ListPik research · Reviewed Sep 22, 2026
Real estate photography statistics 2026
64 statistics on listing photos, staging, virtual staging, disclosure law, and short-term rentals. Every number is traced to the organization that produced it, dated, and linked. No figures are copied from other roundups.
Key takeaways
The numbers people cite most.
- 88% of sellers' agents say having photos available for their listings is much more or more important to their clients, the top-rated listing asset.National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- 78% of home sellers say they are more likely to hire an agent who offers high-resolution photography.Zillow Group, 2025
- 76% of sellers' agents recommend professional photos to sellers before listing, just behind decluttering (91%), whole-home cleaning (88%), and curb appeal (77%).National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- 83% of buyers' agents say staging made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- 29% of sellers' agents report staging increased the dollar value offered by 1% to 10% compared with similar unstaged homes.National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- $1,500 is the median spent when using a staging service, versus $500 when the listing agent stages the home personally.National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- 16% of sellers' agents rate virtual staging as much more or more important to their clients; 34% rate it less important.National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- Jan 1, 2026 is when California's AB 723 took effect, requiring a disclosure on or next to any digitally altered listing image plus a link or QR code to the unaltered original.California Legislature, 2025
- $250 fine from CRMLS (California Regional MLS) for an undisclosed digitally altered image that isn't corrected after a first warning.California Regional MLS (CRMLS), 2026
- 41% of REALTORS® currently use AI or generative AI in their business.National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- 52% of REALTORS® use drone photography or video, the third most-used technology after e-signature (79%) and social media (75%).National Association of REALTORS, 2025
- 6 photos is Vrbo's minimum; a listing with fewer than 6 photos for more than 30 days risks an indefinite suspension.Vrbo (Expedia Group), 2026
- $91.3B in gross booking value flowed through Airbnb in 2025, up 12% year over year.Airbnb, Inc., 2026
- 4.9 months of unsold existing-home inventory in August 2026, the highest level in over ten years.National Association of REALTORS, 2026
How important are listing photos to buyers and sellers?
Photos are the listing asset real estate agents rate most important: 88% of listing agents and 73% of buyers' agents say photos are much more or more important to their clients, the highest share of any asset NAR asked about, ahead of video, virtual tours, and staging (NAR, 2025).
- 88%
of sellers' agents say having photos available for their listings is much more or more important to their clients, the top-rated listing asset.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 73%
of buyers' agents say photos are much more or more important to their clients, ahead of physical staging (57%), video (48%), and virtual tours (43%).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 76%
of sellers' agents recommend professional photos to sellers before listing, just behind decluttering (91%), whole-home cleaning (88%), and curb appeal (77%).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 78%
of home sellers say they are more likely to hire an agent who offers high-resolution photography.
Zillow Group, 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents 2025
- 71%
of sellers say they are more likely to hire an agent who provides virtual tours and/or interactive floor plans.
Zillow Group, 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents 2025
- 86%
of buyers said in 2024 they were more likely to view a home if the listing included a floor plan they liked.
Zillow Group, 2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents 2025
- 48%
of agents say buyers expect homes to look like they were staged on TV shows, and 58% say buyers were disappointed by how real homes compared.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 20 homes
is the median number buyers expect to view virtually before buying, versus a median of 8 in person (among agents whose buyers had an expectation).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
Does home staging increase sale price?
Sometimes, and modestly: 29% of listing agents say staging raised the dollar value offered by 1% to 10%, while 30% saw no impact on price. Staging's clearer effect is on perception, with 83% of buyers' agents saying it helps buyers picture the home as theirs (NAR, 2025).
- 83%
of buyers' agents say staging made it easier for a buyer to visualize the property as a future home.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 29%
of sellers' agents report staging increased the dollar value offered by 1% to 10% compared with similar unstaged homes.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
Sum of the 1–5% (19%) and 6–10% (10%) response shares.
- 30%
of sellers' agents say staging had no impact on the dollar value offered; 34% were not sure.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 17%
of buyers' agents say staging increased the dollar value offered by 1% to 5%; 41% say it had no impact.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 49%
of sellers' agents say staging decreased time on market (30% slightly, 19% greatly); 4% say it greatly increased it.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
Sum of 'slightly decrease' (30%) and 'greatly decrease' (19%).
