Real Estate Listing Description Examples
Good real estate listing description examples have one thing in common: they lead with the single fact a buyer cares about most, then prove it with specifics. Below are 20 short examples by property type, each with a note on why it works, so you can copy the structure and adapt it to your own listing.
What makes a good listing description
Buyers scan. On a property portal they see your photos first, then the first line or two of text, so that opening has to earn the click. The strongest property description examples follow the same pattern:
- Hook: the one thing that sets this home apart (the view, the garden, the location, the price).
- Proof: concrete details such as room counts, sizes, upgrades and the year of work, not adjectives.
- Lifestyle, briefly: what living there is like, described through the property, never through the kind of person who should buy it.
- Call to action: a clear next step, such as booking a viewing.
Specific beats flowery. Zillow's analysis of more than 2 million listings found that descriptions naming concrete features, such as "barn door", "shaker cabinets" or "subway tile", sold faster and for more than expected (Zillow, 2016). The full method is in our guide on how to write a property description, with a template.
House listing description examples
1. Family-sized semi: "Four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a 60-foot south-facing garden, five minutes' walk from the station. The kitchen was refitted in 2024 with quartz worktops and opens onto a decked terrace."
Why it works: the garden size and walking time are facts a buyer can check, and the refit year answers "how old is it?"
2. Starter home: "A two-bedroom terraced house with a new boiler, double glazing throughout and a private rear courtyard. Move-in ready and priced at $289,000."
Why it works: first-time buyers fear repair bills, so the description leads with what's already been done.
3. Character property: "Built in 1910 and carefully updated, this three-bedroom home keeps its original fireplaces, high ceilings and oak floors, with rewiring and a new roof completed in 2023."
Why it works: it pairs charm with reassurance about the expensive, invisible work.
4. Bungalow: "Single-level living on a quiet cul-de-sac: three bedrooms, a wet room and a level garden with a greenhouse. Driveway parking for two cars."
Why it works: "single-level" and "level garden" describe the property's accessibility without saying who it's for.
Apartment and condo examples
5. City apartment: "A bright 68 m² corner apartment on the eighth floor with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, a west-facing balcony and a lift. Service charge €145 a month."
Why it works: it states the running cost up front, which saves time for everyone.
6. Condo with amenities: "One bedroom plus den, 610 sq ft, with an in-suite washer and dryer, a storage locker and access to the building's gym and rooftop terrace."
Why it works: the den is named as a flexible room instead of being oversold as a second bedroom.
7. Studio: "A well-planned studio with a separate kitchen area, a full-height wardrobe wall and a shower room renovated in 2025, two minutes from the tram."
Why it works: small spaces sell on layout and storage, so it describes both.
Rental listing examples
8. Furnished flat: "Available 1 March: a furnished two-bedroom flat with a modern kitchen, fast fibre broadband and allocated parking. £1,450 pcm, 12-month lease, deposit £1,673."
Why it works: renters filter on date, price, term and deposit, so all four are in the text.
9. Pet-friendly house: "Pets considered. A three-bedroom house with a fully fenced garden, a utility room and a downstairs WC, unfurnished, from 15 May."
Why it works: it opens with the answer to the most common rental question.
10. Room near campus: "Double room with its own shower room in a shared four-bed house, bills included, 10 minutes by bike to the university campus."
Why it works: it gives distance to a place, not a judgement about who lives nearby.
Luxury, new build and waterfront examples
11. Luxury villa: "Set on 1.2 acres with views across the bay, this five-bedroom villa offers a 15-metre infinity pool, a wine room and a self-contained guest suite."
Why it works: luxury copy stays calm and lets the numbers do the impressing.
12. Penthouse: "A 210 m² penthouse with a wraparound terrace, two private lifts and uninterrupted views of the skyline from every principal room."
13. New build: "Completed in 2026 with an A-rated energy certificate, underfloor heating, an EV charger and the remainder of a 10-year structural warranty."
Why it works: new-build buyers compare running costs and guarantees, so those come first.
14. Waterfront home: "Direct lake frontage with a private jetty, a boathouse and a lawn that runs down to the water. Three bedrooms face the lake."
More of these by type, with the facts each kind of buyer looks for, are in listing description examples by property type.
Land, fixer-upper and commercial examples
15. Building plot: "A 0.4-acre level plot with outline planning permission for a detached home, mains water and electricity at the boundary, and road frontage."
Why it works: land buyers need permissions and utilities, not adjectives.
16. Fixer-upper: "A solid 1960s three-bedroom house in need of full modernisation, on a large corner plot. Priced to reflect the work, with no onward chain."
Why it works: honest wording attracts the right buyers and avoids wasted viewings.
17. Retail unit: "Ground-floor retail unit of 85 m² with a full glass frontage on the high street, a rear storeroom and a staff WC."
18. Holiday cottage: "A two-bedroom stone cottage with a log burner and a walled garden, 400 metres from the beach path."
Short examples for portals and social posts
19. Under 200 characters: "Three-bed home with a new kitchen, south garden and garage, a short walk from schools and shops. Viewings from Saturday."
20. Just-listed caption: "Just listed: a two-bed apartment with a sunny balcony and parking, five minutes from the metro. Message us to book a viewing."
For more captions, see our just listed post examples, and for swaps that make any of these stronger, the list of real estate words that sell.
How to adapt these examples
Keep the structure, change the facts. Swap in your property's real numbers, check every claim against what you know, and remove anything you can't verify. Portals and MLSs cap the length, and the limits vary: many Canadian boards allow about 1,020 characters (Bōde). MLSs also restrict what public remarks may contain, such as contact details (NorthstarMLS). Write the hook so it stands on its own. Describe the home, not the ideal buyer: fair housing rules in many countries treat "perfect for families" or "ideal for professionals" as a stated preference (NAR).
If you'd rather not start from a blank page, our AI listing description generator writes a description like these from your details, and you can open it already set to a condo, land or rental house. In NAR's 2025 Technology Survey, 46% of agents said they already use AI-generated content such as listing descriptions.
References
- Zillow (2016). Homes with subway tiles, barn doors or farmhouse sinks can sell for up to 13 percent more and 60 days faster.
- National Association of Realtors (2025). Realtors embrace AI, digital tools to enhance client service, NAR survey finds.
- Bōde. What is the maximum number of characters allowed for an MLS description?
- NorthstarMLS. Listing remarks: the six sections and how to stay compliant.
- National Association of Realtors. Window to the Law: advertising within the fair housing framework.