ARMLS Public Remarks Character Limit

ARMLS caps public remarks at 1,000 characters — roughly 150 to 175 words depending on punctuation and spacing. For agents working Phoenix, Scottsdale, Mesa, Tempe, or anywhere else across the Arizona Regional MLS footprint, that limit shapes every listing description you write. Hit it cleanly, and your submission goes through. Push past it, and MLS software truncates whatever comes after.

This guide covers the exact character limits for every major ARMLS field, practical strategies for writing descriptions that maximize every character, and Fair Housing compliance requirements that apply regardless of how much space you have left.

ARMLS Character Limits by Field

ARMLS is one of the largest MLSs in the United States by transaction volume, serving the Greater Phoenix metro, the East Valley, Tucson, and most of Arizona. The platform uses a field-by-field character cap system, which means limits vary depending on where you're entering text.

Here are the key fields and their character limits:

Field	Character Limit
Public Remarks	1,000 characters
Private Remarks	500 characters
Short Description	100 characters
Showing Instructions	500 characters

Always verify the current limits in your ARMLS account — the MLS updates these periodically, and field-specific rules can change between software versions.

Public Remarks is the field buyers see on Zillow, Realtor.com, Homes.com, and any consumer platform that syndicates from ARMLS. It's your most valuable real estate. Private Remarks go only to buyer's agents and other MLS members — they're not syndicated to consumer sites, so they're the right place for lockbox codes, offer instructions, and HOA disclosures.

At 1,000 characters, ARMLS sits on the tighter end of the national range. For context, the MLS public remarks character limits guide shows how ARMLS compares to other major MLSs — some platforms allow 2,000 characters or more, while others hold the line below 800. Knowing where ARMLS lands helps you calibrate how much you can say and how concise you need to be.

The practical impact: 1,000 characters is room for two to three focused paragraphs — enough to convey a property's strongest selling points, not enough to ramble.

How to Write a Strong 1,000-Character ARMLS Description

How long should an MLS description be is a common question from agents new to a market. The honest answer: as long as the field allows, used intentionally. For ARMLS, that means treating every character as a decision.

A few frameworks that work within the 1,000-character constraint:

Lead with the property's strongest feature. Buyers scan, they don't read. If the home has a remodeled kitchen, a mountain view, or a pool, that's your first sentence. "Stunning Scottsdale retreat with resort-style pool and McDowell Mountain views" does more in 72 characters than a paragraph about "this beautiful home."

Prioritize specifics over generics. Phrases like "move-in ready," "must see," and "one of a kind" waste characters. Specifics — "travertine floors, quartz countertops, dual RV gates, 3-car garage" — give buyers and their agents something concrete. Specifics also give search algorithms more to work with.

Use efficient formatting for lists. If you have six upgrades to mention, a character-efficient format helps: "New roof (2023) | both AC units replaced (2024) | EV charging outlet." This reads cleanly on mobile and communicates volume without eating your entire word budget.

Don't repeat what's in data fields. Bedrooms, bathrooms, square footage, and lot size all appear in ARMLS's structured data fields. Your remarks don't need to restate them. Use that space for what data fields can't capture — the feel of the backyard, the reason this property stands out on this street.

For more on crafting descriptions that hit every platform cleanly, the complete guide to MLS descriptions covers structure, pacing, and buyer psychology in depth — and most of the guidance translates directly to the ARMLS character constraint.

Fair Housing Compliance in ARMLS Public Remarks

Character limits and Fair Housing compliance are separate concerns — but they interact. Pressure to fit everything into 1,000 characters can push agents toward shorthand language that introduces violations.

Arizona properties fall under the federal Fair Housing Act, which prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, familial status, and disability. Arizona state law adds additional protections, including sexual orientation and gender identity. ARMLS membership requires compliance with both.

The most common compliance failures in listing copy:

Neighborhood character statements. "Quiet neighborhood," "established community," and "great for families" can all imply information about who currently lives there — or who should. Even well-intentioned descriptions cross this line when they describe the community rather than the property.

Restriction language for age and family status. "Perfect for empty-nesters" or "adult community feel" requires careful framing. Unless a property is legally designated as 55+ housing under HOPA, familial status language in the description is risky. The neighborhood description and Fair Housing guide covers how to reference community characteristics without triggering protected class language.

School district framing. Describing a property as being in "the best school district" can shade into steering if those statements correlate with neighborhood demographics. Stick to the district name itself — let buyers research the ratings independently.

The safe standard: describe the property. Not the neighbors, not who the buyer should be, not why the neighborhood is right for a particular type of person. For a systematic pre-submission audit, the listing description compliance checker walks through the most common problem areas field by field.

Common ARMLS Description Mistakes to Avoid

Beyond character limits and compliance, there are recurring patterns in ARMLS public remarks that reduce their effectiveness.

Repeating MLS data fields. Every ARMLS listing displays square footage, bedroom count, lot size, year built, and garage spaces in structured data. Restating these in your public remarks wastes characters and reads as filler to buyers who've already seen the data.

One unbroken block of text. A 1,000-character paragraph with no line breaks is hard to read on mobile — and the majority of buyers search on their phones. Two or three shorter paragraphs with a clear focus are more readable than one dense block, even if the total word count is identical.

No call to action. Some agents forget to end the description with what happens next. A brief "Schedule your private tour today" or "Contact listing agent for floor plan and recent updates" guides the buyer's next move without requiring extra characters.

Ignoring the Short Description field. ARMLS includes a 100-character Short Description field that appears in some search result views and preview cards. It's worth completing even if the content overlaps with your public remarks — different surfaces, different buyer moments.

For comparison on how agents in other major markets handle these same constraints, see how CRMLS public remarks balances detail and brevity with a longer character limit. The structural approaches transfer even when the limits differ.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many characters does ARMLS allow in public remarks?

ARMLS allows 1,000 characters in the Public Remarks field — approximately 150 to 175 words depending on punctuation and spacing. That's room for two to three focused paragraphs. Lead with the property's strongest feature, keep specifics over generics, and don't repeat information already captured in ARMLS's structured data fields. Character limits can change between MLS software updates, so verify the current limit in your ARMLS account settings before each submission.

What is the ARMLS private remarks character limit?

The Private Remarks field in ARMLS is capped at 500 characters. Private Remarks are visible only to MLS members — buyer's agents, cooperating agents, and other licensed members — and are not syndicated to consumer-facing platforms like Zillow or Realtor.com. Use this field for showing logistics, lockbox codes, HOA disclosure notes, offer instructions, and any agent-to-agent communication the listing agent wants to keep off public platforms.

What happens if I exceed the ARMLS character limit?

ARMLS submission software will either block the submission or truncate the text at the character limit, depending on the interface you're using. Write your description in a plain text editor with a character counter before pasting it into the MLS. Avoid copying directly from Word or Google Docs without stripping formatting — hidden formatting characters count toward the total and can cause unexpected truncation even when the visible text appears to fit.

Are Fair Housing rules the same in ARMLS as in other MLSs?

The federal Fair Housing Act applies uniformly across all U.S. MLSs, including ARMLS. Arizona state law adds additional protected classes beyond the federal seven. ARMLS membership guidelines include Fair Housing compliance requirements, and violations can result in MLS sanctions in addition to federal and state liability. If you're unsure whether specific language in your description is compliant, review it against the fair housing compliant listing descriptions guide before submitting — or run it through a dedicated compliance tool to flag protected class language automatically.