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REAL AI: Should agents use vibe coding, AI stats and facts, headlines, and AI quote of the week
By Kevin Hawkins with Korey Hawkins | Jan. 12, 2025 – Vol. 4 Issue 2
REAL AI is the industry’s first and most popular weekly newsletter that helps real estate pros keep up with the most relevant developments in AI to save time, stay informed, and use technology that actually helps their business today. Buy our best-selling book – The REAL AI Guide – on Amazon here.
Should agents use vibe coding?
Has someone told you about vibe coding?
Vibe coding is the idea that you can create your own software without knowing how to code. You simply describe what you want, and the AI generates the code for you. A popular example is the AI vibe-coding platform Lovable, which is being recommended to agents as a way to build custom tools, like an open house registration app, without writing a single line of code.
On the surface, it sounds amazing. Build your own app in minutes. No developer. No cost. No friction. How cool is that, right?
Unfortunately, for a real estate agent whose business is built entirely on trust, using the free version of a vibe-coding tool like Lovable can be incredibly dangerous. AI speed always should be balanced with security discipline.
In early 2025, researchers uncovered a critical vulnerability tied to how Lovable handles row-level security, earning a CVSS severity score of 9.3 out of 10 – a red flag. Independent testing also showed that some Lovable-built apps could be breached in under an hour, exposing user data, admin access, and even embedded API keys. Add to that, a 1.8/10 score on phishing and scam-resistance tests, and it’s clear this is not a platform for handling personal client information.
Hidden risk
Lovable is great for experimentation and rapid prototyping. But it’s another case where AI expediency and lower cost eclipse safety: It is not worth the business risk. Not because the technology is evil, but because the risks are invisible. The moment an agent uses a tool like this with real client data, they’re no longer “just using software.” They’re deploying unvetted software inside a regulated business, risking not only their own livelihood, but their broker’s business as well.
When an AI tool has no published enterprise security certifications, no clear explanation of how user data or prompts are stored or reused, and no obvious human support channel if something goes wrong, it should not be in an agent’s AI tool chest.
Build relationships, not software
The reality missed by people recommending vibe-coding to real estate agents? Most real estate agents aren’t looking to become software developers. Many love AI, but they also want an AI easy button that’s safe, secure, and approved. Agents are in the people business, not the software creation business.
When you use vibe-coding to create a custom tool, no one has vetted your code. Should your broker or MLS be vetting your code? Is the data stored securely? Does it comply with real estate rules like Fair Housing and disclosure requirements? Could it be impacted by new AI laws today – and will it tomorrow?
Just because something is free and easy to do with AI doesn’t mean you should do it. That distinction matters more in real estate than in almost any other profession. (-Kevin)
Will the new AI-powered Gmail nix Fyxer?
One of the most popular AI programs that saves agents time is Fyxer. At $30-$50 a month, it automatically organizes your inbox into folders like “To Respond,” “Awaiting Reply,” and “Action Items,” separating important client emails from newsletters and noise. It leverages Gen AI to automatically draft replies in your personal tone, which you can then review and send. It can even handle calendar scheduling.
However, Tom’s Guide just ran this feature: “Gmail’s biggest update in 20 years: 5 AI features that could change email forever.” Turns out Gmail will be rolling out its own AI upgrades. They do many of the same things that has made Fyxer so popular with agents: inbox triage, suggested to-dos, natural language search, and drafting emails in your personal voice.
The big difference: The new Gmail will offer native features that require no extensions, no extra permissions, and no additional monthly fee beyond tools many agents already pay for. This is classic Sherlocking, and experience shows “good enough” usually wins. (-Kevin)
AI Facts and Stats
1. 91% of consumers surveyed said they use the free versions of popular generative AI platforms – Menlo Ventures
2. 65% of generative AI users say they interact with the technology primarily through standalone mobile apps – Deloitte
3. 81% of workers surveyed admitted to using unapproved AI tools at work in some capacity – UpGuard
4. 20% of respondents surveyed said their organizations are measuring Generative AI’s ROI – Thomson Reuters
5. 59% of Gen Zers surveyed stated that they read and use AI Search Summaries – Statista
Source: Digital Silk (-Korey)
AI Headlines
2026 marketing predictions: 10 industry leaders on what matters this year | Jan 2026 Google
10 industry leaders discuss how 2026 will be the year of AI integration.
How artificial intelligence became real estate’s new secret weapon | 1/5/2026 Phy.org
One agent leverages AI to help build $100 million business.
AI in Real Estate: What 2025 Delivered and Why 2026 Will Be About Building the Infrastructure for Agentic AI | 1/8/2026 WAV Group
The opportunity for using AI to dramatically improve our industry this year is enormous.
AI in real estate: What agents need to know now in 2026 | 1/7/2026 Realtor.com
AI should be paired with human judgment, local knowledge, and a client-first mindset.
Bestselling “The REAL AI Guide” is now featured in the Realtor Store | 1/8/2026 BizTimes
Popular AI book for real estate pros is now featured in the NAR Bookstore.
Could AI price you out of your own home? | 1/2/2026 MSN
The speed of AI insight can help flip a neighborhood from affordable to out of reach. (-Korey)
AI Quote of the Week
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