AI can answer almost any real estate question in seconds. So will it replace your agent? No. But agents who use it well will replace agents who don’t. The real value now belongs to the advisor who can interpret all that information for your family and your goals.
That idea shaped my latest conversation on The Falls Home Front with Smokey Garrett of The GO Network. Smokey has spent 30 years in real estate and 20 years leading Keller Williams offices across Texas, New Mexico, and Tennessee.
Curious about this episode? Here’s a short preview of our conversation:
The 30-Year Journey That Taught Smokey to Build for What Comes Next
Smokey started selling homes right out of college in 1995. He grew a team of 13 or 14 people. Then, in 2006, he stepped away from production and moved into leadership in Southlake.
His timing was tough. Two years later, the 2008 market shift hit. Smokey says that market is where he cut his teeth. He moved into operating and regional director roles and learned how to duplicate proven systems. By 2015, he was serving 14 offices and more than 4,000 agents across North Texas, New Mexico, and Memphis. It was one of the largest singly owned operations in the company.
Then 2020 changed everything. Homes sold sight unseen. People spread out across the country. A new kind of consumer showed up, and a new kind of agent had to meet them. That shift shaped the agent-first real estate network Smokey helped build. The core stayed local. The tools behind it got bigger.
I met Smokey in 2013, right after I retired from the Air Force. I chose real estate because the model let every agent build a business as big or small as they wanted. That same sense of mission is why I stepped up as a founding military ambassador in Texas. For anyone working in Wichita Falls real estate, Smokey’s path carries a clear lesson. Protect what makes you local, and upgrade everything around it.
Watch the full conversation here:
Your Clients Now Live in a Much Bigger Bubble
Real estate used to be hyperlocal. You had a local butcher, a local banker, and a local REALTOR®. Only what happened in town moved the market.
That world is gone. Smokey pointed out that everyone’s bubble is now as big as their internet access. Buyers arrive with national headlines, social media opinions, and AI summaries already in their heads. Packages show up in hours. Expectations move just as fast.
The result surprises people. The North Texas real estate market feels more confusing to consumers, not less. Information is easier to find and harder to sort.
Yet consumers keep choosing agents. Smokey said people use real estate professionals at the same or higher rate than ever, and the research backs him up. NAR’s latest profile of home buyers and sellers found that 88 percent of recent buyers purchased through an agent or broker.
So the agent’s job now has two halves. One half watches the wider world. The other translates it into what my client in Wichita Falls needs this week. Smokey sees both sides because of his leadership experience across multiple markets and offices. You can’t win with just one.
The Agents AI Will Actually Replace
Everyone has heard the fear. Will AI wipe us out? Smokey laughed at that question, then gave the most practical answer I’ve heard.
“I think right now, you know, artificial intelligence, you know, needs to be attached to everything we do. I think agents are never going to be replaced by AI, but the people who have a relationship with AI and are using AI are gonna replace the agents who are not. Because, you know, AI does some incredible things right now and is able to come alongside of us as the real estate professionals and use that to help them to be more efficient, help them in terms of tasks, help them in truly offering a higher level of service that we have never been able to offer. Allow us to be there in many ways 24/7, allow us to have access to information and knowledge, to make a smarter consumer with all of this.”
He also raised a warning every client should hear. Public chatbots are built to keep you happy. Ask one about the same offer as a buyer, then as a seller, and you’ll get two different answers. Each answer leans toward whoever asked.
That’s why AI in real estate works best as a support system. Smokey put it simply. We aren’t replacing ourselves with AI. We’re using AI to deliver a better product. That thinking runs through his approach to developing modern real estate leaders.
I traded Air Force operations for real estate strategy, and I see AI the way I saw new systems in the military. Learn them early, or someone who did will outperform you.
Why Last Month’s Comps Can Mislead a Wichita Falls Seller
This part of our talk changed how I prepare for listing appointments. Smokey’s agents use Gobi, a closed AI system fed by 3,500 to 4,000 agents adding information minute by minute. It answers questions about contracts, days on market, and what’s shifting inside specific neighborhoods.
Here’s why that matters so much.
“Because the challenge with looking just at, we have a very dynamic real estate market right now that’s changing almost minute by minute. Looking at history, past solds, what’s happening, that’s not necessarily a true representation of what is happening today in the marketplace. And so looking at how many people are out there actually looking in these neighborhoods, how many showings are happening, what kind of offers are coming in, are offers coming in above list price, below list price, what’s the average days on market? And so this is actually today’s data that is going minute by minute. So it makes us be able to give better advice to our people and move quicker.”
Sold comps tell you where the market was. Real-time market data tells you where buyers are right now. Wichita Falls shows how fast that gap can open. A federal housing market profile of the Wichita Falls metro reported that for-sale inventory jumped from a 1.9-month supply to 3.5 months in a single year. A seller pricing off old comps during that stretch would have missed the shift entirely.
I still review my monthly Wichita Falls market reports for historical context. Now I pair them with live showing and offer activity before I recommend a price.
Smokey also described Comply AI, a newer tool that keeps contracts current and cuts down on mistakes. In such a litigious world, that protection matters. He expects it to eventually support negotiation, so agents can argue for price based on evidence, not feelings. It’s one of the technology advantages built for agents in his offices.
