Your inspector sends over the report. It is 40 pages long, and page 12 has a photo of a cracked roof tile with the word “deficient” next to it. That night, you type into ChatGPT: is this a deal breaker?
Here is the problem. AI tools tend to agree with whoever is asking. If you are already nervous, the answer you get back is usually some version of “you are right to be concerned.” That feels like confirmation. It is really an echo.
Cancellations are climbing across the country, and inspection findings are the most common reason deals fall apart. I am not saying AI caused that. I am saying a worried buyer plus an agreeable chatbot is a bad mix at 11 PM, three days into an inspection period.
So here is what I hand my buyers at the consultation, before any of this comes up: five prompts that push the AI toward evidence instead of agreement. Copy and paste them as written.
Five prompts for using AI while buying a home
1. How big is this problem, really?
I am buying a home in the Phoenix area. The inspection found: [paste the finding]. Separate what the report actually documents from what you are assuming. Tell me what a typical repair costs in the Phoenix area as a range, what you could not determine without a licensed professional, and where you are unsure. Do not tell me what I want to hear.
Why it works: it forces a split between documented facts and guesses, and it asks for a range instead of a scary single number.
2. Am I looking at one scary detail or the whole decision?
Here is the whole picture: the price, the neighborhood, my budget, and the inspection items. [paste them] Help me weigh this one finding against everything else about the purchase. What am I probably overweighting? What am I probably underweighting?
Why it works: a single photo from page 12 can swallow a decision. This puts it back in proportion, up or down.
3. What needs a professional, and which one?
For each issue in this report, tell me whether it needs a licensed roofer, plumber, electrician, HVAC technician, structural engineer, or none. Do not diagnose it. Tell me who should look at it and what question to ask them.
Why it works: AI is not an inspector, and it should say so. This sends you to the person who can actually put a number on the problem.
4. Check the answer against a second AI
Here is an answer another AI gave me about my inspection: [paste it]. Where might it be wrong, overconfident, or missing information? Point out anything that agrees with my worry without evidence.
Why it works: run the same question through two different tools. If they disagree, that disagreement is useful. It tells you where to stop trusting a chatbot and start calling someone.
5. What is an actual dealbreaker?
Help me sort these items into three groups: true dealbreakers (safety, structural, or cost I cannot absorb), negotiable items, and minor issues that every home this age has. For each one, explain what evidence puts it in that group. Then tell me what you would need to know to change your answer.
Why it works: most inspection reports are long because most homes have a lot of small things wrong with them. This helps you find the few that matter.
What these prompts do not do
They do not replace your inspector, your appraiser, your lender, or your agent. They do not change your contract or any deadline in it. In Arizona, your purchase contract sets the inspection period and the way you respond to what you found, so the clock matters more than any chatbot answer. Talk to me or your broker before you decide what to request or whether to cancel.
This is educational information, not legal or financial advice. The decision is always yours.
How I use this with buyers
I give buyers this list at the first consultation, before they have an inspection report in hand. Then if “ChatGPT said” comes up later, we are already working from the same ground rules. The goal is not to talk anyone out of a real concern. It is to make sure the concern is sized accurately, on the evidence, before an expensive decision gets made.
If you are buying in Chandler, Gilbert, Queen Creek, or anywhere in the Phoenix area and want a second set of eyes on an inspection report, get in touch or call 480-466-6320.
The idea for this guide came from AiM Marketing Academy’s Homewrecker AI session. The prompts above are my own adaptation for Phoenix-area buyers.
Merrill Jencks, REALTOR®, License SA637704000, Arizona Department of Real Estate. The Big Helper Group, REAL Broker. Equal Housing Opportunity.
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