Why Property Descriptions Matter
In real estate, words sell homes. Studies show that listings with well-written descriptions sell 15% faster and often for higher prices than those with basic, bullet-point-only listings. Our free AI listing description generator helps agents and homeowners create compelling property copy that converts browsers into buyers.
What Makes a Great Listing Description?
- Paint a picture — Help buyers visualize living in the home. "Sun-drenched kitchen" beats "kitchen has windows."
- Lead with the best feature — Put your strongest selling point in the first sentence.
- Include the neighborhood — Buyers are buying the location as much as the home.
- Use power words — "Stunning," "spacious," "move-in ready," and "chef's kitchen" drive engagement.
- Keep it scannable — Busy buyers skim listings. Use short paragraphs and highlight key features.
Two Formats, One Click
Our generator creates both a full MLS-style description (perfect for Zillow, Realtor.com, and MLS systems) and a short social media version (ideal for Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn posts). Save hours of writing time and maintain consistent, professional quality across all your listing channels.
Built for Real Estate Professionals
Whether you're listing a starter condo or a luxury estate, our AI adapts its language and selling points to match the property type. It knows that luxury buyers care about finishes and lifestyle, while first-time buyers want value and convenience. Simply describe what makes the property special, and let AI do the heavy lifting.
MLS Description Writing Guidelines
Writing for the MLS is a distinct skill with its own rules and constraints. Understanding the technical requirements of MLS description writing helps you create copy that performs well both in the database and in the eyes of prospective buyers searching online.
Character Limits and Field Requirements
Most MLS systems enforce character limits that vary by market — common limits are 500, 1,000, or 1,500 characters for the public remarks field. Before writing, confirm the character limit for your specific MLS. Our generator produces descriptions in the 150 to 250 word range, which fits within most MLS public remarks fields while leaving room for any final edits you want to make. If your MLS has a separate "agent-only" remarks field, use it for showing instructions, access codes, and seller preferences that are not appropriate for the public description.
Fair Housing Compliance
The Fair Housing Act prohibits discriminatory language in real estate listings. Avoid any language that could indicate preference for or against buyers based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, familial status, or disability. This includes seemingly neutral phrases that carry discriminatory implications. Do not describe a neighborhood as "exclusive," "prestigious," or reference nearby religious institutions as selling points. Do not mention whether a property is "great for families," "perfect for singles," or "ideal for retirees" — these phrases can imply preferences about familial status or age. The safest approach is to describe the property itself — its features, finishes, and physical characteristics — rather than the type of person who might enjoy living there. Our AI generator is designed to produce Fair Housing-compliant descriptions that focus on the home rather than the hypothetical occupant.
Avoiding Discriminatory Language
Beyond explicit Fair Housing violations, be careful with language that indirectly implies neighborhood demographics. Phrases like "charming established neighborhood" or "vibrant community" are generally acceptable. Phrases that reference the racial or ethnic composition of an area, proximity to specific houses of worship as a selling point, or descriptions of schools using language that implies demographic preferences are all problematic regardless of intent. When in doubt, run your listing language by your broker or legal counsel before publishing.
SEO for Real Estate Listings
Most buyers begin their home search online, and the majority use a search engine before they ever visit a real estate portal. Writing descriptions with search engine optimization in mind ensures your listings are discoverable by buyers at the earliest stage of their search.
Primary and Local Keyword Placement
The most searched real estate queries follow the format "[bedrooms] [property type] for sale in [city/neighborhood]." Incorporating this natural language into your listing description helps both real estate portals and search engines understand what the listing is about. Include the neighborhood name, city, and any highly-searched neighborhood identifiers (school districts, nearby landmarks, named communities) at least once in the full description. Avoid forcing keywords awkwardly — "This 3-bedroom home for sale in Austin Texas is located in the Westlake area of Austin Texas" reads poorly and performs worse than naturally incorporating the location once or twice.
Featured Snippet Optimization
Google frequently displays a "rich snippet" or featured result for specific real estate searches. For local queries like "3 bedroom homes for sale in Scottsdale," Google may pull text directly from a listing description. Descriptions that begin with a clear, direct summary statement — "This updated 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom single-family home in North Scottsdale features..." — are more likely to be pulled into featured snippets than descriptions that open with emotional language. Consider writing the first one to two sentences of your description as a clear factual summary before transitioning into more evocative language.
Social Media Listing Descriptions
Real estate social media has become one of the most effective lead generation channels for agents. But the content format that works on Instagram bears almost no resemblance to an MLS description. Understanding the distinct requirements of each platform ensures your listing content performs on every channel.
Instagram Listing Posts
Instagram listing captions should lead with lifestyle aspiration rather than specs. "Imagine Sunday mornings on your private terrace overlooking the canyon" converts better than "Private terrace with canyon view included." Feature two or three of the most visually compelling aspects of the property in the caption, and save the full spec list for the swipe-through images. End with a specific CTA: "DM for the address" or "Link in bio for the virtual tour." Relevant emojis — a house emoji, a key, a location pin — increase caption readability without looking unprofessional when used in moderation.
Facebook Listing Posts
Facebook allows longer-form content than Instagram, and real estate posts perform well with a slightly more detailed format. A Facebook listing post can include the full address, price, three to five key features, and open house details in a single post without the content feeling dense. Facebook's audience tends to be older and more intent-driven when searching for real estate, so including practical details like price, square footage, and school district name is appropriate and expected. Facebook groups — particularly neighborhood-specific and real estate investor groups — are a high-value distribution channel for listing posts.
LinkedIn Listing Posts
LinkedIn listing posts are most effective for high-end residential and commercial real estate where the buyer or renter may be a professional, executive, or investor. Frame the property in terms of investment potential, lifestyle positioning, or corporate relocation appeal rather than pure residential features. A luxury condo listing on LinkedIn might emphasize proximity to financial district offices, guest suite for business visitors, and building concierge services that support a professional lifestyle. Keep the tone elevated and the length moderate — two to three short paragraphs with a clear CTA.
Common Listing Description Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced agents frequently make the same writing mistakes in listing descriptions. Avoiding these errors can meaningfully improve listing performance without changing anything else about your marketing strategy.
- Overusing capital letters and exclamation points — "STUNNING HOME!!! MUST SEE!!!" reads as low-quality copy and signals desperation rather than confidence. Use capitals and exclamation points sparingly for genuine emphasis, not as a substitute for compelling description.
- Vague and generic descriptions — Phrases like "beautiful home," "great location," and "lots of natural light" appear in thousands of listings and communicate nothing specific. Replace every generic phrase with a specific detail: not "beautiful kitchen" but "kitchen with white Shaker cabinets, quartz countertops, and a six-burner gas range."
- Missing key practical details — Buyers need to know bedroom and bathroom count, square footage, parking situation, and HOA status. Omitting practical information forces buyers to dig for it — and many will not bother. Include the critical facts early in the description.
- Failing to mention the neighborhood or nearby amenities — Buyers are purchasing a location as much as a home. Mentioning the top school district, walkable retail, commute convenience, or proximity to parks and trails adds context that pure property specs cannot provide. Even a single sentence about the neighborhood's character significantly strengthens a listing description.
- Burying the best feature — If the property has a breathtaking view, a chef's kitchen, or a newly renovated primary suite, that feature should be in the first sentence. Many agents save the best for last, but online buyers often skim only the first paragraph before deciding whether to keep scrolling.