about past interactions or specific client preferences. For example, if a client mentioned they love modern kitchens, ChatGPT can help me draft a message highlighting properties with those features. I can load a set of past communications with that client, and since ChatGPT doesn’t forget, I get recommendations on a personalized approach that has increased my client response rate by almost 30%. ChatGPT is picking up on things that I’ve since forgotten. The memory function is game-changing.

Interviewer: Efficiency and personalization definitely are vital. How has ChatGPT helped you save time in other aspects of your business so you can focus on higher-value activities?

Missy Plunkett: Beyond writing, I use ChatGPT for market research and data analysis. It can quickly pull together market trends, analyze property values, and even forecast future market conditions based on historical data. This allows me to provide informed advice to my clients and stay ahead in the competitive market. For instance, generating a detailed market report used to take me a full day, but with ChatGPT, it's done in just a couple of hours and the quality is better.

I can upload vast amounts of data and have ChatGPT analyze neighborhoods, properties that have sold, geofarming, input stats on recent sales. Then query scenarios around that, identify all the addresses that meet a certain criteria, plus there’s the ability to analyze the current market to identify the best lead generation. Ultimately this saves me so much time. Decreased effort equals more time to sell, equals more sales.

Interviewer: Wow, you’re heavily utilizing the memory functions of ChatGPT. Tell me more about how you use ChatGPT to amplify your creativity.

Missy Plunkett: The best streamlined example I can give is when I want to profile, say, a neighborhood or create a brochure. I feed requisite data into ChatGPT and iterate until we have the description of the desired output. Then I take that to a tool like Canva and input it into Canva’s Magic Design, and moments later I’ve got a high-quality output to work with. It’s usually higher quality than I could achieve on my own, and in about a third of the time.

Interviewer: Can you share a specific instance where ChatGPT's capabilities made a significant difference in your work?

Missy: Certainly. Recently, I had a client who needed a detailed market analysis for a neighborhood they were interested in. Normally, I may not be able to return with that info for the client for a couple of days, but with ChatGPT, I was able to gather and present comprehensive data within a few hours. The client was impressed with the speed and depth of information, which helped them make an informed decision quickly and further strengthened our relationship.

Also, ChatGPT has been invaluable for contract reviews, especially during negotiations. It can analyze contracts in near real-time, allowing me to verify and address potential issues immediately rather than waiting days for a lawyer. This has been crucial in navigating and resolving sticky situations swiftly and professionally. I can be on the phone with multiple parties and instead of taking homework and continuing the conversation possibly multiple additional times, I can nearly instantly check the discussion vs. the contracts.

Interviewer: That's impressive. Are there any other features or uses of ChatGPT that you find indispensable now?

Missy: Another indispensable feature is its ability to assist with social media content. Maintaining a consistent online presence is essential, and ChatGPT helps me generate engaging posts and articles that keep my audience informed and engaged. Whether it's a blog post about home staging tips or a social media update on market trends, ChatGPT ensures that I always have fresh, relevant content. This has boosted my social media engagement by 25% while simultaneously lowering the effort required.

And because of the memory features ChatGPT knows what I like. That there are certain times of day I try to block out for certain activities, that I have specific approaches… I can literally ask ChatGPT when the optimal timing or schedule is for nearly anything in my work day and it seems to even better than I do!

Interviewer: It sounds like ChatGPT has become an integral part of your business. How do you see its role evolving in the future?

Missy: I see it continuing to evolve and becoming even more integrated into all aspects of my business. As AI technology advances, I anticipate even more sophisticated tools for client interaction, predictive analytics, and personalized marketing. ChatGPT has already set a high standard, and I'm excited to see how it will continue to transform the real estate industry. Tools like Zapier will further streamline these integrations, increasing autonomy and efficiency in my workflow..

Agents are the next big thing. The ability to take Generative AI a step further - not only creating, planning, writing, but in executing the next set of tasks, autonomously.

Interviewer: You've mentioned saving significant amounts of time with ChatGPT. Can you quantify those savings and tell us more about the automations that make it possible?

Missy: Absolutely. On average, ChatGPT helps me save around 40 hours a month; roughly equivalent to reclaiming an entire workweek each month. Sure, it took some time and effort to learn how to employ it to that end. But show me another tool that can provide a week back to you each month. There basically aren’t any. ChatGPT is clearly what Realtors ought to be investing in if they want to get ahead. Or soon they’ll be playing catchup.

Interviewer: That's remarkable, truly. What about the quality of your work? How has ChatGPT impacted that?

Missy: The quality has definitely improved. With ChatGPT handling the repetitive tasks, I can dedicate more time to high-value activities, like strategizing for client acquisitions or negotiating deals. It also ensures consistency in my communications and reports, reducing the chances of errors. Clients have noticed the enhanced professionalism and detailed insights in my reports, which has boosted their confidence in my services. This, in turn, promotes more referrals and more business.

Interviewer: We’ll end by asking if there are any more things that have come to mind that you can't live without now that ChatGPT is part of your daily operations?

Missy: Two features I can't live without are the automated email personalization and market analysis reports. The email personalization has significantly increased my client engagement, and the market analysis reports provide comprehensive and timely insights that are crucial for my clients' decision-making processes. These tools have become so integral to my workflow that I can't imagine going back to my old methods. It would feel like trying to navigate a bustling city without a smartphone, GPS, or even a map.

Interviewer: Thank you, Missy, for sharing your insights on how ChatGPT enhances your real estate operations. I was surprised at how integrated it is into your business. It's clear that AI is making a significant impact on the industry. And it’s crucial, unless you’re retiring in the next couple years, for Realtors to adopt it now.

Missy: Thank you for having me. It's been a pleasure to share how AI, particularly ChatGPT, has become a vital tool in my business in the last year. I'm excited about the future possibilities it holds.

Missy’s innovative use of ChatGPT has undoubtedly set her apart in the real estate industry, and her insights are invaluable for anyone looking to leverage AI in their business. Her approach to integrating AI into daily operations not only enhances efficiency but also adds a layer of personalization that is crucial in real estate.

By adopting ChatGPT, Missy has managed to save a significant amount of time, allowing her to focus on higher-value activities and ultimately drive more sales. This interview is a testament to the transformative power of AI in modern business practices, making it clear that embracing such technology is essential for staying competitive in today’s market.

If you're in real estate or any other industry and haven't yet explored the benefits of AI, Missy's experience makes a compelling case for why now is the time to start. Don't wait to catch up; get ahead with AI. Tools like ChatGPT can save you loads of time that you can then spend on the human element, where Realtors truly excel.