Sarasota Compliance Guide
Stellar MLS Photo Rules, Explained
What Stellar MLS requires of your listing photos — and how every HD Media House gallery arrives compliant.
The Rules
Seven Rules Every Sarasota Listing Must Follow
Front exterior photo required in slot 1
A listing cannot go Active on Stellar MLS until a front exterior photo of the property occupies the first photo position. We always deliver a strong front exterior as image #1.
A pool photo is not a "water view"
Stellar MLS is specific: a photo of a swimming pool does not qualify a listing for water-view claims. Water views must show actual water frontage or views — bay, Gulf, lake, or canal.
No visible yard signs
The broker's yard sign may not be visible in listing photos. We frame exteriors to exclude signage, or schedule the front exterior before the sign goes up.
No people in photos — costumes included
No person may appear in any listing photo, and Stellar's rule explicitly covers people in costume. Reflections and background passers-by are checked during our edit pass.
Virtual tours: no branding
Virtual tours attached to a listing may carry no agent or brokerage branding — the only contact information permitted is the third-party tour vendor's own.
Virtual staging & editing limits
Virtual staging may not swap permanent fixtures or change paint colours, and exterior edits may not remove utility lines or conceal material flaws. Staging adds furniture — it never alters the property.
Violations carry automatic fines
Stellar MLS enforces photo rules through an automatic fines schedule — compliance mistakes cost real money, not just a correction email.
Compliance Built In
Every Gallery We Deliver Is Stellar-Ready
Our Sarasota team shoots to Stellar MLS spec by default: front exterior sequenced first, yard signs kept out of frame, no people (in costume or otherwise), and editing that never crosses into prohibited manipulation — because Stellar's fines schedule makes mistakes expensive.
Virtual tours are delivered as unbranded, MLS-safe links, and virtual staging always ships with the original photo so your listing stays transparent and fine-free.
FAQ
Stellar MLS Photo Questions
Listing on the Gulf Coast? See our Sarasota market page, all service areas, or Matterport 3D tour service.
Fine-Free, MLS-Ready Photos in 24 Hours
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