# Real Estate Listing Descriptions: Examples and What to Cut

> Write a real estate listing description from the facts buyers check: updates with years, layout, outdoor space, honest quirks. With a fair-housing wording note.

Source: https://hidengpt.com/write/real-estate-listing-description

# I need a listing description for a house, and I don't want it to read like every other listing.

Write down what the photos and listing fields can't show: updates with years, how the rooms connect, light, storage, outdoor space and the honest quirks. HidenGPT's Anything format turns those notes into about 200 words of remarks, and its red pen cuts listing clichés such as “nestled” and “boasts”. Describe the property, never who should buy it.

Wrote the remarks already? Paste them into the free AI cliché checker: it marks stock phrases such as “nestled” and “boasts”, gives a 0-100 naturalness score and runs in your browser with no account. It isn't an AI detector, and it doesn't review fair housing wording. [Does my writing sound like AI?](https://hidengpt.com/tools/ai-cliche-checker)

Updated October 10, 2026 · by the HidenGPT team

Try it with your own details

Enter to send · Shift+Enter for a new line

## How to do it in HidenGPT

- 01 Walk through the property with a notepad and write facts instead of adjectives: the year of each update, room sizes that matter, which way the windows face, storage, parking and what stays with the house.
- 02 Leave “Use it for” on Anything, paste your notes with a line saying they're for the MLS remarks, and keep Length on Enter a word count at 200 or change the number to fit your field.
- 03 Ask in the same request for any extra pieces, such as a two-sentence teaser for social posts or a flyer headline; each one comes back under its own heading.
- 04 Read the draft against your notes, look at what the red pen crossed out, and search the text for any word about people rather than the property.
- 05 If your MLS caps the public remarks in characters, count them with spaces, then paste the text and read it once more in the listing preview.

[Anything](https://hidengpt.com/tools/freeform): Describe what you need; it works out the format and writes it.

## What buyers read the remarks for

Beds, baths, square footage and price already sit in the listing fields, and the photos show the finishes. Buyers read the remarks for what neither can show: how old the roof and the heating are, whether the kitchen was redone and when, how the rooms connect, which rooms get light, where the storage is, how parking works, what's outside and what the trade-offs are.

A rule of thumb for the order: one opening line with the strongest fact, then the updates with years, the layout, the outside, the location in minutes, and last the honest limits. “Roof 2021, heat pump 2019” earns more trust than “move-in ready” because a buyer can check it on the inspection report. Putting the small third bedroom and the missing basement in writing saves a showing for someone who needs both, and keeps your weekends for buyers who don't.

## Before and after: listing lines

Before: “Nestled on a quiet street, this charming home boasts a stunning updated kitchen and is perfect for a growing family.”
After: “The kitchen was redone in 2022 with quartz counters, a gas range and a pantry cupboard.”

Before: “An entertainer's dream backyard.”
After: “The fenced 0.3-acre yard has two pecan trees and a 10x12 shed.”

Before: “Conveniently located close to everything.”
After: “The greenway trail is a 10-minute walk, and the highway is 6 minutes by car.”

Before: “Cozy third bedroom.”
After: “The third bedroom is 9x10, room for a desk or a single bed.”

Each after line has a number or a noun a buyer can verify. The red pen in the Anything format flags “nestled” and “boasts” on its own; words like “charming”, “stunning” and “dream” you cut yourself. The first before line has a second problem as well: it says who the house is for, which is the subject of the next section.

## Fair-housing wording: describe the property, not the people

In the US, HUD's fair housing regulation (24 CFR 100.75) makes it unlawful to publish a notice, statement or advertisement for the sale or rental of a dwelling that indicates a preference, limitation or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, disability (the rule says handicap), familial status or national origin. It names words, phrases, photographs and symbols, and listing remarks are an advertisement. The habit that keeps you clear: describe the house and let each buyer decide whether it suits them.

Swaps that keep the fact and drop the person:
“perfect for a growing family” becomes “three bedrooms on one level and a fenced yard”
“ideal for retirees” becomes “primary bedroom on the main floor”
“great bachelor pad” becomes “open-plan studio with a loft bed”
“not suitable for wheelchairs” becomes “six steps up to the front door”

State and local laws often protect more groups, and many brokerages and MLSs keep their own lists of words to avoid. This is usual practice, not legal advice: when a phrase worries you, ask your broker or a fair housing lawyer. The draft follows your notes, so if they say “perfect for a young family”, the draft may too. Write the notes about the house, and read the result for words about people.

## Length, limits and the settings

These are rules of thumb, not measurements: full remarks of 150 to 250 words, and a teaser for social posts of 25 to 40 words. MLS public remarks fields often cap the length in characters, and the cap differs from one MLS to the next, so check yours before you write. About 200 English words come to roughly 1,100 to 1,300 characters with spaces.

With Enter a word count set to 200, the Anything format plans the remarks to that number, checks the count after drafting and fixes a draft that lands far off. The red pen runs at Light by default: it rewrites only the sentences with stock phrases or a flat rhythm and shows a naturalness score before and after. If you write remarks every week, a voice built from two to five listings you wrote yourself (at least 300 characters, on Pro or Pro Max) keeps every draft in your own style.

## Not the right tool if

- A legal review of your ad. It drafts from your notes and doesn't check wording against fair housing law; your broker or a lawyer does that.
- Facts you haven't confirmed, such as square footage copied from an old listing or a permit you're unsure of. Check the numbers first, because the remarks will repeat them.

## Other ways to do it

Your brokerage's or MLS's own guidance

Many keep templates, field limits and lists of words to avoid. The right place to check the rules for your market.

A local real estate copywriter

Worth it for high-end or unusual properties. Slower, and you pay per listing.

Writing it yourself after the walk-through

Accurate and fully yours. The risk is reaching for the same adjectives on every listing.

ChatGPT or another chatbot

Fast drafts, but expect “nestled”, “boasts” and lines about who the home is perfect for, and check every fact.

## Questions

### How do I write a real estate listing description?

Open with the strongest fact about the property, then give updates with years, the layout, the outdoor space and the location in minutes, and end with any honest limits. Skip what the listing fields already show, such as beds, baths and price.

### How long should a real estate listing description be?

A rule of thumb is 150 to 250 words for full remarks, but many MLSs and portals cap the field in characters, and the caps differ. Check yours and count characters with spaces before you paste.

### What words should I avoid in a real estate listing?

Avoid words about who should live there, such as “perfect for families”, “ideal for retirees” or “bachelor pad”, because HUD's fair housing rule bars ads that signal a preference based on protected traits. Also cut empty words like “nestled”, “boasts” and “move-in ready” that tell a buyer nothing.

### Can I say a house is great for kids?

Better not: describe the features instead, such as a fenced yard or three bedrooms on one level. An ad that signals a preference about familial status can break fair housing rules, and buyers can draw their own conclusions from the facts.

### Will it make up features the house doesn't have?

It writes from your notes, but the Anything format fills gaps with reasonable assumptions, so delete anything you didn't give it. Sizes, years and what stays with the house deserve a second look.

### Can it write the social post and the flyer too?

Yes. Ask for them in the same request, for example the MLS remarks, a two-sentence caption and a flyer headline, and each comes back under its own heading.

### Can I try it before paying?

Yes, visitors can run 2 drafts a day on the homepage without an account. A voice built from your past listings needs Pro or Pro Max; Pro is $3 for the first month.

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