AI 101 Prompts

Your first four steps

1. Download ChatGPT or Claude for your computer with the buttons at the top. On your phone, get it from the App Store or Google Play. Then sign in.
2. Turn training off in settings.
3. Paste your starter instructions into settings.
4. Try one prompt from this page on something real from your week.

Words you'll hear

Prompt

What you type or say to the AI. More detail in gets a better answer out.

Chat

One conversation. Start a new chat for each new task.

Memory

What the AI keeps about you between chats. You can see it, fix it or turn it off.

Connector

A link that lets the AI read an app like Gmail or Google Drive when you ask it to.

Hallucination

When the AI makes something up and says it like a fact. Check anything that matters.

Change these settings first

Paste your starter instructions

Claude

Settings > Your Claude > Instructions for Claude

ChatGPT

Settings > Personalization > Custom instructions

Paste it there, not in a chat. Add your brokerage or sign-off at the end if you want.

I'm a licensed real estate agent in [city, state].

Never use the em dash (—). Replace it with commas or rewrite the sentence. Don't use en dashes (–) instead. Hyphens are fine in compound words.

Keep quoted or source text exactly as written unless I ask you to edit it. When you write anything I might copy and paste, like emails, texts, posts or documents, match my writing style unless I ask for something different.

Keep it short and natural, not polished or corporate. No filler or AI-sounding phrases. Don't make my writing more formal unless I ask. Keep my tone and how direct I am.

Don't write like AI. No "it's not X, it's Y." No hype words like seamless, elevate, leverage or delve. No openers like "Great question" or closers like "I hope this helps." Just answer.

I need facts. Don't guess. If you're not sure, say so. Cite your sources and quote the exact line you're relying on.

Follow Fair Housing: no steering language like "family-friendly," "safe neighborhood," or "great schools." Describe the property, not who should live there.

Let it interview you

Do the starter instructions first, and turn memory on. Talk instead of type, and check the summary before it saves.

Interview me so you can save what you learn to memory and use it in every future chat. Ask one question at a time and wait for my answer. Skip anything my instructions already cover. Ask about:
- What to call me, my brokerage, my area, and what I specialize in
- Who my clients usually are
- How I write: how long my messages run, words I never use, how I sign off
- How I want answers formatted
- The tools I use and my goals this year
- What annoys me about AI answers
Don't save client names, financial details or ID numbers.
When we're done, show me a summary of what you'll remember so I can fix anything, then save it.

Let it learn your style from Gmail

Claude

Connect Gmail in Settings > Connectors

ChatGPT

Gmail may need a paid plan

Read my last 50 sent emails in Gmail. Describe how I write: length, tone, greetings, sign-offs and words I use a lot. Then make a short style guide and save it to memory. Only save how I write. Don't save names, addresses, prices or deal details.

Check what it saved

Fix mistakes by saying "Remember that..." or "Forget that."

What do you remember about me?

Write a listing description from your notes

Start from your walkthrough notes. It may invent a closet or a fence, so read its list of assumptions.

Write a listing description for the MLS from my walkthrough notes below.
- Keep it under [number] characters. That's my MLS limit.
- Open with the best feature, not "Welcome home."
- Make sure it mentions [features you want in it].
- If I give you an opening line, keep it as written.
- Use only facts from my notes. Don't add features or upgrades I didn't list.
- Use plain, specific words. No hype like "stunning," "nestled," "boasts" or "luxurious."
- Describe the home, not who should live there. No "perfect for families" or "great schools."
Give me 2 versions. Then list anything you assumed that isn't in my notes.

[paste your notes]

Summarize an HOA packet

Upload the packet first, split into parts if it's big. Check the original for fees, assessments, rental limits and pet rules.

Summarize these HOA documents in plain English for a first-time [buyer or tenant].

After the summary:
- List the most important things they need to know, starting with anything that costs money or limits what they can do with the property.
- Give the page number for every point you pull, so I can check it in the original.
- If something I'd expect isn't in the documents, like pet rules or rental limits, say it's missing instead of guessing.

Explain closing costs or escrow

Good for first-time buyers. Read it before you send it.

Explain [closing costs or escrow] to a first-time buyer in [state] in plain English. Keep it under 200 words and use a $[price] home as the example. Say which numbers depend on the lender or the contract, so they know to check their own paperwork.

Calm down a tense email

For the email you wrote while you were annoyed.

Rewrite this email so it's calm and polite but still firm. Keep every fact and deadline. Don't apologize for things that aren't my fault. Keep it about the same length.

[paste your email]

Add this to any research question

Search the web. Cite sources with links. Tell me what you couldn't confirm.

Check for law changes

Did [state] change any landlord-tenant rules this year? Name the bill, link the source, and list anything you couldn't confirm.

Check out a pitch before you pay

Works for lead gen, websites, CRMs and coaching. Reviews can be fake.

I just got pitched [company]. They want [$ amount] a month. Do a deep dive on their reviews, Better Business Bureau record, and complaints. Separate verified facts from opinions. What should I ask the sales rep?

Build a simple CRM

Your contacts go into the sheet, not into the chat.

Build me a simple CRM in a Google Sheet for a real estate agent. Columns: name, phone, email, source, stage, last contact, next step, next follow-up date, notes. Add a dropdown for stage and color the overdue follow-ups red.

Get your contacts out of your phone

Import your contacts from the MLS

1. Export your contacts from the MLS as a CSV.
2. Match the columns to your CRM sheet.
3. Import, then spot-check a few rows.

Turn your hot sheet into a client email

Export a CSV and remove owner names and agent-only remarks. Check the numbers before you send.

Summarize this week's new listings in [area] for a buyer: how many, price range, median price, standouts, and 3 trends. Plain English, short email. Show your math.

Make a neighborhood report

Export 6 to 12 months of solds plus actives for the area.

Make a one-page neighborhood report for [area] from this data: median price, days on market, price per sq ft, list-to-sale ratio, and the trend. Stick to the market data. Leave out schools, safety, and who lives there. Show your math.

Habits that stop them

1. Never change wire instructions from an email, text or call.
2. Call back on a number you already had.
3. Set a safe word with clients.
4. Don't post closing dates.
5. Report it fast. The first 24 to 48 hours matter.