Compliance Corner- Photographs

Please note: this article is a snapshot of a message that was posted on the MLS system at some point within the last year.  Things evolve rapidly in our industry, and the information in this article may have changed since it was first published. Compliance Corner articles are not updated after they are published, even if the information contained within has changed.

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Compliance Corner #3

October 12, 2019

Following the Photo Rules

• All listings except for Land, BU and New/Under Construction must have at least one exterior photo. Keep in mind, the primary photo is the first impression buyers get of the property!
• Active and Coming Soon listings must also have at least one photo.
• Photos must be uploaded with 48 hours of listing entry.
• Immoviewer Virtual Tours require a minimum of 3, to a maximum of 15 photos. Immoviewer will display your photos in the order you posted them on your listing. So be sure to order them to make sense!
• No branding on photos/virtual tours
• Photos and virtual tours containing branding, contact info, lender names or marketing info is NOT allowed within the MLS system, this includes signage, renderings, blue prints, plans, etc.
• Restrictions on Promoting, Marketing or Offering Services and Products within Listings.
• Information allowed on Photographs or contained in Virtual Tours is restricted to information that describes the Listed Property, its amenities and the neighborhood.
• No information that is intended to, or which could be construed to, promote, market or offer any product or service, including but not limited to, home inspections, mortgage services, appraisal services, relocation services, construction or development services or the Participant’s or Subscriber’s real estate brokerage services shall be included in Listing Reports, Photographs or Virtual Tours.  However, information such as the name of the architect and/ or builder is allowed.
• No people in photos/virtual tours. 
• No unauthorized use of another agent’s photos without written permission submitted to MLS.  MLS staff will copy photos if such permission is granted.
• No Watermarks. The SMARTMLS watermark is applied to the photo once the photo has been saved to the Matrix system.
• No removal of photos after a listing is OFF MARKET (Closed, Expired, Cancelled) as it becomes part of the listing’s historical data.

If you have a chance, click the following link to check out a related article from REALTOR Magazine  "WAIT! THAT’S MY LISTING PHOTO?"