Virtual staging in Stellar MLS means adding or changing furniture and decor in a listing photo with editing software. Stellar MLS, the multiple listing service for Orlando and most of Central Florida, has allowed it since July 2018 on two conditions: the listing discloses it, and the staging changes nothing about the property itself.
Most pages that rank for Florida virtual staging disclosure are written about California's AB 723 or about no MLS in particular. This one is the Stellar version, taken from Stellar's own photo rules page and its listing-entry course material.
How Does Stellar MLS Want Virtual Staging Disclosed?
In two places, and both are inside the listing rather than on the photo.
| Where | What Stellar asks for | When it happens |
|---|---|---|
| Each staged photo | A caption that says "Virtually Staged" | When the photo is uploaded |
| The Virtual Staging Y/N box beside public remarks | Checked if any photo in the listing is staged | When the listing is entered or edited |
| Public remarks | A disclosure written in automatically by the Y/N box | Automatic once the box is checked |
The caption is per photo. A listing with four staged rooms needs four captions, and missing one of them is the easy mistake.
Both steps belong to whoever enters the listing. A photographer or staging vendor cannot do either one for you, because both happen at upload.
Does the Label Have to Be on the Image?
Stellar's rules do not ask for one. They ask for the caption and the Y/N box. Stellar's general photo rules also prohibit branding, signage and other added text in listing photos.
If your staging files arrive with words printed across them, ask your broker which version to upload to Stellar before the listing goes live. Other platforms and other MLSs may want something different, so the answer for Stellar does not settle every other place the photos go.
What Can Virtual Staging Change in a Stellar Listing Photo?
Furniture and things that would leave with the seller. Nothing that stays with the house.
| Change | Where | Allowed in Stellar? |
|---|---|---|
| Replacing the existing furniture or decor in a room | Inside | Yes |
| Adding virtual furniture and artwork to an empty room | Inside | Yes |
| Covering holes or damage of any kind | Inside | No |
| Replacing countertops, cabinets or flooring | Inside | No |
| Changing paint colours | Inside | No |
| Making a room look larger or smaller than it is | Inside | No |
| Changing the view | Inside | No |
| Adding items that are not permanent, such as a table and chairs or potted plants on a lanai | Outside | Yes |
| Removing items that could easily be removed in real life | Outside | Yes |
| Enhancing the exterior features of the house | Outside | No |
| Removing utility lines | Outside | No |
| Adding landscape plantings, or changing the landscaping or the view | Outside | No |
The paint and flooring rules are the ones most likely to surprise an agent staging a dated room "to show the potential". New furniture in a room is staging. A new wall colour or new floors are a renovation that has not happened, and Stellar does not allow them whatever the caption says.
The exterior column matters in Central Florida because the lanai and pool deck are often the rooms a buyer cares most about. Patio furniture on an empty lanai is fine. A greener lawn, new shrubs or a hidden power line is not.
Does Stellar Require the Original Photo Too?
We found no Stellar rule that requires it. Florida Realtors advises pairing every virtually staged photo with the original, and it is good advice for a plainer reason: the buyer walks into the empty room. A listing that shows both versions sets the expectation the showing will meet.
Pairs take up photo slots. Stellar allows up to 100 photos on a listing, so ten staged rooms shown with their originals use 20 of them. That is rarely a problem, but it is one more reason to stage the rooms that need it rather than every room in the house.
Can a Staged Photo Lead the Listing?
No. Stellar's first photo has to be a front exterior with no broker signage. The only exceptions are an aerial or a water view from the property in the first slot, and then the front exterior has to be second. A staged living room cannot lead, however good it looks. Our Stellar MLS photo rules post covers slot order in more detail.
What Does Virtual Staging Cost With Jet Media?
Jet Media Productions virtual staging is $5 per photo, and the Total Package at $499 includes up to 10 virtually staged photos when a home needs them. Every staged image comes with its unstaged original from the same frame, delivered on the standard 24 hour turnaround. The caption and the Y/N box are yours to set when you upload. Virtual staging has the detail.
This article is general information, not compliance advice. Stellar publishes its current photo rules on its own site, and those rules govern. If a staged photo is close to the line, ask your broker before it goes live, not after.
Listing a vacant home in Central Florida? Book the shoot online and tell us which rooms you want staged.