Real estate website accessibility: listings, photos and IDX search

Real estate sites are photo-heavy and rely on search forms and embedded listing feeds (IDX), so they tend to have more accessibility issues than a typical small-business site. Fair housing rules already ask agents to make their services available to everyone, and a usable website is part of that. This guide covers the technical side.

1. Listing photo alt text

Describe the room and its main features: "Open-plan kitchen with white cabinets and island seating for four". Avoid "IMG_3381" or the same alt text on every photo.

2. IDX and property search forms

Price, bed and bath dropdowns need labels. Range sliders need typed inputs or buttons as an alternative to dragging. If your IDX provider controls the code, ask them for their accessibility documentation and report problems to them.

3. Virtual tours and video

Add captions to walk-through videos and a written description of the property. 3D tours are hard to use with a keyboard or screen reader, so the listing text should cover the same information.

4. Maps and neighbourhood pages

Put the address, nearby schools and amenities in text, not only on a map.

5. Contact and showing-request forms

Use visible labels, clear error messages and a phone or email alternative. Make sure the date picker can be used with a keyboard.

6. PDFs (disclosures, brochures)

Scanned PDFs are images to a screen reader. Provide a text version or a tagged PDF.

This is general technical guidance, not legal advice.

Related guides

• Salon and spa website accessibility: booking, menus and photos
• Medical and chiropractic clinic website accessibility
• WCAG 2.2 explained for small-business websites
• Squarespace accessibility fixes: alt text, contrast, forms and more

All guides

This guide is general technical information, not legal advice. Following it does not certify ADA or any legal compliance. Automated checks find only part of accessibility barriers.