1. Objective
This SOP defines how a Virtual Assistant (VA) writes property descriptions that attract buyers, reflect the agent's brand voice, and comply with Fair Housing law — so the agent never has to write a description from scratch.
A property description is not a data sheet. It is a buyer's first emotional encounter with a home. Before they schedule a showing, before they ask their agent to set up an alert, before they click the photos — they read a few sentences. Those sentences either make them feel something, or they don't. The VA's job is to make them feel something.
The test: After reading the description, does a buyer want to walk through the front door? If yes, the description is working. If it reads like a features list, rewrite it.
Where this SOP starts: The agent provides property details after listing photos are approved.
Where this SOP ends: Agent-approved description is filed and available for MLS input, flyer, website, and email.Success looks like: The agent reads the draft and sends it back with minor edits — not a complete rewrite. The description sounds like the agent's voice, not a generic template.
2. Your Role & Boundaries
2a. What you handle independently
- Drafting all property descriptions from agent-provided property details
- Writing both the MLS version (character-limited) and the extended marketing version
- Checking all descriptions against the Fair Housing word list before submitting for agent review
- Checking all descriptions against the agent's brand voice from Brand Style Guide Creation & Maintenance
- Filing all approved versions to the campaign folder
2b. What requires agent approval before acting
- Every description before it is used in any published asset — the agent reviews and approves
- Any claims about the property that the VA cannot verify from the agent's inputs (e.g., "best views in the neighborhood") — flag it and let the agent decide whether to include
- Any neighborhood or community descriptions — these carry Fair Housing risk; agent reviews all such language
- Any descriptions referencing the seller's situation (motivated seller, relocation, estate sale) — agent direction only
2c. What you never do
- You never negotiate on the agent's behalf under any circumstances.
- You never provide pricing, legal, or strategic opinions to any party.
- You never sign or initial any document on behalf of the agent, client, or any party.
- You never communicate directly with the other party's client.
- You never use language in a property description that references protected classes — see Section 5.
- You never describe a neighborhood in terms of its demographic composition — this is a Fair Housing violation regardless of framing.
- You never input a property description into the MLS without the agent's written approval.
- You never make claims about a property you cannot verify from the agent's provided details.
When in doubt about Fair Housing: Leave out the language in question, note it to the agent, and let the agent decide. It is always safer to omit than to include potentially problematic language.
3. Schedule & Trigger
Trigger: Listing agreement signed and agent provides property details. The description should be drafted as soon as the agent provides the information — do not wait for final photos to begin the draft.
Turnaround: Deliver the draft to the agent within 24 hours of receiving property details.
Sequence context: This SOP feeds directly into Listing Marketing Campaign. The approved description is the copy backbone for the MLS listing (MLS Data Entry & Listing Input Standards), the listing flyer (Property Flyer & Brochure Creation), the Just Listed email, and the property website.
4. The Philosophy: Tell a Story, Not a Feature List
Two approaches to writing a property description:
Transactional (do not use this approach):
3 bed / 2 bath home in [City]. Updated kitchen with granite counters and stainless appliances. Hardwood floors throughout. Large backyard. 2-car garage. Close to schools and shopping. Move-in ready.
Story-driven (aim for this):
There's something about the light in this kitchen — morning sun through south-facing windows, bouncing off the freshly refinished hardwood floors, hitting the quartz island right in the center. It's the kind of kitchen that makes you want to make coffee slowly. Three bedrooms, two full baths, and a backyard big enough to be useful without being a weekend project. Two-car garage. Walk to Westfield Elementary in under ten minutes.
The second version uses more words, but it earns them. It tells you something about the texture of living in this home that a feature list cannot.
How to identify the story angle:
- What is the property's single most distinctive feature? Lead with it.
- Who is the most likely buyer? Write the lifestyle that buyer is imagining.
- What would a buyer remember about this property after five showings?