- $1,500
is the median spent when using a staging service, versus $500 when the listing agent stages the home personally.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 37%
of buyers' agents rate the living room as the most important room to stage, followed by the primary bedroom (34%) and kitchen (23%).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 21%
of sellers' agents stage every home before listing; 51% do not stage but ask sellers to declutter or fix faults.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
How common is virtual staging, and do agents value it?
Virtual staging is a minority practice with modest perceived value: 8% of listing agents only virtually stage homes, and 16% of listing agents rate virtual staging as more important to clients than other listing assets, compared with 88% for photos (NAR, 2025).
- 8%
of sellers' agents only virtually stage homes rather than staging physically.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
- 16%
of sellers' agents rate virtual staging as much more or more important to their clients; 34% rate it less important.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
Sum of 'much more important' (4%) and 'more important' (12%).
- 18%
of buyers' agents rate virtual staging as much more or more important to their clients; 38% rate it less important.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
Sum of 'much more important' (5%) and 'more important' (13%).
- 26%
of sellers' agents who used a staging service cite virtual staging options as a factor in choosing one, behind design quality (63%) and price (51%).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Staging Jun 26, 2025
What are the disclosure rules for edited and virtually staged listing photos?
Since January 1, 2026, California law requires agents to label digitally altered listing images and link to the unaltered original; basic corrections such as exposure, white balance, and straightening are exempt. MLSs such as CRMLS enforce the same rule with fines, ARMLS in Arizona has required a Digitally Altered disclosure since May 28, 2026, and Stellar MLS in Florida requires three separate staging disclosures (California AB 723; CRMLS, ARMLS, Stellar MLS, 2026).
- Jan 1, 2026
is when California's AB 723 took effect, requiring a disclosure on or next to any digitally altered listing image plus a link or QR code to the unaltered original.
California Legislature, AB 723 (Chapter 497, Statutes of 2025), Business and Professions Code §10140.8 Oct 10, 2025
Signed October 10, 2025. CRMLS confirms the law went into effect January 1, 2026.
- 14
named element types trigger AB 723 when added, removed, or changed, including furniture, flooring, paint color, landscape, views through windows, utility poles, and neighboring properties.
California Legislature, AB 723 (Chapter 497, Statutes of 2025), Business and Professions Code §10140.8 Oct 10, 2025
Count of the element types the statute names; its list is expressly non-exhaustive.
- 8
named edit types are exempt from AB 723: lighting, sharpening, white balance, color correction, angle, straightening, cropping, and exposure, plus other common adjustments that don't change how the property is represented.
California Legislature, AB 723 (Chapter 497, Statutes of 2025), Business and Professions Code §10140.8 Oct 10, 2025
- $250
fine from CRMLS (California Regional MLS) for an undisclosed digitally altered image that isn't corrected after a first warning.
California Regional MLS (CRMLS), Digitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs (Rule 11.5.2) Jul 24, 2026
- Adjacent
placement is required: CRMLS says the unaltered original must appear immediately before or after the altered image in the listing.
California Regional MLS (CRMLS), Digitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs (Rule 11.5.2) Jul 24, 2026
- Emptying counts
Under CRMLS rules, virtually removing furniture that won't convey with the sale is a digital alteration requiring a label and the original photo.
California Regional MLS (CRMLS), Digitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs (Rule 11.5.2) Jul 24, 2026
- May 28, 2026
is when Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) began requiring a Digitally Altered disclosure in Flexmls for virtually staged or altered photos; brightness, contrast, color, cropping, and sharpening are exempt.
Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS), Virtually Staged Photos: Disclosure of Digitally Altered Images May 28, 2026
- Fire in the fireplace
counts as a digital alteration under ARMLS, alongside added furniture, accent paint, and removed items, so each needs the Digitally Altered disclosure.
Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS), Virtually Staged Photos: Disclosure of Digitally Altered Images May 28, 2026
- 3
separate disclosures are required by Stellar MLS (Florida) for virtually staged photos: a "Virtually staged" photo description, the virtually staged checkbox, and public remarks that open with a fixed sentence.
Stellar MLS, Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04: Virtually Staged Photos Sep 15, 2025
Count of the three required disclosure steps in Article 04.04.
- Twilight allowed
under Stellar MLS rules only when no lighting is added where none exists and the sunset or sunrise matches where the sun actually sets or rises.
Stellar MLS, Rules and Regulations, Article 04.04: Virtually Staged Photos Sep 15, 2025
- Sale or lease
advertising would be covered by New York bill A11635, which names property managers and property owners as well as brokers. The bill was referred to the Assembly Housing Committee on July 29, 2026 and is not law.
- 1 before image
per staged or AI-enhanced room is required under NorthstarMLS's proposed guidelines, alongside a caption or on-photo disclosure.
NorthstarMLS, Guidelines for Virtual Staging and AI-Enhanced Listing Photos (proposed) Jul 10, 2026
How many real estate agents use AI and photo technology?
About four in ten agents use generative AI (41%), and 46% use AI-generated content such as listing descriptions. Drone photography or video is the third most-used technology at 52%, behind only e-signatures and social media (NAR, 2025).
- 52%
of REALTORS® use drone photography or video, the third most-used technology after e-signature (79%) and social media (75%).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
- 46%
of REALTORS® use AI-generated content such as listing descriptions.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
- 41%
of REALTORS® currently use AI or generative AI in their business.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
- 38%
of REALTORS® use virtual tours.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
- 20%
of REALTORS® use AI daily; 32% have not actively tried AI for their business.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
- 17%
of REALTORS® say AI had a significantly positive impact on their business; 33% say moderately positive and 46% saw no noticeable impact.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
- 58%
of REALTORS® have used ChatGPT, the most-used AI tool in the survey, ahead of Google Gemini (20%) and Microsoft Copilot (15%).
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey Oct 6, 2025
What photo sizes and counts do Airbnb, Vrbo, and Booking.com require?
Airbnb's Help Center sets a floor of 1024 × 683 pixels and its hosting resources guide recommends at least 1200 × 800, Vrbo requires at least 6 photos of at least 1024 × 683 pixels, and Booking.com requires at least 2048 × 1080 pixels and recommends at least 10 photos. All three favor landscape images.
- 1024 × 683 px
is the minimum photo size in Airbnb's Help Center, which adds that a bigger photo is better when in doubt.
Airbnb, Taking great photos of your listing (Help Center article 746) Sep 22, 2026
Airbnb's hosting resources guide gives a higher figure (1200 × 800); both are current Airbnb pages.
- 1200 × 800 px
is Airbnb's minimum recommended photo size, with files up to about 10 MB.
Airbnb, How to take great photos for your listing Nov 8, 2024
- Square
crops are used for listing photos in Airbnb search results, which is why Airbnb advises shooting horizontally.
Airbnb, How to take great photos for your listing Nov 8, 2024
- 6 photos
is Vrbo's minimum; a listing with fewer than 6 photos for more than 30 days risks an indefinite suspension.
Vrbo (Expedia Group), Vrbo photo guidelines Sep 18, 2026
- 1024 × 683 px
is Vrbo's minimum photo size; it recommends 3840 × 2160 pixels or higher.
Vrbo (Expedia Group), Vrbo photo guidelines Sep 18, 2026
- No overlays
Vrbo may reject photos with text overlays, logo watermarks, borders, collages, or black-and-white filters.
Vrbo (Expedia Group), Vrbo photo guidelines Sep 18, 2026
- 2048 × 1080 px
is Booking.com's minimum photo resolution; it prefers 4000 × 3000 pixels.
Booking.com, Understanding photo requirements for your property Sep 18, 2026
- 10 photos
is Booking.com's minimum recommendation, with at least four photos of each room or unit and 24 for condo hotels.
Booking.com, Understanding photo requirements for your property Sep 18, 2026
How big is the short-term rental market in 2026?
