Your photos are one of the most important parts of your listing — they’re the first thing buyers see on Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin. First impressions happen in seconds, so high-quality, compliant photos directly affect how many showings you get. Fortify’s broker reviews every photo set for MLS compliance before your listing goes live.
How many photos you can upload
The number of photos you can include depends on your plan:
| Plan | Photo limit |
|---|
| Essentials | Up to 25 photos |
| Pro | Unlimited photos |
| Elite | Unlimited photos |
- File format: JPEG preferred (JPG files are accepted; PNG and HEIC may need conversion)
- Minimum resolution: 1024×768 pixels. Recommended resolution is 1920×1080 or higher for the sharpest display on listing portals.
- No text overlays: Do not add price, address, agent name, phone numbers, or any other text on top of the image
- No watermarks or logos: Marketing watermarks and brokerage logos are not permitted
- No contact information: Agent or seller contact details cannot appear anywhere in the photo
- No borders or collage layouts: Each photo must be a single, uncropped image with no decorative borders
- Accurate representation: Photos must depict the actual property as it currently exists — no digitally altered or staged-only images that misrepresent the home
Photos shot in natural daylight consistently get more buyer engagement. Turn on all lights and open blinds before photographing interiors.
What the broker checks
Before your listing goes live, Fortify’s broker reviews your entire photo set for MLS compliance. The review covers:
- Watermarks and logos — any image with a watermark or logo is flagged and must be replaced
- Contact information — photos showing phone numbers, email addresses, or website URLs are not permitted and will be removed
- Misleading imagery — photos that do not accurately represent the property (for example, images of a neighboring home or digitally removed furniture that changes the apparent size of a room) will be flagged
- Technical quality — severely blurry or pixelated images may be flagged if they fall below MLS minimum standards
If any photos don’t meet MLS standards, your broker will contact you to request replacements before the listing is published. Responding promptly keeps your go-live date on track.
Recommended photo order
The order of your photos shapes a buyer’s first walkthrough of your home. Follow this sequence to guide buyers naturally through the property:
- Front exterior
- Living room
- Kitchen
- Primary bedroom
- Primary bathroom
- Additional bedrooms
- Additional bathrooms
- Backyard and exterior
- Special features (home office, pool, garage, updated appliances, etc.)
Lead with your strongest photo. If your kitchen is your home’s best feature, it’s fine to place it second or third — just make sure the front exterior always opens the set, since many MLS systems require it.
Updating photos after going live
You can replace, add, or reorder photos after your listing is live by submitting a change request through the Fortify seller portal.
- Essentials: Updating photos uses one of your three edits. Batch photo changes with any other updates you want to make so you use only one edit for multiple changes.
- Pro & Elite: Photo updates are unlimited and count toward no cap.
After your broker processes the update on the MLS, allow 24–48 hours for the new photos to appear across Zillow, Realtor.com, Redfin, and other syndicated listing sites. 