A Central Florida listing service says a label on an edited home photo does not make a misleading image acceptable. Stellar MLS told News 6 that “disclosure does not make an otherwise misleading edit permissible.”
The statement comes as AI tools change how homes are shown online. These tools can furnish empty rooms, brighten gray skies and adjust photos in seconds.
They can also make a repair look finished or add a lawn that does not exist. Listing photos are often a buyer’s first look at a home and can decide whether they visit.
What Stellar MLS Allows and Bans
Stellar MLS allows virtual staging, which adds furniture or decor to a photo without changing the property. Its rules say photos must give a true and accurate picture of the home, whether agents use AI or traditional software.
Agents may add, remove or replace furniture, artwork and other personal items that do not come with the home. Routine fixes to dark or underexposed photos are also allowed.
Virtual staging cannot hide damage such as holes in walls, exposed wiring or damaged floors. It also cannot add, remove or change permanent fixtures like fireplaces.
Agents cannot make a room look bigger, invent views or misrepresent the surrounding area. Exterior changes are limited to unattached furniture or decor, and staging is banned for homes under construction or not yet built.
In one example reviewed by News 6, two images showed the same room in different ways. A small note on the edited version read “Digitally altered.”
Photographer Says Some Clients Asked Him to Hide Damage
Kismet Davis has photographed Orlando-area homes since 2014. He uses AI in parts of his work, such as keeping colors consistent, but says it should not change a home’s structure or show something that is not there.
Davis said clients have asked him to make unfinished repairs look complete. Some asked him to hide water damage while a leak was still active, or turn a bare dirt lot into a green lawn.
He turned down those requests and offered to return after repairs were done. “I don’t want to misrepresent what the buyer or tenant might see when they get there,” Davis said.
Davis separates removing small distractions, like a trash can or garden hose, from changing features a buyer would see in person. He also said AI results are not always consistent, and the same prompt can produce different images.
He said signs of AI editing can include garbled house numbers, over-saturated color and heavy contrast. “You’ve got to start with that good raw material first,” he said.
Homebuyer Bruce Walck said edited photos can set expectations a home does not meet. “When you get there, it’s like, whoa, whoa, wait, it doesn’t look anything like that,” he said.
Shannon FitzPatrick, an agent with RE/MAX Signature, said AI can help buyers picture how an empty room might be used. She warned agents not to change things so much that buyers walk in and find there is no fireplace.
Davis suggests buyers read listing descriptions for staging disclosures and compare photos with video and 3D tours. He also recommends checking Google Street View, asking agents directly about edits and confirming details in person.
Stellar MLS said it uses Listing Data Checker and Restb.ai photo-compliance technology to flag images that may break its rules. The group said no technology can catch every AI change, and real estate professionals can confidentially report suspected violations for staff review.
