Stellar MLS is the multiple listing service for Florida (everywhere except Southeast Florida, which sits under SEFMLS / MIAMI), Puerto Rico, and parts of Georgia — the largest MLS in the United States by subscriber count at over 80,000 real estate professionals across 20+ shareholder associations (stellarmls.com/prar-en, stellarmls.com/resources/market-stats). Virtual staging compliance inside Stellar is governed by Article 04.04 ("Virtually Staged Photos") of the Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, most recently updated September 15, 2025 (irp.cdn-website.com/3d0f9886/files/uploaded/9-16-2025-Rules_and_Regulations.pdf), with the public summary living at stellarmls.com/photorules and the per-article Help Center at rules.stellarmls.com/hc/en-us. This page is the practical compliance reference — what Article 04.04 actually requires, how the three-point disclosure stacks with Florida Statute 475.25(1)(b), Rule 475.42, and FREC Administrative Rule 61J2-10.025, and how HOA, hurricane, pool, and pre-construction edge cases reshape the workflow across Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Naples, and Gainesville.
Article 04.04 — what Stellar MLS actually requires on a virtually staged photo
Article 04.04 ("Virtually Staged Photos") is the controlling rule inside Stellar's Rules and Regulations document (irp.cdn-website.com/3d0f9886/files/uploaded/9-16-2025-Rules_and_Regulations.pdf), indexed at rules.stellarmls.com/hc/en-us/sections/14692093211927-Article-04-Rules-and-Regulations and summarized publicly at stellarmls.com/photorules. Virtually staged images are permitted, but only inside a defined scope and with three simultaneous disclosures. Allowed modifications: brightening an underexposed frame, editing out non-conveying personal furnishings, adding staged furniture or décor to an empty room, and adding or removing easily movable exterior items. Prohibited modifications: swapping or fabricating permanent fixtures, repainting walls, removing utility lines (power lines, poles, transformers), adding landscape plantings or trees, altering the sky or view, or concealing material flaws (water damage, sagging soffit, missing roof tiles). Disclosure is three-pronged and all three are required: (1) check the Stellar "Virtually Staged" photo flag, (2) write "Virtually Staged" into the photo description / caption field for each edited frame, and (3) include the exact phrase "virtually staged" somewhere in the public remarks. Stellar also requires the MLS-provided virtually-staged watermark on the image itself — third-party watermarks are not a substitute. Virtual staging is expressly not permitted on Pre-Construction and Under Construction listings. Violations are a Level I automatic fine and the non-compliant image is pulled from the listing.
Source: Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04 Virtually Staged Photos, updated September 15, 2025
Three-point disclosure: (1) flag field, (2) photo caption "Virtually Staged", (3) exact phrase "virtually staged" in public remarks
Watermark must be the Stellar-provided virtually-staged mark — third-party marks do not satisfy Article 04.04
No virtual staging permitted on Pre-Construction or Under Construction listings
Enforcement: Level I automatic fine plus image removal (stellarmls.com/photorules)
02
Florida Statute 475.25(1)(b), Rule 475.42, and FREC 61J2-10.025 — the licensee layer above Stellar
Article 04.04 is an MLS contract rule; Florida licensees sit under a statutory layer that applies even when the MLS rule is silent. Florida Statute 475.25(1)(b) authorizes the Florida Real Estate Commission (FREC) to discipline any licensee who has been guilty of "fraud, misrepresentation, concealment, false promises, false pretenses, dishonest dealing by trick, scheme, or device, culpable negligence, or breach of trust in any business transaction" (leg.state.fl.us/statutes, Chapter 475). Florida Statute 475.42 lists prohibited advertising practices, and FREC Administrative Rule 61J2-10.025 (the advertising rule, flrules.org / myfloridalicense.com documents) requires that all advertising — MLS photos included — be worded and arranged so a reasonable person is not misled. Under Florida case law, a staged photo that conceals material facts (roof damage, flood staining, unrepaired hurricane damage) can expose a licensee to discipline under 475.25(1)(b) even if Stellar's Article 04.04 three-point disclosure is technically satisfied, because the licensee layer is broader than the MLS rule. NAR Standard of Practice 12 (Code of Ethics, Article 12) reinforces the same principle nationally: REALTORS® must present a true picture in advertising, including photographs. A Florida listing that is virtually staged to hide a hurricane-damaged ceiling or a flooded first floor fails Article 12 and likely 475.25(1)(b) simultaneously, regardless of caption wording.
