PropTech trends for 2026: What real estate leaders need to know

As we look ahead from the economic uncertainty of the past year, real estate organisations are asking: What technology trends will define success in 2026?

One thing is abundantly clear: Artificial intelligence (AI) will continue to dominate PropTech. AI isn’t just another tech wave; it’s a fundamental shift that will change how people interact with software and how businesses operate.

What will success look like? Firms that embrace AI and innovation, operate with agility and focus on high impact areas will achieve unmatched operational efficiency, gain strategic insights and differentiate themselves through technology.

1. Meaningful AI vs hype

The industry will discern between superficial “AI-washed” PropTech tools and gravitate toward meaningful solutions with built-in AI. Real estate businesses will prioritise solutions that deliver measurable ROI, performance improvements, operational efficiency and actionable insights. Expect a clear divide between tools that truly leverage the power of AI and those that simply market it.

Platforms like MRI Agora demonstrate what meaningful AI looks like – predicting and preventing problems before they occur, automating routine work and personalising user experiences through context-aware workflows. AI-first PropTech solutions will reimagine how business is done, helping real estate firms improve efficiency, control costs and gain valuable insights.

AI is the great multiplier. PropTech platforms with a unified data strategy will enable real estate firms to scale like never before.

-Patrick Ghilani, Chief Executive Officer, MRI Software

2. The new frontier of agentic AI

The coming year will see an increase in agentic AI for real estate. AI agents will serve as digital teammates, working autonomously to execute tasks toward a defined goal. They will free up real estate professionals to focus on strategic decision-making and better client experiences.

Real estate technology leaders should view agentic AI as part of their technology strategy to align innovation with business goals. While AI frameworks are openly available, building and training AI agents to handle complex industry-specific tasks demands significant expertise and resources. Partnering with proven technology providers will be essential to success.

3. Data readiness and governance

AI’s potential depends on the data. Real estate organisations generate massive amounts of data – from lease agreements and occupancy rates to maintenance logs and financial forecasts. But AI is only as powerful as the data it can access.

Legacy systems, disparate data sources and lack of data governance will hinder AI adoption. To get better outcomes, organisations must first clean, structure and unify their data. A strong governance framework ensures accuracy, compliance and security which are critical for scaling AI initiatives.

Understanding the data you have today and defining rules to standardise it is the first step to ensuring that data can be used as part of day-to-day business processes.

4. Unified, end-to-end platforms

The PropTech ecosystem is crowded with point solutions designed to support specific business functions. However, point solutions that don’t integrate into existing systems create data silos and inefficiencies. Introducing disparate systems without a clear data governance plan results in a difficult-to-manage technology portfolio with limited ability to scale. Flexible solutions also simplify acquisitions by making it easier to consolidate systems and streamline the overall tech stack.

In 2026, real estate platforms will be defined by flexibility, scalability and integration. Organisations will expect solutions to feel unified – multiple solutions will become truly integrated workflows, delivering a consistent user experience. Legacy enterprise software that relies on separate user interfaces for each tool will be unified into a single, intelligent prompt, allowing users to interact with the entire platform through one streamlined, AI-powered experience.

A robust PropTech platform with data lakes and warehouses enables real estate firms to achieve AI readiness, reduce complexity and unlock enterprise-wide insights.

5. Risk mitigation

Data governance and privacy must be foundational – not an afterthought. Any AI technology used by businesses should have these as key strategic pillars.

To achieve optimal ROI and mitigate risk, real estate firms should partner with PropTech providers that hold themselves accountable for the AI products they deliver. All AI solutions should be built with proper inputs and controls in place to ensure they are safe and reliable. Robust encryption and access control mechanisms must be established, ensuring that personal and financial information is protected against unauthorised access.

Security is embedded into each layer of the MRI Agora platform. MRI’s Responsible AI Framework ensures that every algorithm deployed is transparent, ethical and secure.

Accuracy is also a risk factor for AI-powered solutions. Because AI systems generate confident, definitive answers based on the data they process, any errors or inconsistencies in foundational data can generate misleading or incorrect outcomes. Organisations must ensure that their data is not only secure but also meticulously accurate and well-governed. Trust in AI-driven insights depends on the reliability of the underlying information – making robust data validation and governance essential for risk mitigation and informed decision-making.

6. Talent management

The new reality of AI will redefine workforce dynamics. As AI becomes central to operations, employees must learn how to work alongside AI tools and develop soft skills that AI can’t replicate.

Real estate businesses will need talent that understands both AI technology and interpersonal relationships which can be achieved by:

• Upskilling employees to work alongside AI tools, manage prompts and understand system capabilities.
• Doubling down on human skills – critical thinking, relationship-building and creativity that AI cannot replicate.

Forward-thinking businesses will provide training and professional development opportunities for staff to ensure that both native AI users and those who are new to the technology can work together on the same playing field.

AI will dominate PropTech

The pace of AI adoption will continue to accelerate. According to a recent JLL report, the number of CRE companies running AI pilots has jumped from 5% to 92% in just three years.

Success in 2026 isn’t about chasing trends – it’s about bridging the gap between AI hype and results. Real estate organisations will hone their infrastructure, workflow and data to execute purposeful AI initiatives that set them up for future success. When AI is truly embedded into the way we work, it will redefine what’s possible for the future of real estate.