Stellar MLS rules for altered listing photos
Stellar MLS, Florida’s largest MLS with more than 80,000 members, covers altered photos in Article 04.04. It asks for a label in three places. It never allows some changes, even with a label.
Rules checked on · A plain summary, not legal advice: check your MLS’s own rule text.
What counts as altered
- Virtual furniture and décor.
- Twilight changes, such as turning a day photo into dusk.
- Exterior décor added to the photo.
The three-part label
- Each altered photo: “Virtually staged” in the photo’s description.
- The listing: the field for altered photos marked.
- Public remarks: a notice that photos were altered. One summary gives the words “One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.” at the start of the remarks.
The summaries we read describe the field and the remarks slightly differently, so check how your system fills them.
What you may never do
- Change permanent parts of the home: walls, windows, floors or ceilings.
- Hide flaws, damage or wiring.
- Add a view that you cannot see from the home.
- Make a room look bigger or smaller than it is.
- Virtually stage a home that is not built yet.
- Add branding, watermarks, people or text to a photo.
Reported penalties are removal of the photo and fines from the MLS’s violation schedule.
Other rules
Compare with the other MLS photo rules, or check the MLS photo size guide before you upload.
Questions and answers
Can I put “Virtually staged” as text on the photo in Stellar MLS?
No. Stellar MLS does not allow text, logos, watermarks or people added to photos. The label goes in the photo description, the marked field and the public remarks instead.
Can I virtually stage a home that is not built yet?
No. Stellar MLS does not allow virtual staging of pre-construction homes.
Is a day-to-dusk photo an altered photo in Stellar MLS?
Yes. Summaries of Article 04.04 list twilight changes as alterations that need the label.
Sources
Edit your listing photo, keep the original.
Start with one photo. Your original always stays as you took it.