The 7 Perplexity Prompts Every Agent Should Have Saved
Perplexity is the AI search engine that answers with live web sources you can click. These are the 7 research prompts I keep saved: paste one in, fill the brackets, and get a sourced answer in about a minute instead of 45 minutes of digging.
Most agents use ChatGPT for research. It guesses from training data and it cannot show you where the answer came from. Perplexity is built for the other job: it searches the live web right now and every answer comes back with sources you can click.
That is the whole reason it belongs in your research workflow. When you are checking out an HOA, a market, a builder, or a specific address for a client, you want current info with receipts you can show them.
These are the 7 prompts I keep saved. Each one is a template. Fill in the brackets, paste it into Perplexity, and you get a sourced answer in about a minute. Run them at perplexity.ai, the free plan handles all of these.
Before You Use These
These prompts use AI to pull live information from the web, and AI gets things wrong or out of date. Treat every answer as a starting point, not the final word. Open the sources it cites and confirm them yourself.
This is for educational purposes only. It is not legal, financial, insurance, or tax advice. For anything that affects a client’s decision, send them to the right licensed professional: a lender, attorney, CPA, licensed inspector, or insurance agent.
Prompt 1: HOA and Community Reputation
What people who actually live there are saying. Perplexity pulls from Facebook groups, Nextdoor, Reddit, and local news that a normal search buries.
HOA and Community Prompt
I'm a real estate agent researching the [COMMUNITY OR HOA NAME] community in [CITY, STATE] for a buyer client. Search the live web and tell me what residents actually say about living there. Pull from Facebook groups, Nextdoor, Reddit, Yelp, Google reviews, and local news from the last 24 months. Cover:
1. The HOA: monthly dues, what they cover, recent dues increases or special assessments, and any resident complaints about the board or management
2. Common resident gripes and common praise (be specific, quote where you can)
3. Any lawsuits, news mentions, or controversies tied to the HOA or community
4. The overall vibe: who tends to live there and how people describe the day to day
Cite every claim with a clickable source and give me the date of each source. If something is rumor or thin on evidence, say so instead of stating it as fact.
Prompt 2: Current Market Stats
Live numbers with sources, so you can quote them to a client without pulling an old report.
Market Stats Prompt
I'm a real estate agent. Give me the current housing market stats for [CITY OR ZIP, STATE] as of this month. Search live sources and include:
1. Median sale price and how it has moved over the last 3, 6, and 12 months
2. Average days on market and whether it is trending up or down
3. Months of inventory and whether it favors buyers or sellers
4. Sale-to-list price ratio and the share of homes selling over or under asking
5. Any notable local trend in the last 90 days
Pull from current sources such as Redfin, Realtor.com, Zillow research, local MLS reports, and news. Cite each number with a clickable source and the date it reflects. Flag anything that is more than 60 days old so I know how fresh it is.
Prompt 3: Short-Term Rental Rules
City and county Airbnb rules change constantly. This pulls the current ordinance, not a forum post from three years ago.
Short-Term Rental Prompt
I'm a real estate agent with a buyer who wants to short-term rent (Airbnb or VRBO) a property in [CITY, STATE]. Search the live web for the current local rules and tell me:
1. Whether short-term rentals are allowed, restricted, or banned in this city or county
2. Any permit or license required, what it costs, and how to apply
3. Caps on number of rental nights, owner-occupancy requirements, or zoning limits
4. The transient occupancy tax (TOT) rate and who collects it
5. Any rule changes passed or proposed in the last 12 months
Cite the actual city or county ordinance and any recent news. Give me clickable sources with dates. If the rules differ by neighborhood or zoning, point that out.
Prompt 4: School District Research
Objective, published education data only. The fair housing note in the prompt keeps it on the right side of steering rules.
School Research Prompt
I'm a real estate agent researching schools for a buyer moving to [CITY OR ZIP, STATE]. Search live sources and give me:
1. The public schools (elementary, middle, high) that serve this area and their assigned attendance zones
2. Each school's rating from GreatSchools and Niche, plus test score and college-readiness data where available
3. How these schools compare to others in the county
4. Recent district news in the last 24 months: boundary changes, funding, ratings shifts
Important: I cannot steer a client based on demographics, so keep this to objective, published education data only. Do not include or infer demographic makeup. Cite every rating and stat with a clickable source and date.
Prompt 5: Fire and Insurance Risk
In California this is now a deal-killer if you miss it. This checks the hazard zones and whether insurers are even writing policies there.
Fire and Insurance Risk Prompt
I'm a real estate agent. My buyer is considering a home at [ADDRESS OR ZIP, STATE]. Search live sources and assess the natural hazard and insurance risk:
1. Wildfire risk: the property's fire hazard severity zone (Cal Fire, FEMA, or First Street) and recent fire history nearby
2. Flood risk: the FEMA flood zone and any First Street flood score
3. Whether major insurers are writing new policies in this area, or whether owners are being pushed onto the California FAIR Plan
4. Any recent news about insurers pulling out of this zip code or region
5. A ballpark of how this risk affects insurability and premium
Cite each finding with a clickable source and date. Be clear about what is property-specific versus area-wide.
Prompt 6: Builder Reputation
Before your buyer signs on new construction, find out what owners say after move-in.
Builder Reputation Prompt
I'm a real estate agent with a buyer considering a new construction home built by [BUILDER NAME] in [COMMUNITY OR CITY, STATE]. Search the live web and tell me:
1. This builder's overall reputation: reviews from homeowners on Google, Yelp, BBB, Reddit, and homeowner forums
2. Common complaints (construction defects, warranty issues, delays) and common praise
3. Any lawsuits, class actions, or construction defect news tied to this builder or this specific community
4. How they handle warranty claims based on what owners report
Quote real owner feedback where you can and cite every claim with a clickable source and date. Separate this specific community from the builder's reputation overall.
Prompt 7: Address-Specific Due Diligence
The catch-all. Anything publicly reported about the exact address or block that would never show up in the MLS.
Address Due Diligence Prompt
I'm a real estate agent doing due diligence on [FULL PROPERTY ADDRESS]. Search the live web for anything publicly reported about this exact address or its immediate area:
1. News mentions, permit activity, or planned development nearby (roads, commercial projects, zoning changes)
2. Any reported crime trend, environmental issue, or nuisance in the immediate vicinity
3. Recent sale, listing, or price history chatter from public sources
4. Anything a buyer would want to know that would not show up in the MLS
Cite every item with a clickable source and date. If you find nothing credible on a point, say so rather than guessing.
How to Use These
Open Perplexity.Go to perplexity.ai and sign in. The free plan runs all 7 of these. No setup.
Pick the prompt and fill the brackets.Copy the one you need, swap in the community, city, address, or builder, and paste it in.
Check the sources, then share.Every answer has clickable citations on the side. Open a couple to confirm, then screenshot or send the sourced answer to your client.
Why Perplexity and Not ChatGPT
ChatGPT answers from what it was trained on, and it cannot show its work. For research that has to be current and defensible, that is a problem. Perplexity reads the live web and hands you the sources, so when a client asks “where did you get that,” you click the link.
Use ChatGPT and Claude for writing, thinking, and building. Use Perplexity when the answer has to be current and sourced.
Want This Built Into Your Workflow?
These 7 prompts cover the research you do over and over. The next step is folding them into one place so the research runs as part of your buyer and listing prep, instead of you remembering to open Perplexity and dig each time. That is the kind of thing I build for agents who want it done for them.
If you want a hand turning this into a real system, book a free audit and we will map it out.
Free educational resource. Not legal, financial, or tax advice. AI can be wrong, so verify before you rely on it. See the Terms.
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