Why Was My Property Description Flagged?

What are Public Remarks?

Public Remarks is the main written description of your property. It is what buyers and agents read on the MLS, Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and every other portal your listing is syndicated to. Think of it as the sales copy for your home — your opportunity to describe what makes it worth seeing in person.

A strong Public Remarks section focuses entirely on the property itself: the layout, features, finishes, upgrades, outdoor space, and anything else that would help a buyer picture living there.

What Public Remarks is NOT: It is not a place for your contact information, pricing details, showing instructions, open house announcements, or anything that belongs in a separate MLS field. The MLS treats this as a strictly regulated public-facing field, and content that violates its rules can result in fines or delays which is why Beycome validates your description before it goes live.

Description examples

The examples below use the same fictional property. The non-compliant version has the violations highlighted so you can see exactly what triggers a rejection.

Compliant description:

Spacious 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom single-family home in central Tampa. Built in 2018 and well maintained throughout. Open-concept kitchen with quartz countertops, stainless steel appliances, and a large island. Primary suite features a walk-in closet and en-suite bathroom with dual vanity. Covered back patio overlooking a fenced backyard with mature landscaping. Two-car garage with additional storage. Located minutes from major highways, grocery stores, and local dining.

Describes the property only. No contact info, no price, no forbidden words. Compliant and ready to publish.

Non-compliant description:

Perfect for families with kids! This beautiful 3-bed, 2-bath home is listed at $485,000. Call the owner directly at 813-555-0192 to schedule a showing — open house this Saturday at 10am. Use GPS to find us. FSBO — no commission. Lockbox code is 4821. Updated kitchen, covered patio, and a two-car garage. Ideal for a growing family in one of Tampa’s safest neighborhoods.

Violations: forbidden phrases, price listed, contact info, open house details, GPS, FSBO, commission mention, lockbox code, and “safest” — all blocked by MLS rules.

The rules at a glance

These rules come from the MLS — not from Beycome. We enforce them automatically to make sure your listing goes live without delays or rejections.

Not allowed content:

• Your name, phone number, or email address
• Any website links or virtual tour links
• The listing price or HOA fee
• Commission or compensation of any kind
• Open house dates, times, or announcements
• Showing instructions of any kind
• Security details — alarm codes, gate codes, lockbox combinations, or access instructions

Not allowed phrasing:

• The word GPS (copyrighted term — use “navigation” instead)
• Terms like FSBO, realtors welcome, or commission
• Phrases like perfect for, ideal for, or safest (MLS fair advertising rules)
• Terms like short-term or vacation (rental use implication)
• The word offer, agreement, or settlement
• Independent living or seasonal worker

Forbidden words

Just to name a few: the following specific words are blocked by MLS rules. Many of them fall under Fair Housing Act guidelines, which prohibit any language that implies a preference for or against a particular group of people. These are MLS requirements — they apply to every listing on every brokerage, not just Beycome.

walk | walking | children | kids | white | black | sophisticated | adult | perfect for | ideal for | independent living | seasonal worker | safest | FSBO | realtors welcome | offer | agreement | settlement | commission | short-term | vacation | GPS

There are dedicated fields for everything else

If you are wondering where to put your showing instructions, open house details, or financing terms — the answer is not Public Remarks. Most MLS systems provide separate, dedicated fields for exactly this kind of information. Beycome surfaces these fields in your MLS questionnaire so the right information ends up in the right place.

Putting this information into Public Remarks instead of the correct field does not just risk a compliance flag — it also means the information may not be displayed correctly on the MLS or on syndicated portals like Zillow and Realtor.com.

Public Remarks is for property descriptions only.

Character limit

Public Remarks has a maximum length of 1,960 characters. You will not see a warning while writing — the limit is checked when you submit. If your description is too long, you will need to trim it before you can continue.

Tips for writing a strong description

• Lead with the most important facts — bedroom count, bathroom count, property type, and location.
• Describe what you can see: finishes, upgrades, appliances, outdoor space, storage, and any recent renovations.
• Mention proximity to landmarks if relevant — highways, parks, shopping — but avoid terms like “walking distance,” which is a flagged phrase. Use “minutes from” or “close to” instead.
• Write in complete sentences. Descriptions written in fragments or all-caps are more likely to contain compliance issues and are harder for buyers to read.
• Aim to stay comfortably under 1,960 characters.
• Stick to what the property is, not who it is for. The MLS prohibits any language that implies a buyer preference — describe features, not the people you imagine living there.

Still seeing an error? If your description was flagged and you are not sure which word or phrase caused it, you can ask Artur to help you identify the issue or re-write your Public Remarks to make it compliant.