The good news first
ChatGPT can write a property description that reads like a property description. The sentences run, the spelling holds, the structure makes sense. If you need a listing today and you have five minutes, it gets you a long way.
So let us not pretend otherwise. The problem sits elsewhere.
Where it goes wrong: the model fills gaps
A language model predicts what plausibly comes next. If a detail is missing, it invents something that fits that kind of property. It reads smoothly and it is not true. In practice you see:
- a fireplace that is not there, because period houses often have one
- a boiler with a year of installation that came from nowhere
- a twelve square metre shed nobody ever measured
- a "sunny back garden" attached to a north-facing plot
- a school or station at a distance the model found convenient
And then it sits there under your name
Most of the time you catch it on the read-through. The one time you miss it, an inaccuracy is published in a listing you are responsible for. As an agent you have a duty of disclosure, and that applies to whatever a model added on your behalf.
This is not theoretical. It is the most common reason agents stop using general chatbots for their listings.
The other problem: typing it in takes just as long
This gets underestimated. To get a usable description you have to type out everything: year built, layout, floor areas, aspect, energy label, condition, atmosphere. Add it up. By the time you have finished typing, you could have written the description yourself.
And the next property starts from scratch, because the chat knows nothing about the last one.
A prompt that actually works
If you are going to use ChatGPT anyway, this prompt performs a great deal better than "write a property description for". It forces the model to report what it does not know instead of inventing it. Copy away.
Rule one matters most. By making the model list what it is missing, you get a checklist instead of an invention. That heads off most of the trouble.
When ChatGPT is enough
Honestly, there are situations where you need nothing extra:
- You sell a handful of properties a year.
- You enjoy writing and only want a nudge on the opening paragraph.
- You have a settled house style you would rather not hand over.
Then do it yourself. We would rather sell nothing than sell you something you do not need.
When a dedicated generator pays off
From about five properties a month it tips. At that point the question is no longer whether it can be done, but how many times you retype the same details and how often you have to catch an invented one.
| General chatbot | MakelAI | |
|---|---|---|
| Input | Type everything, every time | Upload photos and tick boxes |
| Invented details | Fills gaps with what sounds plausible | Fixed fields; what you do not tick does not appear |
| Consistency across colleagues | Depends on each person's prompt | Everyone walks the same steps |
| Finding it again | Somewhere in your chat history | Stored per property |
| Cost | Free to a monthly subscription | From 12 cents per description |
For the record: MakelAI runs on a language model too. The difference sits in the questions you are asked, the fields that are fixed, the photos that are read and the control you keep. That is set out step by step here.
Frequently asked questions
Is ChatGPT free for writing property descriptions?
The free tier will write descriptions, yes. If you want to attach photos and hold longer sessions you usually need a paid plan. Factor that in when you compare.
Can I put client details into ChatGPT?
Be careful. A consumer account comes with no data processing agreement, and details about a vendor are personal data. Stick to features of the property and leave out names, occupants' details and personal circumstances.
Will buyers notice a description was written by AI?
They will spot unedited default output, because it has a house style you see everywhere. Once you add your own observations and sharpen a few sentences, that disappears. The question is not whether AI was involved, but whether anyone looked at it afterwards.
Put them side by side
Write one property with your own prompt and one with MakelAI. Then judge for yourself.