Ask the agent: "What's the one thing you would highlight if you were describing this house to a friend?" That is the lead.
5. Structure of a Property Description
MLS Version (short — typically 500–1,000 characters depending on MLS)
- Hook (1 sentence): The most compelling or distinctive thing about the property. Make it specific — not "beautiful home" but "the only lot in Forest Hills with mature oak coverage and a south-facing yard."
- Lifestyle statement (1–2 sentences): What life feels like here. Not features — experience.
- Key highlights (3–5 features, written as prose, not bullets): The most compelling property features. Prioritize what buyers in this price range and neighborhood care about.
- Practical details (1 sentence): Beds, baths, lot size, garage, any critical practical info.
- CTA (optional): "Schedule your private showing today." — brief, if the MLS allows.
Marketing Version (extended — for flyer, website, email)
The extended version follows the same structure but with more room to breathe. The lifestyle statement can expand to a short paragraph. Feature highlights get a sentence each. The neighborhood can be described in 2–3 sentences.
Length guideline: 150–300 words for the extended version. Longer is not better — tighter is better.
6. Writing Strong Descriptions
The hook
The hook should answer: why is this property worth stopping for?
- Weak: "Welcome to this beautiful 3-bedroom home."
- Strong: "If your buyer is looking for move-in ready in the Eastside school district with a real backyard — this is it."
- Strong: "The original 1928 craftsman details — arched doorways, built-in bookshelves, coved ceilings — have been preserved. The kitchen and baths have not."
Lifestyle over features
Features are the facts. Lifestyle is the feeling those facts produce.
| Feature | Lifestyle translation |
|---|---|
| Open floor plan | "Living room, dining room, and kitchen flow together — the layout that makes entertaining feel effortless." |
| Large backyard | "Room for a real garden, a trampoline, and a patio — all three at once." |
| Updated kitchen | "The kitchen does the work: quartz counters, stainless appliances, and enough island space to actually prep a meal." |
| Quiet neighborhood | "The street is the kind where kids ride bikes in the cul-de-sac and neighbors know each other's names." |
Word choices that work and don't
Use: specific, sensory, concrete, active
Avoid: vague superlatives (beautiful, stunning, amazing, charming), passive voice, clichés (cozy, nestled, rare find, a must-see, won't last)
Clichés signal that the writer stopped trying. Specific language signals that the writer actually looked at the property.
7. Fair Housing Compliance
Fair Housing law prohibits discriminatory language in real estate advertising. The VA must check every description for prohibited language before submitting for agent review.
Words and phrases to never use in property descriptions:
| Category | Examples of prohibited language |
|---|---|
| Race / ethnicity | Any racial or ethnic descriptors of any kind — whether positive or negative |
| Religion | "Walking distance to [church/temple/mosque]", "in a [religious group]-friendly neighborhood" |
| National origin | Any reference to nationality or ethnic background of neighbors or community |
| Familial status | "Perfect for families," "adult community," "not suitable for children" |
| Disability | "Ideal for the able-bodied," "no disabilities," or any reference to handicap accessibility when used to steer |
| Sex | Any gendered language used to characterize the neighborhood or intended buyer |
How to describe neighborhoods without violating Fair Housing:
- Name the neighborhood: "Located in the Forest Hills neighborhood"
- Name nearby amenities: "Walk to Westfield Elementary, Riverside Park, and the Maple Street farmers market"
- Name local character through physical features: "Tree-lined streets, well-maintained lots, homes from the 1940s through 1980s"
- Do not describe who lives there
Reference: Fair Housing & Advertising Compliance contains the full compliance guide and prohibited word list. Cross-check before every submission.
8. Grammar and Style Standards
Apply these consistently on every description:
- No ALL CAPS — anywhere, ever, including the headline
- Consistent tense — present tense is standard for real estate descriptions ("The kitchen features..." not "The kitchen featured...")
