Customer story

How Adriaan van den Heuvel real estate advisors uses a team of AI agents to transform the appraisal process

Together with Ctac, Adriaan van den Heuvel Real Estate Advisors did not build a single AI agent. Instead, they created an autonomous team of AI agents that work together, each with its own specialization and responsibility.

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Eline Schoonen

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Adriaan van den Heuvel makelaars en adviseurs

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With more than 25 employees, Adriaan van den Heuvel Real Estate Advisors conducts approximately 800 property appraisals every year, primarily for agricultural and commercial real estate. These appraisals are complex. In addition to on-site inspections, appraisers need to gather and assess information from more than ten different data sources, including cadastral records, zoning plans, permits, soil data, Natura 2000 areas, and market information. The process is time-consuming, prone to manual errors, and increasingly challenged by tighter deadlines and growing data requirements.

To address these challenges, the firm partnered with Ctac to develop an innovative system of collaborating AI agents. Rather than building a single tool, they created an autonomous team of specialized agents that supports the entire appraisal process. As a result, the role of the appraiser is fundamentally changing: from executor to orchestrator.

We have almost created a complete digital colleague. The agents work autonomously, collaborate with one another, and only involve me when a decision needs to be made. I’m no longer the executor. I’m the conductor. Frank Hendrikx, partner at Adriaan van den Heuvel makelaardij en adviseurs

More data, less time

The motivation behind this innovation stems from the increasing complexity of modern property appraisals and the growing pressure to deliver results faster. Where appraisals once focused primarily on buildings and locations, they now require consideration of ESG factors, environmental regulations, soil conditions, and market benchmarks. This often resulted in inefficient, manual work. Information collected on-site had to be entered into systems later, creating unnecessary duplication, increasing the risk of errors, and limiting scalability.

From a single agent to an autonomous team

Frank Hendrikx had been thinking about improving the appraisal process for years. “I first recognized this challenge around 2016. At the time, I already had the idea of developing an inspection app. The first version worked, but the technology simply wasn’t mature enough. Two years ago, I revisited the concept. Technology had progressed significantly, but I felt there was still much more potential to unlock.”

The emergence of large language models and autonomous AI agents created new opportunities. Together with Ctac, Hendrikx moved beyond building a standalone application and developed an architecture of collaborating AI agents. Each agent operates independently with a specific objective, while collectively contributing to a high-quality appraisal report.

A Team of Specialized AI Agents

The solution consists of four AI agents working together seamlessly throughout the appraisal process.

Four agents working together

Analyze

The Inspection Agent analyzes property photos and videos, identifies building materials, installations, and property characteristics, and captures the findings in a structured format.

Research

The Data Agent autonomously consults a wide range of external data sources, including public permit databases, zoning portals, cadastral records, and groundwater maps, to gather relevant information.

Provide Context

The Context Agent enriches the appraisal by analyzing the surrounding environment, including nearby facilities, Natura 2000 protected areas, and recent transaction prices of comparable agricultural properties.

Compile

The Reporting Agent consolidates all collected information, structures it according to the required reporting standards, and prepares a draft appraisal report.

Whenever necessary, a human-in-the-loop approach ensures that the appraiser remains involved in critical decisions. The appraiser reviews, validates, and finalizes the outcome without having to perform every step manually. In practice, much of the work is already completed before the appraiser has even returned to the office. “As soon as I leave the farmer’s property, the information is already available and structured for me. That’s a huge time saver, but it goes beyond efficiency. It’s a fundamentally different way of working.”

The Impact

The expected impact is significant: up to 70% time savings throughout the appraisal process. This enables the firm to handle more assignments without compromising quality. At the same time, appraisers remain fully responsible for the final assessment, aligning with the industry’s view that AI should support human expertise rather than replace it.

Building More Than a Tool

Ctac played a key role throughout the project. By combining deep process knowledge with technological expertise, the partnership delivered more than just a software solution. Together, they developed an entirely new operating model. Special attention was given to agent collaboration, reliability, cybersecurity, governance, and clear boundaries for autonomous decision-making.

Hendrikx emphasizes that the impact extends far beyond his own organization: “You need to understand business processes, integrate systems, address cybersecurity requirements, and carefully determine what the system should and should not decide independently. Those are not things you solve overnight. This will have a significant impact on the entire sector.”

From Appraiser to Orchestrator

At its core, this transformation is about changing the role of professionals. Appraisers spend less time collecting and processing information and more time applying expertise, making decisions, and ensuring quality.

As Hendrikx concludes: “We are no longer involved in every operational task ourselves. Instead, we manage and direct the process. You become the conductor of the entire operation.”

Ready to Explore the Possibilities?

Would you like to discover how a team of autonomous AI agents can help your organization rethink complex processes and unlock new levels of productivity? Contact Ctac and learn how AI agents can transform the way your business operates.