Robot 'agents' roll in California

When Gilbert Serrano opened the door of his potential dream house, a modern, two-bedroom rental, he was surprised to be greeted not by a real estate agent, but by a robot. An iPad mounted on the machine displayed an agent's smiling face. These robots, rolled out last summer in the Bay Area by high-tech property management startup Zenplace, are intended to take the hassle out of coordinating showing times between agents and prospective renters. They're just one piece of the new wave of technology that's changing the way houses are bought, sold and rented, as platforms such as Zillow, Redfin and a host of smaller startups have eroded the real estate agent's importance. These days, clients can use artificial intelligence to comb property data without a human real estate agent, take virtual tours of promising houses from their couches, and even apply for their favorite apartments online.