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Listing description checker for fair-housing words and risky claims.
Paste a listing description. It marks wording about who the home suits, school and safety claims, vague distance claims and overused words, and suggests what to say instead.
Findings show here, marked in your text:
- Reword — wording about who the home suits, and school or safety claims
- Review — claims about the area or distance to check
- Optional — “master” and overused words
Reference
Words to avoid in real estate listings.And what to say instead.
The rule of thumb: describe the property, not the buyer. These are the phrases the checker marks most often.
| Avoid | Why | Say instead |
|---|---|---|
| “Perfect for families”, “great for kids”, “family-friendly neighborhood” | Familial status: says who the home suits. | “Three bedrooms and a fenced backyard” |
| “Adults only”, “no children” | Familial status. Only qualifying housing for older persons may say this. | Leave it out |
| “Ideal for young professionals”, “couples”, “retirees”, “empty nesters” | Describes the buyer, not the property. | “Single-level, low-maintenance living” |
| “Bachelor pad”, “man cave” | Sex: implies who should live there. | “Bonus room”, “studio” |
| “Christian home”, “steps from the synagogue” | Religion: a preference or a religious selling point. | Describe the home and the street |
| “English speakers only”, “no foreigners” | National origin. | Leave it out |
| “No wheelchairs”, “able-bodied” | Disability: a limitation on who may live there. | “Bedrooms are on the second floor” |
| “Top-rated schools”, “safe neighborhood”, “low crime” | Hard to back up, and can read as steering. | Name the park, the trail or the market |
| “Minutes from everything”, “close to it all” | A vague claim buyers can’t check. | “A 7-minute walk to Oak Park” |
| “Master bedroom” | Not a violation, but many MLSs and brokerages now say “primary”. | “Primary bedroom” |
| “Nestled”, “boasts”, “must-see”, “won’t last” | Overused: words that could describe any listing. | The fact itself |
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Get a description that passesbefore you see it.
The AI listing writer reads your photos and facts, writes in your tone and language, and runs these checks on every draft, plus rooms no photo shows. Your first 2 descriptions are free.
Questions
Fair housing in listings.Straight answers.
More on writing them: how to write a listing description and 30 examples.
Is this checker legal advice?
No. It is a drafting aid built on the Fair Housing Act’s advertising rule and HUD’s advertising guidance. It catches common problem phrases; it cannot know your market, your MLS rules or your state’s added protected classes. Read every description before you publish and ask your broker when you’re unsure.
Is my description stored?
No. The text is checked when you press the button and is not saved. No account is needed.
What does it check?
Wording that states a preference about who should live in the home (familial status, sex, religion, race, color, national origin, disability), claims about schools and safety, desirability claims about the area, vague distance claims, “master” instead of “primary”, and overused words like “nestled” and “boasts”. Each finding says why and, when it can, what to say instead.
Is “master bedroom” a fair housing violation?
No. HUD’s advertising guidance treats room descriptions like “master bedroom” as describing the property. Many MLSs and brokerages now prefer “primary bedroom”, so the checker marks it as optional.
Can I say “walking distance”?
Yes. Describing distance or the property’s features (“walking distance to the park”, “walk-in closet”) is fine. The checker only marks vague claims like “minutes from everything” so you can replace them with the place and the time.
Why are school claims flagged?
Claims about school quality are hard to verify and can read as steering buyers toward or away from an area. Buyers can research schools themselves; describe the home and name nearby places instead.
Does it check my MLS character limit?
It shows the word and character count and the first line buyers see in a preview. Limits for public remarks vary by MLS, so compare the count with yours.