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Key Takeaways Proptech promises reinvention, but it often perpetuates outdated real estate systems with sleeker digital interfaces rather than true structural change.
True industry disruption requires giving consumers control over data, pricing and processes, similar to transformative trends seen in fintech.
Future proptech breakthroughs will focus on trust and transparency, enabling homeowners to make informed decisions based on verified information.
For an industry obsessed with innovation, real estate has a strange relationship with progress. Every few months, there’s a new platform, new startup, new “revolution” promising to reinvent how homes are bought and sold. Yet, the experience for most people still feels the same: complicated, expensive and confusing.
The industry looks different on the surface. There are apps, dashboards and endless digital tools. You can get mortgage quotes online, take 3D tours and sign documents from your phone. But the structure underneath, the way power, data and fees move, hasn’t changed much at all.
That’s the proptech paradox. We’ve digitized everything except the part that actually needs disruption.
Tech adoption without real transformation
Proptech has grown into a $30-billion-plus industry. Venture money poured in chasing efficiency, automation and convenience. But what most of that money built was layers on top of the same system, prettier interfaces for an outdated process.
In many ways, we’ve created digital middlemen that look sleeker but act the same. Listing portals still sell leads to agents. Transaction platforms still depend on old commission models. Even “instant offer” programs ended up rebuilding the same pricing opacity they claimed to fix, just behind algorithmic curtains.
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