AI Systems Instructor • Real Estate Technologist
Quick Answer: A Context Card is a structured document with 5 sections: your professional identity, your communication style, your market expertise, your brand constraints, and example outputs. Build one in 10 minutes and load it into every AI tool you use.
Your Context Card is the single most important thing you'll build in your AI journey. It's a structured document that tells AI who you are, how you write, what you know, and what you never say. Without it, every AI tool gives you generic output. With it, every AI tool gives you output that sounds like you on your best day. This guide walks you through building your Context Card from scratch in 10 minutes using the 5 Essentials framework.
Write 3-4 sentences about who you are professionally. Include: your name, your market area, your specialty (luxury, first-time buyers, investment, etc.), your experience level, and your brokerage. This tells AI who it's writing for. 'I'm Ryan Wanner, a real estate technologist and AI systems instructor based in Nashville, Tennessee. I specialize in teaching agents how to use AI tools effectively.' Keep it factual, not promotional.
Tip: Don't oversell yourself in the identity section. AI uses this as context, not marketing copy. Honest specifics produce better output than vague superlatives.
This is where Context Cards earn their value. Describe how you actually write and talk: Are you formal or casual? Do you use short sentences or long ones? Do you use humor? Include 2-3 adjectives that describe your voice (conversational, direct, data-driven) and a 'Do Not Say' list of words and phrases you never use. The 5 Essentials framework emphasizes this: your voice is your brand.
Tip: Pull 3 emails or social posts you've written that you're proud of. Paste them into the Context Card as style examples. AI learns from examples faster than from descriptions.
List the neighborhoods, cities, and market segments you know well. Include specific knowledge: average price ranges, school districts, commute times, neighborhood character. This section turns AI from a generic writer into a local expert. The more specific your market knowledge, the more specific—and accurate—your AI output.
Tip: Include seasonal patterns in your market. 'Nashville's spring market starts mid-February' is the kind of insight that makes AI output sound genuinely local.
List what AI should never do in your name. This includes: words to avoid ('stunning,' 'nestled,' 'boasts'), tones to avoid (overly salesy, pushy urgency), formatting rules (no excessive emojis, no all-caps), and ethical boundaries (never fabricate statistics, never make guarantees about appreciation). Constraints are just as important as instructions—they prevent AI from defaulting to generic patterns.
Tip: Review your last 10 AI outputs and identify patterns you don't like. Add those as constraints. 'Never start with a question' or 'Never use more than one exclamation mark per paragraph.'
Load your Context Card into ChatGPT Custom Instructions or a Claude Project. Then test it with 3 different tasks: write a listing description, draft a client email, and generate a social media caption. Compare the output to what you'd actually say. If it doesn't sound like you, refine the Context Card—not the individual prompt. The OODA Loop applies here: observe output quality, orient against your brand, decide what to adjust, act by updating the card.
Tip: Your Context Card is a living document. Update it every month as your voice evolves. Add new examples of great output. Remove constraints that aren't needed anymore.
I'm building my Context Card. Here's my information—help me organize it into a structured Context Card format: Name: Sarah Chen Market: Austin, TX - specifically Westlake, Tarrytown, and South Congress areas Specialty: Luxury homes $750K+, relocating families from California Experience: 8 years, top 5% in Austin Board of Realtors Voice: Direct, data-driven, no fluff. I sound like a trusted advisor, not a salesperson. Do Not Say: stunning, dream home, won't last long, act fast, nestled Style examples: [paste 2-3 examples of your actual writing] Organize this into a Context Card with sections for Identity, Communication Style, Market Expertise, Brand Constraints, and Example Outputs.
CONTEXT CARD — Sarah Chen, Austin Real Estate 1. PROFESSIONAL IDENTITY I'm Sarah Chen, a luxury real estate agent in Austin, TX with 8 years of experience and a focus on Westlake, Tarrytown, and South Congress. I specialize in relocating families from California to Austin and homes priced $750K and above. Top 5% producer, Austin Board of Realtors. 2. COMMUNICATION STYLE Direct and data-driven. I write in short, confident sentences. I sound like a trusted advisor who's been through this process hundreds of times—because I have. I use specific numbers, not adjectives. I'm warm but never salesy. No exclamation marks unless something genuinely warrants one. 3. MARKET EXPERTISE Westlake: Luxury market, Eanes ISD schools (top-rated in Austin), homes $800K-$3M, 15 minutes to downtown. Tarrytown: Established neighborhood, walkable to downtown, mature trees, $700K-$2M range. South Congress: Trendy, younger demographics, condos and bungalows, $400K-$1.2M. California relocation context: I understand property tax differences (Prop 13 shock), lot size expectations, and the Austin lifestyle adjustment. 4. BRAND CONSTRAINTS Never say: stunning, dream home, won't last long, act fast, nestled, boasts, gorgeous, breathtaking. Never use more than 1 exclamation mark per document. Never fabricate statistics or make guarantees about home value appreciation. Never use generic urgency language. Use data-backed urgency instead. 5. EXAMPLE OUTPUTS [Your 2-3 best writing samples go here—listing descriptions, client emails, or social posts that represent your voice at its best.]
Your Context Card should be 300-500 words. Shorter than that and AI doesn't have enough to work with. Longer than that and the signal gets diluted.
Create separate Context Card extensions for different tasks: one for listing descriptions, one for client communication, one for social media. The core card stays the same; the extensions add task-specific guidance.
Store your Context Card in a place you can access from any device: a Google Doc, a note in your phone, or your CRM's template section. You'll paste it into every AI tool you use.
Use AI to help you build your Context Card. Paste 5 emails you've written and ask ChatGPT: 'Analyze my writing style and create a communication style guide.' The 5 Essentials framework encourages using AI to build better AI workflows.
Making the Context Card too generic: 'I'm a friendly real estate agent who helps people buy and sell homes'
Fix: Be specific. Market area, price range, specialty, exact voice characteristics. Specificity is what separates useful Context Cards from useless ones.
Writing the Context Card once and never updating it
Fix: Review your Context Card monthly. Add new examples of great AI output, remove constraints that aren't needed, and update market data. Your card should evolve with your business.
Including marketing copy instead of honest descriptions in the Identity section
Fix: AI doesn't need to be sold on you. It needs accurate context. 'Top producer in Austin' is useful. 'The most amazing agent you'll ever work with' is not.
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