An AI ISA is software that does the first part of an inside sales agent's job: it answers every new lead, keeps following up until the person replies, asks the qualifying questions, and puts an appointment on an agent's calendar. ISA stands for inside sales agent. A human ISA does this from a desk during working hours. An AI ISA does it in seconds, at any hour, inside the hours and rules you set. For the longer definition, see what an AI ISA is and what a real estate ISA does.
Why teams add one
The reason is the first five minutes. A study by James Oldroyd of MIT and InsideSales.com, presented in 2007, found the odds of contacting a lead drop 100 times when the first attempt comes at 30 minutes instead of 5 (Lead Response Management Study, checked 2026-10-20). Leads arrive at night, during showings and on weekends. Agents cannot answer every one in five minutes. An AI ISA can. The sourced numbers are on our speed to lead statistics page.
What a good AI ISA does
- Replies fast to new leads from your site, portals and forms, by text and email.
- Holds a real conversation. It reads the reply and answers it, instead of sending the same drip to everyone.
- Qualifies. Budget, timeline, area, financing and the home they asked about, written on the lead where the agent will read it.
- Books the appointment from the agent's calendar and confirms it with both sides.
- Hands off cleanly with the whole thread and the facts, and at once when the lead asks for a person.
- Logs everything in your CRM.
What to check before you buy
1. Consent and the TCPA
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act limits automated calls and texts. Three recent developments matter for an AI ISA:
- AI voices count as artificial voices. In a declaratory ruling released February 8, 2024, the FCC said the TCPA's limits on artificial or prerecorded voices cover AI technologies that generate human voices (FCC 24-17, checked 2026-10-20). If a tool places AI voice calls, ask how it gets consent for them.
- The one-to-one consent rule was vacated. In January 2025, the Eleventh Circuit vacated the FCC rule that would have limited each consent to one identified seller (Morrison Foerster summary, checked 2026-10-20). Consent rules still apply; ask how the vendor records the consent each lead gave.
- Opt-outs can come in any form. Rules that took effect April 11, 2025 let a consumer revoke consent by any reasonable means, and a sender cannot require one exclusive opt-out method (Lerman Senter summary, checked 2026-10-20). An AI ISA has to recognize "please stop texting me," not just the word STOP.
Also ask about quiet hours, how HELP is answered, and whether every message is logged on the lead. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm your obligations with counsel. Our TCPA explainer has more.
2. Your own number
The text should come from your brokerage's number, so replies stay in your thread and the lead sees your name. Businesses texting US numbers from ordinary 10-digit numbers must register a brand and a campaign with the carriers (Twilio on A2P 10DLC, checked 2026-10-20). Ask whose brand the number is registered under.
3. Handoff to agents
The handoff is where AI ISAs win or lose. Check how the agent is told, what they see (the whole thread and the facts, or a cold name), and how fast the AI steps aside when a lead asks for a person. Check what happens after: some tools cannot restart on a lead once an agent takes over.
4. Calendar booking
Some tools book the showing; others tell the agent the lead is ready and stop there. If you want appointments on the calendar, ask to see a booking happen end to end, from the offer of times to the confirmation both sides receive.
5. Which CRM it works in
An AI ISA should read and write the lead in the CRM you already use, so the conversation is on the timeline and plans pause when it should.
6. What it will not do
A good AI ISA says what it is when asked, does not negotiate price, and does not give legal or lending advice. Ask the vendor for that list in writing.
The AI ISA landscape
These are the best-known AI ISA tools for real estate. Prices and features are what each vendor published when we checked; where a vendor does not publish a price, we say so.
| Tool | What its page says it does | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Structurely | Texts and emails leads from Follow Up Boss, follows up for 12+ months, holds qualifying conversations; agents can mute the AI and tags flag leads that need follow-up (integration page, Structurely) | Not published |
| Ylopo AI | AI Text replies in under 60 seconds; AI Voice calls 24/7 with live transfers; Ylopo also offers branded IDX sites and managed ads (Ylopo) | Not published; quoted by a strategist |
| Lofty Sales Agent | Described as a virtual ISA that works 24/7 inside Lofty; agents can take over any conversation (Lofty) | Not published; depends on plan |
| Real Geeks Geek AI Text | Texts new registrations during office hours and tells the agent when a lead is ready; once stopped on a lead it cannot be restarted (Real Geeks) | $49/mo for up to 2,500 new AI conversations a month; included with Real Geeks lead packages |
| Sierra Lead Engage | AI-powered lead nurture add-on for Sierra Interactive (Sierra) | $199/mo, Essential and Growth plans |
| Follow Up Boss AI | Suggested messages, suggested tasks, summaries and lead prioritization for the agent to act on; not described as texting leads on its own (Follow Up Boss) | Included in Follow Up Boss plans |
| Nadia AI ISA | Texts and emails every new lead from your own number within a minute, qualifies, books the showing on the agent's calendar, hands off with the thread; works in Kept in Touch or Follow Up Boss | Free with a Kept in Touch plan and its CRM; $99/mo per brokerage with Follow Up Boss |
Vendor facts checked 2026-10-20. Several tools are sold as part of a larger platform; compare the full cost, not only the AI line.
How Nadia handles the checklist
Nadia is the AI ISA in Kept in Touch. She answers a new lead from your site, Zillow or a form by text and email within a minute, from your own number, in your brokerage's voice. She gets consent before the first text, keeps quiet hours, honors STOP and HELP, and logs every message on the lead. She asks about budget, timeline, area, financing and the home they asked about, and writes the answers where the agent will read them. When the lead is ready she offers times from the agent's calendar, confirms one and sends the details to both sides. The agent gets the whole thread, not a cold name, and if a lead asks for a person she hands off at once.
She says she is the team's assistant when someone asks and never pretends to be an agent. She does not negotiate price or give legal or lending advice. She works inside the Kept in Touch CRM or inside Follow Up Boss, so you do not have to change CRMs to use her. Weighing that choice? See Follow Up Boss: switch, or keep it and add Nadia.
Nadia comes free with the CRM on any plan, or $99 a month per brokerage if you keep Follow Up Boss. Start a 30-day trial with no card and add her to it.
Questions
What does an AI ISA do in real estate?
It answers new leads by text and email, follows up until they reply, asks qualifying questions, books appointments on an agent's calendar, and hands the lead to a person when they are ready.
Is an AI ISA legal under the TCPA?
It can be used lawfully with prior consent, quiet hours and opt-outs honored in any reasonable form. AI-generated voice calls count as artificial voice under the FCC's February 2024 ruling. This is general information, not legal advice.
What are the best AI ISA tools?
Well-known options include Structurely, Ylopo AI, Lofty's Sales Agent, Real Geeks Geek AI Text, Sierra Lead Engage and Nadia. The best one texts from your number, records consent, books on your calendar and hands off cleanly in the CRM you use.
Does an AI ISA replace a human ISA or agent?
It replaces the waiting, not the agent. The AI handles the first reply and follow-up; a licensed person still takes the showing, the negotiation and anything legal.