Real estate flyer: what to include, layout and print specs

What to put on a real estate flyer

A listing flyer is read in a few seconds, on a counter at an open house or in a window box by the sign. Put only what a buyer needs to decide to look closer:

• Photos. One hero photo and three to five supporting ones (see the layout below).
• Price and address. Large and near the top.
• Key facts. Bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, lot size, year built, garage or parking.
• What sets it apart. Three to five short points: the renovated kitchen, the fenced yard, the walk to the station.
• Agent and brokerage. Name, phone, email and the brokerage's name and logo.
• A QR code to the listing. Link it to the full listing page with every photo and the walkthrough video, and test it from paper before you print the whole run.
• Open house times, if the flyer is for one.

Rules that apply to listing flyers

A flyer is advertising, so the same rules apply as online:

• Fair housing. The federal rule on discriminatory advertising, 24 CFR 100.75, names flyers explicitly. It bars words, phrases, photographs or symbols that show a preference or limitation based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. Describe the home, not who should live in it: "three bedrooms near the park" rather than "perfect for young families".
• Brokerage name. The NAR Code of Ethics (Standard of Practice 12-5) says Realtors must not advertise listed property in any medium, print included, without showing the firm's name in a reasonable and readily apparent way. Ask your broker about any state rules on top of that.
• A true picture. Article 12 of the Code asks Realtors to present a true picture in advertising, and Standard 12-10 extends that to images. Photos on the flyer should show the home as a buyer will find it.
• Clear Cooperation. Under NAR's MLS Clear Cooperation Policy, once a property is marketed to the public, the listing broker must submit it to the MLS within one business day, and public marketing includes "flyers displayed in windows". Check your own MLS's rules before a flyer goes up for a listing that is not yet in the MLS.

A simple real estate flyer layout

Most good flyers follow the same order, top to bottom:

1. Hero photo across the top half: the front of the house or the best room.
2. Price, address and the key facts in one bold line under it.
3. Three to five supporting photos in a row or grid: kitchen, living room, primary bedroom, a bathroom, the yard.
4. Three to five short selling points.
5. Agent block and QR code at the bottom, with the brokerage name.

Leave white space around the photos and keep to two fonts. A flyer with eight small photos reads worse than one with four large ones. The back can carry a floor plan, more photos or the neighborhood.

Print size and resolution

A good default is US Letter (8.5 x 11 inches), because it also runs through an office printer for a small batch. VistaPrint's flyer page lists these specs:

At 350 DPI, a full US Letter page is 2,975 x 3,850 pixels, so a hero photo across the full width needs to be close to 3,000 pixels wide to print sharp. Phone and listing photos are usually big enough; tiny images copied from a website are not. Our guide to real estate photo size requirements lists the sizes the MLS and portals ask for.

Free tools to make a real estate flyer

Adobe Express has a real estate flyer template page that lists 695 templates and describes them as free and customizable, with no credit card required; professional printing is a paid add-on shipped in the US, UK, Australia and Canada. Whatever tool you use, export a print PDF at the printer's resolution with the bleed it asks for, and proofread the price, phone number and address twice.

Choosing photos for the flyer

• Lead with the strongest photo, not the first one you took. If the front is weak, open with the kitchen or the living room.
• Pick wide, bright, level shots. Walls should be straight and windows not blown out; dark or tilted photos look worse in print than on a screen.
• Show different rooms. Five photos of five spaces beat five angles of one room.
• Use the same photos as the listing, so buyers recognize the home when they scan the QR code.

For more shots to pick from, see real estate agent photo ideas.

Flyer photos with October

The October app is one way to get flyer-ready photos from your own phone: it guides you through each room on an iPhone 12 or newer, showing where to stand and keeping the phone level, and an image model then makes finished photos from your capture, usually within a few hours, along with a walkthrough video you can link from the QR code. A place is up to 6 rooms; a bigger home counts as several. Photos cost $49 a place, $99 with a walkthrough video, and the first place is free. Check each photo before you print. See pricing.

Questions