Michigan
Realcomp II: virtual staging rules
What Realcomp II requires before a virtually staged photo goes into a listing — the disclosure rule, the edits it permits, the edits it prohibits, and what happens when a listing gets it wrong.
Disclosure rule
Realcomp's photo policy (Policy Handbook item M, revised 2019; announced by Realcomp effective October 16, 2019) permits only a short list of alterations and virtual staging, and Realcomp's 2019 announcement says altered or staged photos must carry a conspicuous caption. The caption requirement does not appear in the July 21, 2026 Rules and Regulations or the March 2023 Policy Handbook text; confirm current enforcement with Realcomp.
Permitted
Only the listed alterations: lighting correction, removal of temporary visual obstructions such as parked cars, adding furniture to an empty room, removing furniture or clutter from a room, enhancing weather conditions, and blurring private information.
Prohibited
All other types of photographic alteration or retouching, or virtual staging, are not permitted under the policy.
Penalty
No penalty is stated in the photo policy; check the Realcomp fine schedule.
Provenance: these board rules were documented as part of RELTO's Michigan research, whose state entry is verified against secondary public guidance (MLS advisory, regulator memo, or REALTOR association PDF). No separate board-rulebook citation is indexed for this rule — confirm the current wording with the board directly. Full legal context, penalties, and sources for Michigan: Michigan virtual staging rules.
Disclosure language you can copy
RELTO's recommended wording — always confirm the exact format Realcomp II requires (photo label, caption, or public remarks) before publishing.
- On the photo
- Virtually Staged
- In public remarks
- One or more photo(s) was virtually staged.
- Extended disclaimer
- Images have been virtually staged to illustrate the property's potential. Furniture and decor shown are digitally rendered and are not included with the property. Please refer to the original photographs for an accurate representation of the property's current condition.
Sources
Stage compliantly on Realcomp II
RELTO's free tier watermarks every image automatically, and MLS-ready downloads on paid plans add the disclosure label. Free to start, no credit card.
Stage a photo freeInformational only — not legal advice. RELTO is a virtual-staging technology provider, not a law firm, and nothing on this page creates an attorney-client relationship. Board rules and enforcement practices change; confirm each rule with the board's current rulebook, your broker, and a licensed real-estate attorney before relying on it. Every rule above was documented as part of the state research that covers this board; verification dates and confidence tiers describe those state entries, not board-specific rulebook citations.