Florida Statute 475.25(1)(b) — misrepresentation, concealment, and breach of trust in any transaction
Florida Statute 475.42 — prohibited advertising practices for licensees
FREC Administrative Rule 61J2-10.025 — MLS photos count as advertising and must not mislead
NAR Code of Ethics Article 12 / Standard of Practice 12 — true picture in advertising
Concealing hurricane damage, flood staining, or roof failure via staging = statutory exposure regardless of MLS caption
The licensee layer applies to Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Naples, Gainesville — every Florida Stellar market
03
Plotpane's XMP metadata workflow and the three-point Stellar disclosure
Plotpane's staging engine is additive-only by design — it adds furniture, rugs, art, bedding, accent décor to an existing room but does not repaint walls, remove utility lines, alter the sky, or fabricate landscaping, which keeps every export inside Article 04.04's allowed-modification list. Exports ship as clean 4K WebP-quality-90 files on every plan with zero burned-in Plotpane watermark — that matters in Stellar because Article 04.04 requires the specific MLS-provided watermark and a competing third-party mark creates conflicting imagery on the hero shot. Every staged export carries an invisible XMP disclosure tag identifying it as virtually staged; the XMP metadata survives Lightroom, Compass Florida marketing systems, Premier Sotheby's International Realty (Naples) asset libraries, Coldwell Banker Florida feeds, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Realty pipelines, Re/MAX Premier Realty syndication, Dalton Wade brand systems, and Keller Williams Florida command/designs so the staging record follows the file downstream into Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and Homes.com portal feeds. The compliance workflow in Stellar is a four-step checklist. Step one, export from Plotpane — XMP tag written automatically. Step two, apply the Stellar-provided virtually-staged watermark at upload (Plotpane does not substitute its own). Step three, check the virtually-staged photo flag and type "Virtually Staged" into the photo description field for each edited frame. Step four, add one line to public remarks — "One or more photos have been virtually staged" — so the exact phrase "virtually staged" appears in the remarks field as Article 04.04 requires. Advisory: every brokerage compliance desk should verify the workflow against the current Stellar handbook before scaling this across a team.
Additive staging only — furniture, rugs, art, bedding, décor; no wall repaint, no removed utility lines, no fabricated landscaping
Clean 4K exports on every plan — zero burned-in Plotpane watermark so Stellar's official mark can be applied at upload
Invisible XMP disclosure tag survives Compass FL, Premier Sotheby's Naples, Coldwell Banker FL, BHHS FL, Re/MAX, Dalton Wade, Keller Williams FL pipelines
Step 1: export → Step 2: apply Stellar watermark → Step 3: flag + caption "Virtually Staged" → Step 4: public-remarks line with "virtually staged"
XMP disclosure syndicates to Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, Homes.com so the record survives outside Stellar
Verify clause — always confirm against the current Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations document
Florida's geography reshapes the virtual-staging rulebook in ways that do not apply in other states. Hurricane-season disclosure: after Hurricanes Ian (2022), Idalia (2023), Helene and Milton (2024), Florida listing practice increasingly treats unrepaired wind, water, or surge damage as a material fact that must be disclosed — Florida Statute 689.25 and the Florida Realtors SPDR-2 seller's property disclosure form (floridarealtors.org) already require flood history disclosure, and HB 1049 (2024) expanded flood-disclosure obligations further. Staging over hurricane damage (water stains, roof tarps, cracked drywall) risks statutory exposure under 475.25(1)(b), not just Article 04.04. Pool disclosures: Florida Statute 515.27 governs residential swimming pool safety features (fencing, self-latching gates, alarms) — if your listing has a pool, do not virtually stage furniture that conceals an inadequate safety barrier. Alligator/water-body disclosures: in Central and North Florida communities with retention ponds or natural water features (Lake Nona, Wellington-adjacent, Gainesville area), do not virtually stage pool or lawn scenes that imply water-access amenities the property does not lawfully have. HOA imagery: deed-restricted communities such as The Villages, Lake Nona, Celebration, Nocatee, Lakewood Ranch, and Ave Maria have CC&Rs and marketing rules that may restrict amenity photography — Article 04.04 does not override the HOA, and virtually staging a clubhouse or community pool an HOA restricts implies use rights that may not exist. Dual-agency / transaction-broker: Florida Statute 475.278 governs transaction-broker and single-agent relationships; when a licensee represents both parties, virtual-staging disclosure belongs in the agency-disclosure packet as well as the MLS caption. Pre-construction: Article 04.04 expressly bans virtual staging on Pre-Construction and Under Construction listings — for new-build marketing in Orlando, Tampa, Jacksonville, or Naples use clearly-labeled renderings with a rendering caption, not "virtually staged" photos. Puerto Rico: Stellar covers Puerto Rico through the Puerto Rico Association of REALTORS® (stellarmls.com/prar-en) and Article 04.04 applies equally — Ley 10 (Puerto Rico's real estate broker statute) adds a parallel licensee-layer obligation to the Florida analysis.
