Search to settlement reimagined: Lofty’s Brian Hoialmen on consolidation, agent empowerment and AI in real estate
Consolidation is shaking the foundation of real estate, and Brian Hoialmen is sounding the alarm. In this executive sit-down with Diego Sanchez, the Lofty exec shares how major platforms are pushing deeper into the consumer journey — and why brokerages and agents must act now to protect their market share.
From integrating AI into agent workflows to building a truly unified “search to settlement” platform, Brian unpacks Lofty’s leadership approach to innovation. He also lays out the strategic moves agents and teams should be making today to future-proof their business before the next wave of disruption hits.
Hoialmen, a two-decade veteran of the real estate tech space, joined Lofty after a two-year hiatus. “I wanted to be with a company that’s forward thinking — the next five, ten, fifteen years out,” he said. “Really connecting search to settlement with AI in a dynamic way… creating more opportunity, more transactions.”
Lofty’s vision is to link proptech and fintech under one ecosystem. Hoialmen said that recent industry consolidation — including mortgage companies acquiring real estate businesses and vice versa — is pushing the need for integrated platforms. “The way to continue is to access that revenue in one ecosystem,” he said.
One of Lofty’s core missions is to help real estate professionals maintain their position at the center of the transaction. “The buck starts at the agent level,” Hoialmen said. “AI can’t shake your hand and take you out for coffee.” He emphasized the importance of empowering agents to manage and build relationships through an independent, permission-based database.
Lofty is building tools to support that mission, including a CRM designed for relationship-building, not just lead management. “A CRM is not designed to nurture raw leads,” he said. “You need AI to create a relationship with someone you don’t know. You can’t watch 10,000 leads at one time.”
They are also developing consumer-facing tools that keep the agent involved, like AI-powered mobile apps for search and transaction coordination. “We want agents to be the personal shopper,” Hoialmen said. “The AI creates a personal experience between the shopper and the agent.”
Lofty offers a membership-based platform with options for agents, teams, and brokers. That includes AI-powered SEO websites, transaction management, nurture systems, and productivity reporting tools. “We’re all in on AI,” he said. “We’re infusing it into every component.”
Unlike many bolt-on AI tools, Hoialmen said Lofty’s system is native to its platform and trains itself over time. “I don’t want to train it. I want it to work,” he said. “It has to be a living example of you in front of the consumer.”
Looking ahead, Hoialmen said Lofty plans to separate its AI tools so they can be used independently of the main platform. “We want to be the proptech organization for mortgage and real estate agents,” he said.
Lofty is also launching new tools like Blast by Lofty, which lets agents generate leads instantly without a full CRM or website. “Click a button, generate leads in one week — seller leads, hyperlocal leads. Just push a button.”
Whether agents want a full end-to-end solution or plug-and-play tools, Hoialmen said Lofty’s goal is simple: “We’re trying to create a pathway to make agents money.”
