That Beautiful Listing Photo May Not Show the Whole Picture 

By TW Shortt, CRS®, CRB® 
Principal Broker/Manager, REALTY WORLD Knox Realty Group, LLC 
Former President, Heart of Kentucky Association of REALTORS® 

You find a house online. The living room looks bright, the furniture fits perfectly, and the yard looks as though it has been tended every Saturday for years. Then you walk through the front door and wonder whether you have the right address. 

Digital editing can help buyers picture what a home might become. Virtual staging, for example, can show how an empty room could be furnished. But buyers also need to see the room as it is today. 

The Heart of Kentucky Association of REALTORS® MLS rules address that issue directly. If a listing photo is AI-generated or virtually staged, the image must be clearly identified in both the photo and the listing. The rules also require the original, unaltered version of each digitally enhanced image to be included. ¹ 

At our firm, our policy is to avoid AI-generated images in MLS listings. The risk is that an altered image can distort how the property actually looks and potentially mislead a buyer. Even when an image is labeled, a buyer may remember the polished picture more clearly than the disclosure. 

A seller has every reason to present a property well. Good lighting, clean rooms, and professional photography help buyers see its strengths. But there is a difference between presenting a home at its best and leaving buyers uncertain about what is there. 

If you are shopping for a home, look closely at the photos. When an image is labeled as virtually staged or AI-generated, find its unaltered counterpart. If you cannot find it, ask your agent to obtain it. And, as always, judge the property after seeing it for yourself. 

Technology has a place in real estate marketing. My view is simple: show buyers the real house. 

¹ Heart of Kentucky Association of REALTORS® MLS Rules and Regulations, “Guidelines for Submitting Information to the Service,” p. 4, in the copy titled MLS RULES AND REGULATIONS Revised 9.17.26(1).pdf.