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Keystead

The guide · Updated October 2026

How to sell your house with AI

What AI can do in a home sale, the one step it can't, what you still decide, and what it costs. Everything in plain words.

1% at closing$0 upfrontMLS by a licensed Ohio brokerageYou sign everything

The short answer

Yes, you can sell your house with AI. An AI app can price your home, write the listing, book showings, read every offer, draft counteroffers and track the sale to closing. The one step it can't do alone is put your home on the MLS: that takes a licensed broker.

With Keystead, the AI does the work of a listing agent, a licensed Ohio brokerage lists your home on the MLS, and you make every decision, for 1% of the sale price at closing instead of a typical 6% commission.

What's my home worth?

Step by step

Who does what when you sell with AI

Eleven steps, from your first price to the day you're paid. Each row shows what the AI handles, what you decide, and where a licensed broker comes in.

  1. 01

    Price it

    Start from what your home is actually worth.

    AI

    Estimates your value from property records and recent sales near you, and shows you every comparable sale

    You

    Pick your list price. It's your call, and the app shows your odds and your net at any price

  2. 02

    Sign the listing agreement

    The paperwork that lets a broker put your home on the MLS.

    You

    Sign on your phone

    Licensed broker & team

    A licensed Ohio brokerage countersigns and becomes your listing broker

  3. 03

    Disclosures

    What you know about your home, on the state's form.

    AI

    Walks you through Ohio's disclosure form and saves as you go

    You

    Answer honestly about what you actually know

  4. 04

    Photos and lockbox

    What buyers see first, and how they get in.

    You

    Or upload your own photos

    Licensed broker & team

    A professional photographer and a lockbox, arranged for you

  5. 05

    Write the listing

    The description buyers read on Zillow.

    AI

    Writes the description from your home's details and checks it for fair-housing problems

    You

    Edit anything, then approve it

  6. 06

    Go live on the MLS

    The step only a licensed broker can do.

    Licensed broker & team

    Lists your home on the MLS, which feeds Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin and buyers' agents

  7. 07

    Showings

    Strangers in your house, handled carefully.

    AI

    Books showings online, checks the ID of visitors who book through Keystead, sends the lockbox code shortly before their time, collects feedback

    You

    Set the days and hours you're open to showings

  8. 08

    Offers

    The part where most sellers need help.

    AI

    Reads every offer, including the ones buried in emails, and turns each into what you'd actually walk away with

    You

    Decide which offer to take

  9. 09

    Counteroffers

    Negotiating without guessing.

    AI

    Drafts a counteroffer and shows an AI confidence of acceptance for it

    You

    Change anything and sign it yourself

    Licensed broker & team

    A licensed agent is a call away for advice on price and terms

  10. 10

    Inspection and repairs

    The second negotiation.

    AI

    Reads the buyer's repair requests and suggests credits instead of repairs where that's cheaper

    You

    Agree, counter or decline

  11. 11

    Closing

    Deadlines, the title company and your money.

    AI

    Tracks every deadline and keeps the title company up to date

    You

    Sign at closing and get your proceeds

    Licensed broker & team

    Your brokerage handles its side of the closing file

What it costs

The commission is the biggest cost of selling. That's what changes.

A traditional commission is usually around 6% of the price, split between the listing and buyer's agents, whether your home sells in a week or a year. Keystead is 1% ($2,500 minimum), paid at closing, and nothing if it doesn't sell.

Any buyer's-agent fee is negotiated separately with each offer, and you decide whether to pay it.

A 6% commission$21,000
Keystead (1%)$3,500
Difference$17,500

Where AI is better

What AI does well

  • Reading everything, instantlyEvery offer, email, repair request and contract term, read the moment it arrives, any hour of the day.
  • Doing the mathYour net from each offer after loan payoff, fees, credits and closing costs, side by side.
  • Showing its workThe sales your price is based on, the reasons behind a suggested counter, the deadlines coming up.
  • WritingListing descriptions, counteroffers, replies to buyers' agents and repair responses, drafted in seconds for you to edit.
  • Never forgettingInspection windows, financing deadlines, appraisal dates and follow-ups, tracked to closing.

Where people matter

What still takes a person

  • Putting your home on the MLSMLS listings come from licensed brokers. Keystead's listings go through a licensed Ohio brokerage.
  • Advice on big decisionsPrice, offers and counters: a licensed agent is on call for those calls, and it's included.
  • Seeing the houseAI can't walk your basement. Your photos, your disclosures and your buyer's inspection do that.
  • DecidingYou set the price, choose the offer and sign every document yourself. The AI drafts; it never signs for you.

Before you choose

6 questions to ask any AI home-selling service

Plenty of tools call themselves AI. These questions separate the ones that can actually sell your home.