Hurricane damage — never stage over unrepaired wind, water, or surge damage (Statute 475.25(1)(b), HB 1049)
Pool safety — Statute 515.27 requires disclosure of safety-feature status; do not obscure with staged furniture
Water-body / alligator proximity — do not fabricate lawn or pool scenes implying amenities the property lacks
HOA edge: Villages, Lake Nona, Celebration, Nocatee, Lakewood Ranch, Ave Maria CC&Rs can restrict amenity imagery
Dual-agency / transaction-broker (Statute 475.278) — disclose virtual staging in agency packet, not only MLS caption
Pre-construction and under-construction listings — virtual staging expressly banned; use labeled renderings instead
Puerto Rico — Stellar coverage via PRAR; Ley 10 licensee obligations apply alongside Florida analysis
For this region
Local questions, answered
Does Stellar MLS require its specific watermark, or can a third-party virtual-staging tool add its own?+
Stellar MLS Article 04.04 requires the virtually-staged watermark that Stellar MLS provides — a third-party logo or tool watermark does not substitute. Plotpane ships clean 4K exports on every plan with zero burned-in watermark, so you can apply Stellar's approved mark at upload without a competing brand on the hero shot, and the invisible XMP disclosure tag carries the staging record through Compass Florida, Premier Sotheby's Naples, Coldwell Banker Florida, BHHS Florida Realty, Re/MAX Premier Realty, Dalton Wade, and Keller Williams Florida asset pipelines. Always verify against the current Stellar MLS Rules and Regulations document — rules evolve.
Can I virtually stage a new-construction or pre-construction home in Stellar MLS?+
No. Article 04.04 expressly prohibits virtual staging on Pre-Construction and Under Construction listings — this is one of the bright-line bans in the Stellar handbook. For new-build marketing in Orlando (Lake Nona, Horizon West), Tampa (Westshore, Water Street), Jacksonville (Nocatee, Riverside), Sarasota (Lakewood Ranch), or Naples (Ave Maria, Mediterra), use clearly-labeled architectural renderings rather than "virtually staged" photos. A failure triggers a Level I automatic fine and image removal. Verify the current handbook before publishing.
What is the exact public-remarks language Stellar MLS requires for virtually staged photos?+
Article 04.04 requires the exact phrase "virtually staged" somewhere in the public remarks whenever any listing photo has been virtually staged, in addition to the checked flag field and the "Virtually Staged" photo caption and the Stellar-provided watermark. The standard practice across Florida brokerages is a one-line opener in public remarks such as "One or more photos have been virtually staged" — this both satisfies the literal rule and syndicates cleanly through Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and Homes.com. Always verify the current MLS handbook — rules evolve.
Does Stellar MLS's Article 04.04 protect me from a Florida Statute 475.25(1)(b) misrepresentation claim if I virtually stage over hurricane damage?+
No. Article 04.04 is an MLS contract rule governing photo compliance inside Stellar; Florida Statute 475.25(1)(b), Rule 475.42, and FREC Administrative Rule 61J2-10.025 operate at the licensee layer and apply regardless of whether the MLS caption is correct. Virtually staging over unrepaired hurricane damage (roof failure, water intrusion, surge staining), flood history (HB 1049 / Statute 689.25), or a pool-safety feature defect (Statute 515.27) can expose a licensee to FREC discipline even if the three-point Stellar disclosure is satisfied. NAR Code of Ethics Article 12 reinforces the same obligation. This page is an advisory compliance reference — always verify with your broker and counsel before publishing a staged listing where material condition is in question.
