For real estate agents
How to write a monthly real estate market update with AI, without wrong numbers
By Plain English Library · Updated
A monthly market update is one of the best reasons to stay in touch with past clients and your sphere. It is also where AI does the most damage, because it will happily make up a median price. The fix is one rule: you bring the numbers, and AI only writes the words.
The one rule: never ask AI for the numbers
General AI chat tools do not have your MLS data, and when they do not know a number they may invent one that sounds right. NAR's 2026 guidance on brokerage AI policies lists "inaccurate market details" among the typical AI errors and says that if they reach a client communication, the agent and brokerage are still responsible. Article 12 of the Code of Ethics requires REALTORS® to "present a true picture" in their advertising and marketing, and a market update is marketing.
So the job splits cleanly. You pull four to six numbers from your MLS or your board's monthly report. AI turns them into something a homeowner will actually read.
Step 1: Pull the same five numbers every month
| Number | Why readers care |
|---|---|
| Median sale price, this month and a year ago | "What is my home worth?" is the question behind every open |
| Number of closed sales | Shows whether the market is busy or slow |
| Median days on market | Tells sellers how long to expect and buyers how fast to move |
| Active listings or months of supply | The simplest buyer's market versus seller's market signal |
| Sale price as a percent of list price | Tells both sides how much room there is to negotiate |
Write down the source and the date range for each one, for example "Northstar MLS, closed sales August 1 to 31, 2026, city of Minneapolis." You will put that line in the email.
Step 2: The prompt
You are helping a real estate agent write a monthly market update email for past clients and neighbors.
Use ONLY the numbers below. Do not add, estimate, round differently or calculate any new statistics. If something would need a number I did not give you, write [NEED DATA] instead.
Area: [city or neighborhood]
Period: [month and year]
Source: [MLS or board name and date range]
Median sale price: [this month] (a year ago: [last year])
Closed sales: [number] (a year ago: [number])
Median days on market: [number] (a year ago: [number])
Active listings: [number]
Sale-to-list price ratio: [percent]
My one local observation this month: [something you saw yourself, such as "multiple offers on updated homes under $400k, price cuts on homes that need work"]
Write:
1. Three subject line options, under 50 characters, that accurately describe the email.
2. An email under 200 words: one-sentence headline takeaway, what it means for sellers, what it means for buyers, my local observation, and one soft call to action ("reply if you want to know what your home would sell for today").
3. A source line at the bottom using my source exactly.
Tone: calm, plain English, no hype words like "skyrocketing" or "crashing." Do not predict future prices.
Step 3: The ninety-second check
- Every number in the draft matches your notes exactly, with nothing new added.
- Nothing predicts the future. "Prices will keep rising" is an opinion dressed as a fact. Cut it or clearly label it as your view.
- The area description is about homes and the market, not about who lives there. The same Fair Housing rules that apply to listings apply here. See Fair Housing words to avoid.
- The source line is present, with the date range.
Step 4: The email rules (CAN-SPAM)
A market update sent to your list is usually a commercial email. The FTC's CAN-SPAM compliance guide lists what it must include:
- Accurate "From" and "Reply-To" information that identifies you.
- A subject line that accurately reflects the content.
- A clear disclosure that the message is an advertisement. The law gives you leeway in how you do this.
- Your valid physical postal address. A registered PO box works.
- A clear, easy way to opt out, which you must honor.
The FTC says each separate email in violation can bring penalties of up to $53,088. Most email tools add the address and unsubscribe link for you once you fill in your settings.
Make it a fifteen-minute habit
Keep the prompt in a note, pull the numbers on the same day each month, and reuse the output three ways: the email, a short social post with the headline number, and a two-line text to the few clients who are actively thinking about moving. The weekly version of this workflow, which turns one week of real activity into a newsletter, five posts and a video script, is Workflow 04 in The AI-Assisted Agent.
Go further
The AI-Assisted Agent
Five complete AI workflows for listings, lead follow-up, consultation prep, weekly content and client updates, with a Fair Housing scan built into every one. 17-page PDF, $19, 14-day money-back guarantee.
Sources
- NAR, Why Every Brokerage Needs an AI Use Policy (March 24, 2026)
- NAR, 2026 Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (Article 12)
- FTC, CAN-SPAM Act: A Compliance Guide for Business
- HousingWire, AI won't get sued over a bad listing, the agent will (September 23, 2026)
This article is educational and is not legal advice. Your broker, your MLS rules and your federal, state and local laws take priority.