Some Florida homebuyers are using AI to get homes without agents, saving thousands

Homebuyers in Florida have quietly begun closing on homes without using an agent — relying instead on artificial intelligence to search listings, generate offers and draft contracts.Tech startup Homa says at least 10 homes have already closed end-to-end using its AI-powered system, with several more deals currently in escrow — a shift that could challenge a commission-driven industry already rattled by a recent landmark National Association of Realtors settlement.Homa’s platform allows buyers to self-represent, cutting out the buyer’s agent commission — typically around 2.5% to 3% — and either pocket the savings or apply them toward closing costs.Those savings can be substantial.DJ, a 32-year-old pharmacist, said he bought a $420,000 home in the Tampa Bay area using Homa and saved $10,500 on a buyer’s agent commission.“Once I heard about this, I was like, let me just go down this route,” DJ, who didn’t want his last name published, told The Post.“They pretty much walk you through the whole [thing] step by step, and you can end up saving at least 2.5% on your final purchase price.”Vicki Lynn, a physical therapist assistant who relocated from California to Vero Beach, said she purchased a $313,000 home and saved about $8,000, which she applied directly toward closing costs.“I just dove right in,” she said.“The contract system was similar to TurboTax — filling in the blanks.

Very straightforward.”Homa was co-founded by Arman Javaherian, a former senior product director at Zillow.He told The Post that he got the idea for an AI-powered web site that would cut out the middleman after years of watching buyers do most of the work — only to see agents collect five-figure commissions at the finish line.“At Zillow, I saw firsthand a lot of inefficiencies in the process,” Javaherian said.“Homebuyers are going on search sites, finding the homes themselves, doing all this legwork — and then these agents come in and make $10,000, $20,00...