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From the First Call to the Last Opinion: Vija Williams on the Post-AI Real Estate Agent
Real estate agents are no longer the first call. According to Vija Williams, consumers now arrive armed with data from Zillow, ChatGPT, Claude and cash offer platforms before they ever talk to an agent. The agent's new job is to be the last opinion: the trusted advisor who helps a client choose the right exit strategy from six or seven options, not just "list it or don't." Vija Williams has seen this industry from every seat. Solo agent. Team leader. Franchise operator. Corporate executive. Second-generation Realtor whose dad started his company in the late '70s. Today she's Chief Growth Officer at Realty.com, and she's building a team from scratch again.
On this episode of X-Factor Marketing, we talked about why this moment is unprecedented, what a "post-AI agent" looks like, how to build a team that actually works, and why it doesn't have to be hard.
Key takeaways
Agents have moved "from the first call to the last opinion." Consumers do their research first and come to agents for discernment.
A post-AI agent needs six to seven exit options for every seller, from iBuyer cash offers to assumable mortgages.
Great team leaders dominate at least one primary lead source and own the full conversion system around it.
Most agents shouldn't lead a team. A solo agent with strong admin support often earns more.
Cash offer seller leads became Via's single best seller lead source, even in a high-priced coastal market.
Multiple income streams, including revenue share, create a financial baseline while you build.
Bet on yourself at any age. And it doesn't have to be hard.
Why does Vija call this an unprecedented time in real estate?
Because the consumer has never had this much information. For decades, agents were the gatekeepers. A seller called one or two agents, sat at the dining table, and saw price per square foot for the first time.
That model is gone. Today's sellers check Zillow, ask ChatGPT or Claude, and request cash offers before they reach out to anyone. At Realty.com alone, Via's team sees 150,000 cash offer requests every month.
Her summary: we went from the first call to the last opinion.
Do consumers still need real estate agents?
More than ever, just for a different reason. Via doesn't think there's too much information. She thinks consumers need help with discernment.
Financing is more complicated. Buyers own multiple properties. The right answer isn't always obvious. The agent who can sort signal from noise earns the relationship.
What is a "post-AI" real estate agent?
A post-AI agent is a problem solver with multiple tools on their belt. Early in our careers, most of us were one-trick ponies: list the home or don't. Walk in with a presentation, show a price, walk out with a listing.
Via says today's agent needs six to seven exit options for every client:
Traditional fix-and-flip
As-is investor sale
Concierge service, with renovations paid at closing
iBuyer or cash offer
Local investor or builder purchase
Lease-purchase option
Assumable mortgage
Sometimes the best advice isn't selling at all. It's looking at the client's whole portfolio and saying: keep this one, sell that one. That's advisory work. And it's creating a natural barrier to entry built on skill and experience.
What does it take to be a great real estate team leader today?
You must dominate at least one primary lead source and own the complete conversion code around it. That means training, accountability, marketing, and systems.
Vija draws a clear line between two things:
A prospecting source runs on direct outreach, like working FSBOs with scripts, printed material, and daily routines. It works, but it's hard to recruit and retain around because most team leaders can't systematize it.
A primary lead source, like a Zillow Flex team or a cash offer seller platform, paired with a tight conversion system delivers predictable volume.
Her rule: have an overabundance of leads before you start a team. Too many people start teams for the wrong reasons, without the business to support the people they hire.
Is it too late to start over in real estate?
No. Last year, Vija made a major personal decision and started over with zero assets in her 50s. She says she has never bet on herself more, and has never been happier.
She also shared a mindset shift worth sitting with: it doesn't have to be hard. She used to believe everything worth having sat on the other side of grind and struggle. Now she asks, what if it can be easy? Not skipping the work. Being aligned enough that the work flows.
Via Vija's rapid-fire picks
Category | Via's pick |
Podcasts | Diary of a CEO and How I Built This |
Must-read book | The Big Leap by Gay Hendricks |
Go-to AI tool | Claude |
Daily grounding ritual | Meditation with Dr. Joe Dispenza |
Her X-Factor | Contagious, enthusiastic energy |
Listen to the full episode
This one is packed.
Listen to the full conversation with Via Vija on X-Factor Marketing Podcast
Connect with Via on Instagram at @viavija or at https://vija.com/
Let's grow,
Wendy