Airbnb recorded 533 million nights and seats booked and $91.3 billion in gross booking value in 2025, and has more than 5.5 million hosts. In the U.S., AirDNA forecasts 57.4% average short-term rental occupancy in 2026 (Airbnb 10-K and Q2 2026 letter; AirDNA, 2026).
- 533M
nights and seats were booked on Airbnb in 2025, up 8% from 492 million in 2024.
Airbnb, Inc., Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 Feb 12, 2026
- $91.3B
in gross booking value flowed through Airbnb in 2025, up 12% year over year.
Airbnb, Inc., Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 Feb 12, 2026
Reported as $91,273 million.
- 5.5M+
hosts are on Airbnb, which says they have welcomed more than 2.5 billion guest arrivals.
Airbnb, Inc., Q2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K) Aug 6, 2026
- 148.3M
nights and seats were booked on Airbnb in Q2 2026, up 10% year over year, with $27.2 billion in gross booking value (up 16%).
Airbnb, Inc., Q2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K) Aug 6, 2026
- $184
was Airbnb's average daily rate in Q2 2026, up 5% year over year.
Airbnb, Inc., Q2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K) Aug 6, 2026
- Quality-first
search: Airbnb's Q2 2026 letter says its search results now prioritize higher-quality homes that better fit each trip.
Airbnb, Inc., Q2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K) Aug 6, 2026
- 150,000+
homes in FIFA World Cup 2026 host cities were listed on Airbnb for the first time for the tournament.
Airbnb, Inc., Q2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K) Aug 6, 2026
- 57.4%
is AirDNA's forecast for average U.S. short-term rental occupancy in 2026, above the pre-pandemic average of 57.0%.
AirDNA, 2026 Midyear Outlook (press release) Jul 8, 2026
- +2.7%
is AirDNA's 2026 growth forecast for both U.S. short-term rental demand and available listings; RevPAR is forecast to rise 2.9%.
AirDNA, 2026 Midyear Outlook (press release) Jul 8, 2026
How competitive is the 2026 housing market for sellers?
More competitive than in years: U.S. existing-home inventory reached 1.62 million homes in August 2026, a 4.9-month supply that is the highest in over ten years, while the median home spent 31 days on the market (NAR, September 2026).
- 4.9 months
of unsold existing-home inventory in August 2026, the highest level in over ten years.
National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales, August 2026 Sep 10, 2026
- 1.62M
existing homes were for sale in August 2026, up 5.9% year over year and above 1.6 million for the first time since November 2019.
National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales, August 2026 Sep 10, 2026
- 31 days
was the median time on market for existing homes in August 2026.
National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales, August 2026 Sep 10, 2026
- $429,100
was the median existing-home price in August 2026, up 1.6% year over year and the 38th straight monthly annual gain.
National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales, August 2026 Sep 10, 2026
- 3.98M
was the seasonally adjusted annual pace of existing-home sales in August 2026, down 1.2% year over year.
National Association of REALTORS®, Existing-Home Sales, August 2026 Sep 10, 2026
- 91%
of home sellers sold with an agent, and only 5% sold FSBO, an all-time low.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (highlights) Nov 4, 2025
- 21%
of buyers were first-time buyers, a historic low; the median first-time buyer is 40 and the median repeat buyer is 62.
National Association of REALTORS®, 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (highlights) Nov 4, 2025
- 11 years
is how long sellers owned their home before selling (median), an all-time high.
National Association of REALTORS®, Top 10 Takeaways from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Nov 3, 2025
What this means for a listing
Photos carry the listing. Edits now carry rules.
Agents rate photos as the most important listing asset, and months of housing supply are at their highest in over ten years, so more listings compete for the same buyers. At the same time, California and MLSs such as CRMLS now separate corrections (exposure, white balance, straightening), which need no disclosure, from alterations (added or removed furniture, changed finishes), which need a label and the original photo.
ListPik is built around that line. Enhancement corrects light, color, and geometry without changing what is in the room. Virtual staging is a separate job, labeled by default. Check each platform's overlay rules before publishing a labeled image.
Methodology
How these statistics were compiled.
