AI, Leadership and Why Real Estate Must Avoid Intellectual Laziness

Peter Schravemade:

Good morning, Ines. Wonderful to see you.

Well, it is not actually morning for you. It is afternoon.

Thank you for joining us from Miami. I am assuming you are in Miami, where you are normally based throughout the year.

We are here to talk about your upcoming trip to Australia. How are you feeling?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

Oh my God, I am so excited.

You know I love Australians.

You guys are the best. You have the best personalities. You are warm, you are welcoming and embracing.

The few Australians I know are some of my favourite people, so I can not imagine what a room full of Australians is going to be like.

Peter Schravemade:

Yeah, but what if we are not all like that? It could be completely shattering.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

Delete that. Delete that.

No, no. Let me live in my bubble.

Peter Schravemade:

Well, we are going to find out soon enough.

It will be great to have you over here.

I imagine there are plenty of people in Australia who do not know you yet.

Obviously, we have known each other for quite a while, but how would you describe the lens that you bring to real estate?

You have a background in architecture, brokerage, technology and industry leadership, but you are also an active real estate agent and a leader within your brokerage.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

My journey has been incredibly organic.

I never entered this business thinking I would become a REALTOR® or become involved in real estate.

I started as an architect, and then life happened. Doors just kept opening in front of me.

For example, my husband was always the technology person. I was not.

Yet I became an early adopter of social media, and my blog is now eighteen years old.

Technology found me more than I found technology.

The same thing happened with leadership.

I was invited to speak around the United States and then invited to participate on the first Young Professionals Network board for Miami REALTORS®.

From there, it simply made sense.

There is a saying we use here:

"I would rather be in the room than on the menu."

I want a seat at the table.

Being involved in leadership gives you the opportunity to influence outcomes and make things happen.

That has always been important to me.

Peter Schravemade:

I have seen you operating in various capacities across the United States.

How does architecture fit into all of this?

I have worked with you through architecture projects in the past, but people may not realise that you are actually a qualified architect.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

Yes, I have a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Miami.

Architecture was my first passion and my first love.

I light up when I see a great space or a beautifully designed room.

That is where my photography comes from as well. It is all about composition and the use of space.

I never expected architecture and real estate to be so closely connected, but it ended up making perfect sense.

My husband and I originally started in commercial property management.

Eventually I gravitated towards architecturally significant and historic properties.

That became my niche and my passion.

Peter Schravemade:

When you are here in Australia, your keynote will touch on real estate technology, artificial intelligence and leadership.

Why is that conversation so important right now?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

Real estate is being challenged everywhere.

What is fascinating is that many people think these challenges are unique to their own country, but they are not.

They are global.

Questions like:

Do we need agents?

Do we need the MLS?

What role will technology play?

Will AI replace agents?

These conversations are happening everywhere.

I have many theories about where all of this is heading because the pace of change is extraordinary.

At the same time, I think leaders have a responsibility to focus on what truly matters.

There are so many shiny objects competing for our attention.

We need to focus on the fundamentals.

Real estate has survived challenges before and we have always adapted.

I believe there is an opportunity right now to get a lot of things right.

Peter Schravemade:

Without giving too much away, what kind of mindset would you like agents, principals and business leaders to bring into your session?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

An open mind.

People often assume we all do things differently around the world.

The truth is that we have far more in common than we think.

We may use different terminology, but the principles are remarkably similar.

I want people to come prepared to challenge how they think about their role and the industry.

I will give you a little teaser.

One of the topics we will discuss is what I call "intellectual laziness".

That is one of my concerns about AI.

It has become so easy to ask a large language model a question and accept whatever comes back.

People stop checking.

They stop questioning.

They stop thinking critically.

And in the process, they risk losing their own voice and authenticity.

Leaders have a responsibility to educate and guide their teams through that.

Peter Schravemade:

You have served in leadership roles at every level.

Do you have any ambitions for even larger leadership positions in the future?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

Honestly, I never did.

Even becoming Chair of Miami REALTORS® happened organically.

Miami REALTORS® is now one of the largest local real estate associations in the world, with more than 93,000 members following a recent merger.

I never pursued leadership for the title.

I pursued it because I wanted to serve.

There are some leadership pathways that require enormous commitments.

For example, leadership within Florida can be a seven-year journey.

At this stage of my life, I am not prepared to commit seven years to that path.

However, I absolutely intend to continue volunteering and contributing through local, state and national committees.

Peter Schravemade:

Outside of real estate and outside of your keynote, what are you most looking forward to doing while you are in Australia?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

The Great Barrier Reef is definitely on the list.

That is a bucket-list destination for me.

I have been told it is going to be winter when I arrive and I do not love cold water, so we will see how that goes.

I would also love to visit Australia Zoo.

The Irwin family is famous around the world.

And my middle son played rugby in the United States, so I would love to experience a rugby match while I am there.

Peter Schravemade:

We will see what we can make happen.

Is there anything you do not want to see while you are here?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

No.

I simply do not have enough days.

Peter Schravemade:

Most people say snakes, spiders or sharks.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

I will be fine.

I do not like cockroaches.

Other than that, I will be fine.

Peter Schravemade:

If somebody is deciding whether to attend REIQ LIFT 2026, what should they expect from your keynote without giving away the punchline?

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

My hope is that people leave with a different perspective on their role within the real estate industry.

We get busy.

We get caught up in the day-to-day.

We become comfortable with the status quo.

I want people to open their horizons and become more open-minded about the opportunities in front of them.

If attendees leave thinking differently, then I have achieved what I wanted to achieve.

Peter Schravemade:

Well, Ines, we are looking forward to hosting you here in Australia.

This will be your first visit and I know many people are excited to hear you speak.

Thank you so much for joining us on Before the Weekend.

I can not wait to catch up with you and Ricky when you are over here.

Ines Hegedus-Garcia:

I can not wait either.

Thank you so much.