Stellar MLS covers Puerto Rico and parts of Georgia — does Article 04.04 apply identically there?+
Yes — Article 04.04 is a Stellar MLS rule and applies to every Stellar-governed listing across Florida (excluding Southeast Florida, which sits under SEFMLS / MIAMI), Puerto Rico (through the Puerto Rico Association of REALTORS®, stellarmls.com/prar-en), and any Stellar coverage in Georgia. What changes is the licensee layer above the MLS rule — in Florida it is Statute 475 and FREC Rule 61J2-10.025, in Puerto Rico it is Ley 10 and the PRAR code, in Georgia it is the Georgia Real Estate Commission's advertising rules. The Stellar three-point disclosure (flag, caption, public remarks phrase) is identical everywhere Stellar operates. Always verify the current handbook and your local licensee rules — jurisdictions evolve at different speeds.
Pricing
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Pricing FAQ
Billing, quotas, and refunds.
Yes — one click in the Stripe billing portal from your dashboard. Billing stops immediately and any remaining credits stay usable through the end of the billing period.
Starter and Pro renders refresh at the start of each billing cycle and do not roll over. Agency renders roll over up to 3× your monthly cap, so a slow month isn't wasted.
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No free trial. Instead, every plan carries a 14-day no-questions refund — if your first render isn't MLS-ready, we refund it. We chose a hard paywall over a throttled free tier so every plan gets full 4K output and every tool from day one.
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No. Midjourney and DALL-E invent scenes from text prompts — beautiful for art, disqualifying for a listing. Plotpane is a structure-preserving pipeline: your room geometry, windows, and floor plan stay exact. We stage, re-light, swap skies, declutter, and 4K-enhance your actual photo. No hallucinated architecture, no invented rooms.
BoxBrownie and Styldod are human-edit services: you upload, a retoucher works overnight, you get a result in 24–48 hours at $2–$32 per image per treatment. Plotpane runs the full listing pipeline — staging, dusk, sky, clutter, enhancement — in one upload, in ~90 seconds, for a flat monthly subscription. Same 4K quality, no queue, no per-image fees.
Yes, when disclosed. NAR guidelines, California AB 723, and REBNY Rule 3.3 all allow virtually staged photos provided the listing discloses them. Every Plotpane export embeds invisible XMP disclosure metadata so the staging record travels with the file. You still handle the listing-remarks disclosure in your MLS portal — that's the part only you can do.
Not on staging or enhancement — our Fidelity Contract enforces structure-preserving masks that lock architecture, windows, and floor plan before any generation runs. Furniture is added to empty rooms; clutter is removed from furnished rooms; lighting and sky are re-graded. Renovation features (new flooring, wall colors) require you to explicitly mark the surface. We never reinvent what's already there.
Yes — one click in the Stripe billing portal from your dashboard. Billing stops immediately, remaining credits stay usable through the end of the billing period, and there's no cancellation fee.
Yes — any AI-generated or AI-modified image is considered an edit requiring disclosure under NAR's standards. That's why every Plotpane export writes invisible XMP disclosure metadata by default. The flag is machine-readable by MLS tooling and survives Lightroom round-trips. You still add the disclosure line to your listing remarks; we make sure the image itself is self-describing.
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Yes. Upload HEIC straight from your phone or desktop — we validate by magic bytes (not just file extension) and convert server-side. PNG, JPG, WebP, and HEIC are all first-class inputs. Output is 4K JPG by default, or request PNG if you need lossless.
Upgrade is instant and prorated: Stripe credits the unused portion of your current plan against the new one, and your new render quota applies immediately. Downgrades take effect at the next billing cycle so you keep your current quota until then. No credits are lost in either direction.
Yes. All plans include a commercial-use license for the agent, brokerage, or photography business on the account. Agency plan adds 5 team seats and a white-label delivery ZIP so you can hand enhanced photos to clients under your own studio brand. Full licensing terms in /legal/terms.
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