Each figure was read on the publisher's own document on Sep 22, 2026: survey reports, statute text, MLS rule pages, platform help centers, and SEC filings. Secondary roundups were used only to find leads, never as a source. Where a figure is the sum of two published shares, the entry says so. Survey sample sizes and margins of error are listed with each source below.
The page is reviewed when a source publishes a new edition: NAR's monthly existing-home sales, Airbnb's quarterly letters, and NAR's annual staging, technology, and buyer and seller profiles. The reviewed date at the top changes only when the figures have been checked again.
Claims we checked and left out
- "NAR Standard of Practice 12-5 requires disclosing altered photographs" SoP 12-5 does not address images. The Code's image language is Standard of Practice 12-10, which prohibits misleading images and prescribes no label.
- "Airbnb has more than 8 million active listings" Not stated in Airbnb's FY2025 Form 10-K, which reports hosts, nights booked, and GBV but no active-listing total.
- "75% of sellers want an agent who offers virtual tours" Zillow's 2025 report says 71%. The 75% figure appears only in secondary summaries.
- Photo-usefulness shares from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers Those tables sit in the paid full report. We cite only figures published in NAR's free highlights.
Sources
19 primary sources.
- Survey2025 Profile of Home Staging
National Association of REALTORS® · Jun 26, 2025
Online survey of a random sample of 49,806 active REALTORS® in February 2025; 1,266 usable responses; ±2.75% at 95% confidence.
- Survey2025 Consumer Housing Trends Report for Agents
Zillow Group · 2025
Nationally representative surveys fielded in 2024: 5,000+ buyer respondents (March–July) and 6,200+ unique sellers (April–July).
- Survey2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey
National Association of REALTORS® · Oct 6, 2025
Online survey of a random sample of 49,233 active REALTORS® in July 2025; 1,241 usable responses; ±2.78% at 95% confidence.
- StatuteAB 723 (Chapter 497, Statutes of 2025), Business and Professions Code §10140.8
California Legislature · Oct 10, 2025
- MLS ruleDigitally Altered Image Guidance & FAQs (Rule 11.5.2)
California Regional MLS (CRMLS) · Jul 24, 2026
- MLS ruleVirtually Staged Photos: Disclosure of Digitally Altered Images
Arizona Regional MLS (ARMLS) · May 28, 2026
- MLS ruleRules and Regulations, Article 04.04: Virtually Staged Photos
Stellar MLS · Sep 15, 2025
- BillAssembly Bill A11635 (2025–2026 session), digitally altered images in real estate advertising
New York State Assembly · Jul 29, 2026
- MLS ruleGuidelines for Virtual Staging and AI-Enhanced Listing Photos (proposed)
NorthstarMLS · Jul 10, 2026
- Platform policyTaking great photos of your listing (Help Center article 746)
Airbnb · Sep 22, 2026
The Help Center page is undated; the date shown is when ListPik last checked it.
- Platform policyHow to take great photos for your listing
Airbnb · Nov 8, 2024
- Platform policyVrbo photo guidelines
Vrbo (Expedia Group) · Sep 18, 2026
Undated help article; date shown is when ListPik last read it.
- Platform policyUnderstanding photo requirements for your property
Booking.com · Sep 18, 2026
Undated help article; date shown is when ListPik last read it.
- SEC filingForm 10-K for fiscal year 2025
Airbnb, Inc. · Feb 12, 2026
- SEC filingQ2 2026 Shareholder Letter (Exhibit 99.1 to Form 8-K)
Airbnb, Inc. · Aug 6, 2026
- Market data2026 Midyear Outlook (press release)
AirDNA · Jul 8, 2026
- Market dataExisting-Home Sales, August 2026
National Association of REALTORS® · Sep 10, 2026
- Survey2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers (highlights)
National Association of REALTORS® · Nov 4, 2025
120-question survey mailed July 2025 to 173,250 recent buyers; 6,103 primary-residence responses; ±1.25% at 95% confidence.
- SurveyTop 10 Takeaways from NAR's 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers
National Association of REALTORS® · Nov 3, 2025
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