The technological impact on real estate investing: robots vs humans: new applications for organisational and portfolio strategies

PurposeThe goal of this paper is to present a roadmap for real estate operating companies (REOCs) to transform themselves into tech-centric enterprises.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative approach is based on the impact of technology on physical real estate assets and organisational structures as reviewed in industry and academic literature, professional experience and current property technology (PropTech) applications.FindingsNew technologies are rapidly changing how investors, tenants and managers use, invest and finance property. The revolutionary change for the industry will be in its organisational and industry structure, away from the traditional hierarchical-mechanistic form to a virtual open-agile-innovative organisational form.Research limitations/implicationsResearch limitations come from the lack of real estate companies utilising the hybrid flipped form of organisational structures.Practical implicationsDue to the current state of the economy, effects of the pandemic and rapid adoption of new technologies, real estate companies are likely to radically change the way they are organised, how they add value, innovate and their leadership/management style.Social implicationsThe revolution in real estate technologisation will not come from the application of these technologies but the rapid change in ideological thought and management leadership style and culture.Originality/valueThe introduction of artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML), blockchain, virtual reality, tablets, cell phones, applications, 5G, etc. is putting pressure on real estate organisations to change. These changes are long overdue and the future, modern real estate company will take a hybrid PropTech form – a company focussed on delivering high-quality products and services to its clients in real time.