Fair housing and advertising checklist for real estate videos

Video is advertising, so the same rules apply as for a listing description or a flyer. Run through this list before you post. It is a practical reminder, not legal advice: check your state’s rules and your broker’s policy.

Describe the property, not the people

The federal Fair Housing Act makes it illegal to advertise in a way that shows a preference or limitation based on race, color, religion, sex, disability, familial status or national origin, and many states and cities protect more groups. In video, the risk is usually in casual phrases about who a home or area is for.

• Say what the home has: “four bedrooms”, “fenced yard”, “single-level living”, “five minutes to the train”.
• Avoid saying who it suits: “perfect for a young family”, “great for empty nesters”, “a quiet, safe neighborhood”.
• In neighborhood videos, talk about places (parks, shops, trails, commute times), not about the people who live there.
• Don't describe schools as “good” or “the best”; give the school names and let viewers look them up.

Show who you are

• Say or show your name and your brokerage. Many states require the brokerage name in advertising, sometimes in a set size or position.
• If you are a REALTOR®, the National Association of REALTORS® Code of Ethics asks you to present a true picture in your advertising and to make clear that you are a real estate professional.
• If you mention a listing that isn't yours, follow your MLS and state rules for advertising other agents' listings.

Get permission and protect privacy

• Get the sellers' written OK before filming inside their home, and agree what you will show.
• Keep personal items out of the shot: family photos, mail, prescription bottles, alarm panels, valuables.
• Ask clients before sharing their story, their face or the price they paid.

Make your numbers checkable

• Say where market figures come from and which period they cover: “Source: [MLS], September 2026”.
• Only claim results you can back up: days on market, sale price versus list price, number of offers.
• Check the address, price and details in the captions against the listing before you post. ClippCut captions come from your script, so fix the script and the captions follow.

Use the scripts as a starting point

ClippCut's real estate scripts include reminders in grey notes, like “show your brokerage” and “describe places, not people”. They appear on the prompter but are never read aloud or put in the captions.

Last updated October 18, 2026.