For anyone using AI to answer inbound seller calls, has it actually held up?

Question

6 years wholesaling and the thing I was most skeptical about was letting AI answer inbound seller calls. Figured a seller would hang up the second it didn't sound like a real person.

What changed my mind was the timing. A call that gets picked up live the moment it comes in, even at 11pm, versus a voicemail the seller never gets a callback on before they move on. Had one come in late at night, get a full conversation right then, and by the time I looked in the morning it was already qualified and booked. That one doesn't happen if it sits in a voicemail box overnight.

Not saying it replaces the human part. The negotiation and the judgment still have to be you. But for that first touch, answering instantly and never letting anything sit, it's done more than I expected.

For anyone who's tried it, what's your read? Has AI on the first call or the texting actually held up, or did it cost you more leads than it saved?

Chris Bounds · Answer

Speed to lead is critical for motivated sellers. Missed call or no response within 3-5 minutes and they'll call someone else. Combined with weak follow-up, those are the two biggest leaks investors have in their pipeline. Depending on the lead volume, it can amount to 6 or even 7 figures of leaked revenue.

For me and everyone I've tracked at Pathwaize, people don't care that it's AI. They leave their info and book an appointment. Some don't even realize they're talking to AI (most figure it out though on voice calls though).

Amit Patel · Answer

In my experience, AI is an incredibly valuable tool, and I believe there's nothing wrong with using it to run a business more efficiently. The problem comes when we rely on it too much and stop paying attention.

Personally, I don't think anything can replace genuine human-to-human interaction when it comes to making a sale, closing a deal, or even providing information, especially once you truly understand your client's specific needs.

That said, when you're handling a high volume of calls and leads, especially after-hours inquiries, AI becomes extremely useful. Let's be honest, we're all human. We have families, weekends, and evenings that we want to enjoy.

AI can answer those late-night calls, gather important information, schedule follow-up text messages, reassure prospects that a team member will contact them first thing during business hours, thank them for reaching out, and even automate follow-ups after a proposal has been sent. Or even schedule calls.

It's a powerful tool, and businesses should absolutely take advantage of it. But at some point, exceptional customer service, kindness, empathy, and real human understanding are what truly make the difference specially in these days that AI has taken over almost everything, clients appreciate that human touch. Technology can support relationships—it shouldn't replace them.

Igor Ganapolsky · Answer

Rauph, your 11pm example is exactly right — the lead that comes in when you're asleep is the one that goes to your competitor if it sits in voicemail. Chris's 3-5 minute window data backs it up: speed to lead is the whole game on the inbound side.

I've been thinking about this same speed-to-contact principle applied to a different part of the pipeline: deal research on tax deed auctions. Same framework as your AI phone setup — automate the first touch so the human shows up when it matters.

Here's how it maps. County governments publish tax deed auction lists publicly. In Florida, Broward County has Auction #113 coming up October 26 with hundreds of parcels. The county already did the hardest part of lead generation — identified owners 1-3+ years tax delinquent, sent legal notices, set the date, published the list. The speed advantage goes to whoever researches those parcels first.

Instead of manually pulling each parcel, looking up the county appraiser, running comps — which takes 30-60 minutes per property like Paul Olusola described in another thread — you can automate the research layer. Pull the auction list, batch-look up parcel data from the county appraiser, calculate spread between minimum bid (based on back taxes owed) and assessed value. Green light or red light in under 60 seconds per property.

That's the same logic as your AI answering calls at 11pm. The automation handles the instant first response — in this case, the instant first analysis. Then you, the human, show up for the part that requires judgment: deciding which parcels to bid on, understanding the neighborhood, estimating rehab, structuring the exit.

Lucas nailed it — AI for the first instant response, real person for the live conversation that needs judgment. Your AI handles the 11pm seller call. Your research automation handles the 6am auction list drop. You show up when it's time to make decisions.

Since you're in FL, Broward County's auction list is public record. Tarrant County TX and Bexar County TX also have active programs. The speed-to-lead principle you proved on the phone side applies equally to the research side — whoever moves fastest on public data wins.

For anyone using AI to answer inbound seller calls, has it actually held up?

For anyone using AI to answer inbound seller calls, has it actually held up?

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