  1. 1
    Is a licensed broker putting my home on the MLS?Without the MLS, most buyers and their agents never see your home. Keystead: yes, a licensed Ohio brokerage.
  2. 2
    Do I see the sales behind my price?An estimate you can't check is a guess. Keystead: every comparable sale is shown, and you can leave any out.
  3. 3
    Do I sign everything myself?An AI shouldn't commit you to anything. Keystead: you sign every document, with a full record of who signed and when.
  4. 4
    What do I owe if it doesn't sell?Some services charge upfront. Keystead: nothing. 1% at closing, and only if it sells.
  5. 5
    Can I talk to a person?Some decisions deserve one. Keystead: a licensed agent is on call at the big moments, included.
  6. 6
    Who gets the buyer's agent fee?It should be negotiated, not assumed. Keystead: it's a separate line on each offer, and you decide.

Everything included

Everything it takes to sell your home, in one app

Most home-selling tools do one piece: an estimate, a flat-fee MLS entry, a showing app, an e-sign service. Keystead does the whole sale, from your first price to the day your proceeds are wired, with your AI assistant beside you at every step and a licensed agent a call away.

  1. A
    Home valuePriced from public records and real nearby sales
  2. B
    Price coachingSee your odds and net at any price
  3. C
    DisclosuresOhio's disclosure form, saved as you go
  4. D
    Listing agreementSigned on your phone
  5. E
    Listing descriptionWritten by AI, fair-housing checked
  6. F
    PhotosA pro photographer, or upload your own
  7. G
    LockboxSet up for you
  8. H
    MLS listingOn the MLS, so Zillow and Realtor.com get it
  9. I
    ShowingsBooked online, ID-verified visitors
  10. J
    Yard signWith a QR code buyers scan to tour
  11. K
    Marketing kitShare graphics, a listing video, posts
  12. L
    Open housesSign-in QR, signs, thank-you notes
  13. M
    Weekly coachingYour numbers and what to do next
  14. N
    OffersRead, checked and turned into your net
  15. O
    CounteroffersDrafted for you, with AI confidence of acceptance
  16. P
    E-signingEvery document, with a full record
  17. Q
    Inspection and repairsRequests read, credits drafted
  18. R
    ClosingTracked with the title company to the wire
KeysteadTraditional agentFlat-fee MLS listingFor sale by owner
Cost on a $400,000 home$4,000 (1%) at closing$12,000 to your agent (3%)Typically $100–$500 up front$0
Pricing from real nearby sales✓ AI, with the comps shown✓You do itYou do it
On the MLS (Zillow, Realtor.com)✓✓✓✕
Photos and lockbox✓ Arranged for you✓Usually extraYou do it
Showings booked for you✓ Visitors verify ID✓You do itYou do it
Marketing, open houses, listing video✓ Built inVariesYou do itYou do it
Offers read and your net calculated✓ In minutes✓You do itYou do it
Counteroffers drafted✓✓You do itYou do it
Every document e-signed in one place✓VariesVariesYou do it
Inspection to closing, tracked✓✓You do itYou do it
Answers at 11 PM✓ AI assistant, any hourWhen they're free✕✕

Typical services; individual agents and flat-fee companies vary. Any buyer's-agent fee is negotiated separately with each offer under every option.

Questions

Selling a house with AI: common questions

Can you really sell a house with AI?

Yes. AI can do most of a listing agent's work: price your home from nearby sales, write the listing, book showings, read offers, draft counteroffers and track the sale to closing. One part needs a licensed broker: putting your home on the MLS. With Keystead, the AI does the work, a licensed Ohio brokerage lists your home on the MLS, and you make every decision, for 1% of the sale price at closing.

Is it legal to sell a house with AI in Ohio?

Yes. You can always sell your own home, and AI tools can help you do it. What Ohio law reserves for licensees is acting as someone's broker, including listing their home for sale on the MLS for a fee. That's why Keystead's MLS listings go through a licensed Ohio brokerage.

Does AI replace a real estate agent?

For most of the work, yes: the reading, the math, the scheduling, the writing and the deadlines. Not for everything. A licensed broker still lists your home on the MLS, and with Keystead a licensed agent is on call for advice on price, offers and counters.

How much does it cost to sell a house with AI?

Keystead is 1% of the sale price ($2,500 minimum), paid at closing from your proceeds. Nothing upfront, and nothing if your home doesn't sell. A traditional commission is usually around 6%, split between the listing and buyer's agents. Any buyer's-agent fee is negotiated separately with each offer.

How accurate is an AI home value?

It depends on the sales near you. Where similar homes have sold recently, estimates are usually close; for unusual homes, big lots or areas with few sales, any estimate is rougher. Keystead shows the sales it used and says plainly when your home is hard to price, so you know how much to trust the number, and a licensed agent can review it with you.

Will buyers know an AI helped sell my house?

Your listing looks like any other MLS listing, with professional photos, on Zillow, Realtor.com and Redfin. Buyers' agents work with your listing broker the usual way.

How long does it take to list my house with AI?

Getting a price takes about a minute. Most of the setup is answering questions in the app. Once your photos are in, your home goes on the MLS within one business day.

Where is Keystead available?

Keystead lists homes in Ohio, including Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Dayton, Akron and Toledo.

See what AI says your home is worth.

Free, in about a minute, with the sales it's based on. No card, nothing upfront.

Get my free estimateWatch the AI sell a home

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