Real estate advertising rules vary by state, by brokerage, and by transaction type. We do the research before each build and bake the required elements into your site so you're not paying for edits to make a compliance officer happy later.
What every site ships with.
These elements are standard on every build, regardless of state:
- Your sponsoring brokerage's legal name, office address, and phone on every page
- Your license number and license type, displayed per your state's format rules
- Equal Housing Opportunity logo in the footer
- Fair Housing Act compliant copy (we lint every line for prohibited language)
- Accessible HTML, WCAG 2.1 AA contrast, keyboard navigation
- HTTPS on every page, SSL certificate renewed automatically
- Privacy policy covering CCPA/CPRA, VCDPA, CPA, CTDPA, UCPA, and the other state privacy laws that apply to a solo practitioner's contact form
- Terms of service
- TCPA-compliant consent language on every form that captures a phone number
- Schema markup (LocalBusiness, RealEstateAgent, FAQPage) so search engines understand who you are
State-specific rules we follow.
A few examples of how real-estate advertising rules differ by state, drawn from the state commissions' published guidance. Your state is not listed? We research the rules for every jurisdiction before we ship.
State
Regulator
Key rule on personal websites
California
DRE
License number on every first-point-of-contact page, font no smaller than the smallest font on the page (BPC § 10140.6).
Texas
TREC
Brokerage name in every ad, at least half the size of agent contact info. Sales agents may not imply they are the broker.
Florida
FREC
Brokerage name placed adjacent to, immediately above, or below the agent's contact info on every page (Rule 61J2-10.025).
New York
DOS
Brokerage name, license type ("Licensed Real Estate Salesperson" or equivalent), and a link to the supervising broker on every page (19 NYCRR § 175.25).
Illinois
IDFPR
Brokerage name in a size equal to or larger than the agent or team name; designated managing broker disclosed on most ad types (68 Ill. Adm. Code 1450).
Your state
Varies
We research your state's current rules before the build and include the required disclosures in the correct format and placement.
Fair housing, seriously.
The Fair Housing Act (42 USC § 3604(c)) prohibits advertising that indicates a preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, or national origin. This applies to your website the same way it applies to a newspaper ad. We review every piece of copy against the HUD-published word list and remove or rewrite anything that could read as a preference. No "adults only," no "near the [religious institution]," no "family neighborhood" implying a preference.
Brokerage approval.
Most brokerages require their compliance officer to approve marketing materials, including your personal website. The speed of approval varies by firm. Compass reviews centrally and can take a few business days. Keller Williams reviews at the Market Center level, typically same-day to a few days. Independent brokerages vary widely. We submit the site for your brokerage's review as part of the launch process, and handle any required revisions before going live.
What we ask from you.
To ship a compliant site, we need the following at intake:
- Your legal licensed name as it appears on your license
- Your license number and license type
- States in which you are licensed
- Your sponsoring brokerage's legal name, office address, and phone
- Your brokerage's compliance contact (name and email), if applicable
- Any brand-standard requirements your brokerage has (logo, color, specific disclosure language)
What is not our lane.
We handle your website's compliance. We do not handle:
- Transaction documents, contracts, or fiduciary duties in a deal
- MLS membership or IDX data feed agreements (you contract these through your brokerage)
- Trust accounting or escrow
- Your brokerage's overall compliance program
- State or federal advertising review outside of your website (social media, print ads, signs)
The plain version.
Every site we build passes the review your sponsoring brokerage and state commission are going to run on it. If your state adds a rule tomorrow, we update your site. That is part of ongoing care.