- Punctuation after every sentence — not exclamation marks after every sentence
- One exclamation mark maximum per description — use it only if the copy genuinely earns it
- Spell out numbers under 10 in running prose; use numerals for addresses and measurements
- Common real estate spelling: "3-bedroom" (hyphenated when used as adjective), "square feet" (not sq. ft. in marketing copy), "move-in ready" (hyphenated), "cul-de-sac"
- Do not start with "Welcome to" — this opener is overused and wastes the hook
9. Agent Review Requirement
Every description — MLS version and extended version — must be reviewed and approved by the agent before it is used anywhere. No exceptions.
Submission format:
Hi [Agent Name] — property description drafts for [Address] attached.
MLS version (short): [X characters — within [MLS] limit of [Y] characters]
Marketing version (extended): [X words]
Notes:
- I led with [the backyard / the kitchen / the location] as the primary story angle — let me know if you'd prefer a different focus
- [Any Fair Housing flag or question — e.g., "I omitted the religious center reference — let me know if you want to revisit"]
- Ready to input to MLS and pass to the flyer as soon as you approve
[VA Name]
After approval:
- Save both versions to 02 - Copy in the campaign folder ([Address] - Property Description - MLS - Approved and [Address] - Property Description - Extended - Approved)
- Pass the approved MLS version to the MLS input workflow (MLS Data Entry & Listing Input Standards)
- Pass the extended version to the flyer and email workflows
10. Checklist
Before drafting
- ☐ Agent has provided property details (beds, baths, lot, garage, updates, key features)
- ☐ Agent has confirmed brand voice per Brand Style Guide Creation & Maintenance
Drafting
- ☐ Story angle identified — most distinctive feature leads
- ☐ MLS version drafted within MLS character limit
- ☐ Extended marketing version drafted (150–300 words)
- ☐ Fair Housing word check complete — no prohibited language
- ☐ Brand voice check — description sounds like the agent, not a template
- ☐ No ALL CAPS, no "Welcome to," no exclamation-mark overuse
Agent Review
- ☐ Both versions sent to agent with submission note
- ☐ Agent approval received before any use
Filing
- ☐ Approved MLS version saved to campaign folder
- ☐ Approved extended version saved to campaign folder
- ☐ Versions passed to MLS input and flyer workflows
11. Escalation Protocol
Escalate to the agent immediately in any of these situations:
- A property description draft cannot be completed because essential property details (key features, seller story, specific selling points) have not been provided by the agent
- Agent review of a submitted description has not been returned within 48 hours and the MLS input window is approaching
- A property description draft contains language flagged as a potential Fair Housing violation during self-review — hold and flag before submitting to agent
- The agent requests a description that includes specific claims (e.g., "best views in the neighborhood," "walking distance to top-rated schools") — flag that these require verification before inclusion
- A previously approved description needs to be updated mid-listing (new features added, price change, condition change) and the agent has not provided revised talking points
Hi [Agent Name] — property description issue for [Address] needs your input.
Issue: [Missing details / approval pending / Fair Housing concern / unverified claim / mid-listing update needed]
Draft status: [Complete and awaiting review / incomplete pending your input]
Go-live or MLS deadline: [Date if known]
Needed: [Provide feature details / approve draft / confirm verifiability of claim / provide revised talking points]
[VA Name]
If the agent is unreachable: Hold the description in draft — do not submit to MLS without agent approval. If the Fair Housing concern is clear-cut (a prohibited phrase as defined in the compliance guidelines), remove it and flag the edit to the agent. Do not re-insert flagged language without explicit agent instruction.
12. Tools & Access
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Property intake data | From Property Intake & Data Collection property intake — confirm where agent stores property details during onboarding |
| MLS | For character/word count limits on public remarks — confirm VA read access |
| Google Drive / listing folder | For filing approved descriptions |
| Agent brand voice notes | Confirm where agent's voice/style preferences are documented during onboarding |