BrokerVA
BrokerVA Team · October 26, 2026

Homebuyers Want AI and a Human in the Loop: What Cotality's 2026 Survey Says

Homebuyers Want AI and a Human in the Loop: What Cotality's 2026 Survey Says

Three in four homebuyers assume AI is already part of the process, yet 55% of U.S. buyers would still prefer to work with a person to secure a mortgage, up from 46% a year earlier, according to Cotality's 2026 survey. Here is what the survey found, what it can't tell us, and what it means for brokers and lenders.

Who Ran the Survey, and Who Did It Ask?

The findings come from Cotality's 2026 House to Home Survey, published in its AI in Housing 2026 report. Cotality surveyed homebuyers in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia between January 29 and February 9, 2026. The sample mixed recent buyers (who purchased within five years) and prospective buyers (planning to buy within two to five years), across Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, and Baby Boomers.

Two cautions. Cotality sells property data and AI-enabled products, so it has an interest in how AI is received. And the press release doesn't state the number of respondents. Read the figures as indicators, and see the full report for detail.

Do Buyers Expect AI in the Process?

Yes, and they assume it's already there. Cotality reports that 75% of buyers assume AI plays a role in the homebuying process. They most expect it in property websites (86%) and insurers (82%), followed by lenders (80%), agents (80%), and brokers (79%). The assumption varies by age: 70% of Baby Boomers, 84% of Millennials, and 81% of Gen Z.

Do They Trust It?

Less than they used to. In the U.S., trust in AI to help find a home fell by 14 points, from 30% in 2025 to 16% in 2026, per Cotality. Other findings from the same release:

  • 68% of buyers say clear AI labeling for property listings and mortgage recommendations is important or essential, and 37% say it should be mandatory.
  • 46% say it is unacceptable for lenders or insurers to run automated AI valuations without prior approval.
  • 64% worry that AI may recycle unverified information instead of validated, first-party data.
  • Tolerance for AI mistakes is low: 22% of Gen Z and 19% of Millennials say they are tolerant of errors, against 11% of Gen X and 9% of Baby Boomers.

Do They Still Want a Person?

Increasingly, in the U.S. Cotality found that 55% of U.S. buyers would prefer working with a person to secure a mortgage, compared with 46% a year earlier. Two-thirds (66%) would rely on human professionals over AI for legal assistance, up from 54%, and 56% would trust a human expert over AI when assessing natural disaster risk.

Across all four countries, 44% of respondents say they would pay an additional fee to have a human expert verify AI-generated housing decisions. That figure is global, not U.S.-only, and "would pay" isn't the same as "will pay."

Cotality's Amy Gromowski summed it up: "Buyers are not rejecting AI; they are asking for safeguards."

What About Fair Lending?

Just under half, 48% of buyers globally, consider AI reliable for making fair lending decisions. The release doesn't say what the rest think, so we won't guess. It's worth noting only that confidence in fairness isn't a majority view, and that lenders carry the responsibility regardless. See Who Is Accountable When AI Touches a Mortgage File?.

What Can't This Survey Tell Us?

Several limits matter:

  • Attitudes aren't behavior. What people say they prefer isn't always what they choose.
  • It's mostly homebuyers, not mortgage operations. The survey asks about the buying journey. It doesn't measure how borrowers feel about the specialists who handle file work behind the scenes.
  • It mixes countries. Some figures are U.S.-only and some are global, so check each one.
  • The sample size isn't stated in the press release.
  • Cotality has a stake in AI adoption. It also says AI-driven workflows could shorten mortgage processing by one to three months, which is the company's own estimate.

What Does This Mean for Brokers and Lenders?

This section is our interpretation, not Cotality's.

  1. Say where AI is used. With 68% of buyers wanting clear labeling, being open about AI is a trust issue, not only a compliance one.
  2. Keep a person at consequential steps. Buyers want a human safety net, and the GSEs are formalizing human accountability. Freddie Mac's Seller/Servicer Guide Section 1302.8 has required AI governance since March 3, 2026, and Fannie Mae's Lender Letter LL-2026-04 took effect August 6.
  3. Protect the human relationship. The person borrowers want is usually the one they deal with: the loan officer. Anything that frees that person from file work helps.

For more on where checkpoints belong, see How to Add AI Without Losing the Human Check.

How Does BrokerVA Think About This?

Borrowers tend to want a person they can reach, and a loan officer who is buried in file work has less time to be that person. That's where BrokerVA comes in. Our 150+ mortgage operations specialists handle repeatable file work, stage by stage, across five roles: Setup, Disclosure, Closing, Funding, and Post-Closing, so your licensed people can spend more time with borrowers. We may be able to tailor roles to your business, and we have partnered with Addy AI for LOA services.

We won't claim to know how borrowers feel about our specialists, since they work behind the scenes. We do know how we support them. Every client gets a dedicated Coach for a 6-week implementation, then ongoing coaching, regular check-ins, and direct access to our Coaching Team for the VA. Our goal is to lower your cost to originate, and pricing is customized to your volume and the roles you need. We can't promise a specific saving, since it depends on your operation. See how BrokerVA works.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do borrowers prefer a human or AI for a mortgage? In Cotality's 2026 survey, 55% of U.S. buyers said they would prefer working with a person to secure a mortgage, up from 46% the year before.

Do homebuyers trust AI? Trust is falling. In the U.S., trust in AI to help find a home dropped from 30% to 16% between 2025 and 2026.

Would buyers pay for human verification of AI decisions? Across the four countries surveyed, 44% said they would pay an additional fee. That figure is global.

Does the survey say buyers reject AI? No. Cotality's own summary is that buyers are asking for safeguards, not rejecting AI.

Sources

Want your licensed people to spend more time with borrowers? Book a call with BrokerVA and we'll walk through your numbers and show you our cost calculator.

BrokerVA | NMLS #1977844