In our latest /RealEstate episode, we asked Dustin Owens, founder and broker-owner of Mantle Realty, to open his playbook on automation: all the Zaps, webhooks, and AI “projects” that save his team hours per transaction.
This post breaks down everything he shared with us in a practical starter list that you can copy.
But first, some context: Automation is changing how agents manage clients, paperwork, and even follow-ups. In fact, according to a 2024 NAR Tech Survey, over 40% of agents now use at least one automation tool in their daily workflow — but few have mapped it all out like Dustin has.
If you want to listen to the full conversation with Dustin, check out the episode on Spotify or Apple podcasts, or watch it on our YouTube channel.
The automation that delivers the most ROI in real estate is turning 5-star Google reviews into social proof automatically. Here's how it's done: when a Google Business Profile review is five stars, create a Zap that sends the text to an AI to write a short post, pull a branded image from your Google Drive, publish it to Facebook/Instagram/LinkedIn, and reply to the review.
No manual copying and pasting. No scrolling through reviews to find the best. Dustin has set this up to ignore 4-star reviews and below, and only showcase the best of the best.
Zapier’s own usage data shows customers automate thousands of hours of repetitive work weekly; and the most common wins are exactly this kind of “copy-paste-post” workflow that saps time and attention from high-value tasks (via Zapier).
Use a single form and build a webhook that triggers tasks, emails, and calendar holds. Build a simple “Buyer Under Contract” form (buyer names, due-diligence date, EMD, inspectors, attorneys, TC, etc.). On submit, a webhook fires and:
This one form saves ~2 hours per file in Dustin’s office—and it eliminates “Did anyone email the inspector?” stress.
Why this matters structurally: McKinsey estimates that a large slice of routine, rules-based work across roles can be automated with currently demonstrated tech; real estate admin fits the profile (via McKinsey & Company).
Use a meeting assistant to capture training sessions and client calls, then drop the transcript into a "Tuesday Morning Meeting Notes" AI project to automatically draft a recap, highlight points of improvement, and suggest follow ups.
Pair that with Geek AI inside Real Geeks — a virtual texting assistant that engages new leads automatically via SMS, keeps them active until you step in, and triggers hand-off alerts when they’re ready.
When using Large Language Models like ChatGPT, Gemini, or Claude, use “projects” with long-term instructions. Keep separate projects for MLS descriptions, HTML content, video ideas, and workflows. Start every project by handing the LLM a single instructions document, where you can lay out your preferred tone, formatting, Fair Housing guardrails, character limits, and provide rules like “ask clarifying questions before answering.”, or "never quote a statistic without linking to the source".
This workflow allows you to stop repeating yourself across multiple projects, and allows the system to remember the larger context of your business.
On adoption: NAR notes that more REALTORS® are experimenting with AI for marketing, lead generation, and client communication—meaning your competitors are already getting faster at these “content and follow-up” tasks (via McKinsey & Company).
Find a system that can call, log, and act in one place. The Real Geeks Dialer — the latest addition to our CRM — allows you to call your leads with one click. You can then capture the outcomes, and immediately trigger the correct next step (task, text template, or nurture).
Less device-switching means more dials per hour.
And this is not all: coming soon, the Real Geeks Dialer will also automatically summarize your calls so you can review key points instantly, give you the ability to power dial, and connect with your Geek AI assistant to perform follow up tasks for you as soon as the call ends.
In terms of calling, speed still counts: responding fast boosts your odds of contact and qualification, a point emphasized in Harvard Business Review’s coverage of lead-response timing. Your dialer + a one-click “call now” workflow is how you operationalize that.
Not every task is a candidate for automation, but you'd be surprised by how many are. Here's a helpful rubric to know when you should consider creating a webhook and get your favorite LLM involved in your process:
Automations aren't just fun to play with. They're productivity boosters, and the data supports this. In Zapier’s customer base, businesses routinely save thousands of hours by wiring together the apps they already use. This is time you can reallocate to calls, showings, and negotiations.
As Dustin puts it the best use of tech is “to do the work you’d rather not do.” Tools like Geek AI, the Real Geeks Dialer, and Zapier help you scale relationships without losing your personal touch.
If you want to see how top agents are wiring this together, subscribe to /RealEstate on YouTube or your favorite podcast app.
And be sure to download Dustin's AI Workflow Recipe Book, featuring his lead-winning prompts, automation checklists, and step-by-step marketing workflows that help you work smarter, not harder — and it's 100% free.