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How has commercial real estate brokerage transformed in the last decade?

September 11, 2026 The Crexi Commercial Real Estate Podcast · Gordon Lamphere

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Digitalization and AI have drastically accelerated transaction speed—clients now expect brokers to deliver curated lists of five properties within days, something considered impossible a decade ago. AI has removed routine administrative work from brokerage, letting professionals focus on high-value activities like genuine market analysis, deal evaluation, and identifying arbitrage opportunities instead of endless data entry.

The shift represents a fundamental change in how value is created in commercial real estate. A decade ago, brokers spent their days cold-calling prospects and compiling property lists by hand. Today, as Gordon Lamphere explains in the episode, technology handles the data gathering and initial filtering, leaving brokers free to do what humans do best: understand market nuance and negotiate deals.

This transition has been profound for those who entered the industry in the pre-digital era. Early-career brokers often worked 70 to 80 hours per week with no income, making endless cold calls and manually building prospect databases. The barrier to meaningful productivity was extraordinarily high. Today, a broker with access to the right tools can evaluate a prospect's creditworthiness and business viability in 15 to 20 minutes, a process that once consumed weeks.

Yet the tools themselves require oversight. As discussed in the podcast, artificial intelligence is programmed to keep users invested in its output, not always to seek objective truth. Brokers must maintain a critical eye: AI is a powerful resource, but it cannot replace the judgment that comes from years of market experience and relationship-building.

"AI is programmed ultimately to keep you invested and not really seek the truth. So it's our job as brokers to understand that AI is a great tool and a great resource, but it's not God."

The speed gain also reveals another hidden benefit: brokers can now take on more nuanced advisory roles. Instead of spending time on administrative busywork, they evaluate whether a deal makes economic sense, whether the terms protect their clients' interests, and whether the property aligns with long-term strategy. The podcast explores how this shift has changed the skill set brokers need—less data compilation, more strategic thinking.

For anyone entering the industry today, the landscape is almost unrecognizable compared to the 70- to 80-hour cold-calling grind of the past. But that same technological ease raises the bar in other ways: clients expect faster turnarounds, more thorough market analysis, and deeper strategic insight. The work has evolved, not disappeared. Listen to the full conversation to hear how Lamphere navigates this changing landscape and what it means for the next generation of brokers.

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