More Than One Way to Sell a House in North Texas
Smokey kept coming back to one word. Optionality.
There’s more than one way to sell a home. Sellers can list the traditional way on the MLS. They can buy first and figure out their current home later. Or they can test the market quietly through Private Collections, where only qualified buyers get invited in. Smokey said private listings have become a hot topic nationwide. Some owners simply don’t want everyone knowing their business.
For sellers who value time over top dollar, iFinder stands out among the off-market home selling options he described. Maybe the home needs work. Maybe the timeline is tight. Instead of taking one investor’s instant offer, iFinder shops the property to sometimes hundreds of investors to find the highest off-market price. Smokey said homes sold through it tend to beat national averages for similar products, and sellers access it through an agent.
The takeaway for agents is simple. Lead with the seller’s goals, not your default process. You can see how these alternative seller programs work and follow a behind-the-scenes look at real estate leadership. If you’re weighing your own path, my guides for Wichita Falls home sellers walk through the tradeoffs.
From One Transaction to a Lifelong Home Advisor
Smokey believes the future isn’t about meeting customer needs. It’s about anticipating them. He calls the role a home advisor.
That advisor doesn’t disappear after closing. They help clients decide when to refinance and which inspectors, appraisers, and pool companies to trust. They know which improvements return the most. And the advice comes from data, not guesswork. Smokey described homeowner tools like the Go Home Hub, which show who is looking at your home and what buyers want.
Growth makes that role more urgent. Smokey put the region at roughly 8.4 million people, headed toward 9.1 million within five years. The newest population estimates for the North Central Texas region show growth running even faster, with nearly 9 million residents as of January 2026. Planning for future growth now matters for every North Texas family making a move.
People also pick homes based on lifestyle now, not a short commute. I see that every week with families PCSing to our local Air Force training base. Many arrive on tight timelines, researching from another state. Some later ask whether military families should hold real estate as an investment when new orders come. An advisor who stays with them from one move to the next is exactly the model Smokey described.
Why I’m More Optimistic About Our Industry Than Ever
I asked Smokey whether he feels more excited or more concerned than five years ago. He didn’t hesitate. Six or seven years back, he said, every agent faced a choice. Is this business going away, or am I willing to change with it? He went all in.
“And I also have seen no matter what, and every piece of data has shown this, more information that’s out there, the more value there is for a real estate professional. Because I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but you know, everything that is out there is the best option out there for everybody, and you can read both good and bad about everything. So what is that true advisor in the future? Our job will change. Our job is to change to meet the needs of the consumer and be able to meet the changing world. You have to have an organization that’s going to be able to adapt and change quickly with that. But I am truly more excited about our industry than I ever have before.”
That reframed my thinking. More information doesn’t shrink my role. It raises the bar. Smokey said agents have never had to prove their value more, and that proof has never been more appreciated. So I show clients the data behind every recommendation now. I share those local insights through the Wichita Falls market updates I post regularly. Smokey’s teams do the same work in communities across three states.
My biggest lesson from Smokey Garrett of The GO Network is that the home still holds a family’s future and its memories. The tools will keep changing. The agents who pair real relationships with real data will keep proving why that part never goes away.
Want to hear my entire conversation with Smokey Garrett of The GO Network about how AI, real-time market data, and changing consumer expectations are reshaping real estate across North Texas? Listen to our podcast episode.
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FAQ
Will AI replace real estate agents?
Smokey doesn’t think so. In his view, agents who use AI well will replace agents who ignore it. AI speeds up research and service, but clients still need someone to interpret the information for their situation.
Why can sold comps be outdated when pricing a home in North Texas?
Sold comps reflect closings from weeks or months ago. Live showing activity, current offers, and days on market show what buyers are doing today. That gives sellers a more accurate starting point.
What are the alternatives to listing a home on the MLS?
Sellers can use a private listing shown only to qualified buyers or request investor offers through a tool like iFinder. They can also buy their next home first. The best choice depends on whether speed, privacy, or price matters most.
Who is Tim Lockhart, and what makes him qualified to help?
Tim Lockhart is a Certified Military Relocation Professional (MRP) and retired U.S. Air Force Major. His final assignment was Director of Operations at the 366th Training Squadron at Sheppard AFB. He has helped 300+ families buy and sell around Wichita Falls since 2012, and many of them were PCSing in or out of Sheppard AFB. He relies on VA loans, BAH-aware budgeting, and remote-friendly tools designed for tight PCS timelines. See how Tim helps military families relocate to Wichita Falls
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North Texas keeps growing, and the families moving here expect more from the professionals who serve them. If you’re a real estate leader, lender, builder, investor, or community voice shaping where Wichita Falls goes next, I’d love to hear your story.
Smokey brought the view from across many markets, and I brought the view from the one community I serve every day. Put those together, and you see that the future of real estate gets built where big ideas meet local experience.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational and entertainment purposes only. Tim Lockhart is a licensed REALTOR® in Texas. Insights shared here about AI tools, market data, and home selling options do not constitute legal, financial, or technology advice. Please consult appropriate licensed professionals for your specific situation.
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