Before virtually staged photos go live, I'd send the seller one short email that names every staged photo, says walls, windows, floors and fixtures were not changed, quotes the label buyers will see, says where the unaltered originals live, and asks the seller to confirm nothing in the staging covers a defect. It ends by asking for a one-word reply, "Approved," and nothing goes up until that reply arrives. In California, the label and the link or QR code to the original are required by Bus. & Prof. Code §10140.8 (AB 723) since January 1, 2026. The sign-off email itself is my recommendation, not the law.
This isn't legal advice; check your MLS and broker. Below is the template I'd use, then my reasoning for every line in it.
The sign-off email template
Copy it, fill the brackets, and edit any line that isn't true for your listing.
Subject: Please approve the staged photos for [address] before [go-live date]
Hi [seller name],
Before the listing goes live, please look at the attached photos.
Each virtually staged photo is attached next to its original.
1. Staged photos: [Living room 03], [Primary bedroom 07], [Dining 05].
No other photo was changed beyond brightness and color.
2. In those photos we added only movable furniture and decor.
Walls, windows, floors, paint colors, light fixtures and
built-ins were not changed.
3. Every staged photo will carry this label wherever it appears:
"Virtually staged. Furniture and decor are not included."
4. The unaltered originals will be posted at [link], and printed
flyers will carry a QR code to the same page.
5. Please confirm that nothing in the staged photos covers or hides
a problem you know about, such as a stain, crack, water damage
or damaged flooring. If something does, tell me and I'll
re-stage that photo or use the original.
6. If everything above is accurate, reply "Approved."
Nothing goes live until you do.
Thanks,
[agent name]
Six numbered lines, about 170 words. Each one is doing a specific job.
Line 1: name every staged photo
A seller scrolling a 25-photo gallery will not notice which three were staged. Naming them by room and file number makes the seller look at each one, and it gives you a count you can check later: three staged photos means three labels and three originals on the originals page.
The second sentence matters as much as the first. "No other photo was changed beyond brightness and color" has to be literally true. If you removed a car from the driveway, swapped a gray sky or erased a cord, list that photo too and say what changed. My rule: any edit that adds, removes or replaces something in the frame goes on the list.
Line 2: say what was not changed
The seller knows the house better than anyone on the deal. They are the person most likely to notice that a window got wider, a floor turned from vinyl to oak or the paint went from beige to white. Saying in writing what stayed the same invites them to check exactly those things.
This line only works if it's true for every photo you attach. QuickStage is built to keep walls, windows, floors and paint colors as photographed and to add only movable furniture and decor, but "built to" is not a promise about any single image, mine or anyone else's. Look at each staged photo next to its original before you send. If a fixture moved or a built-in appeared, re-do the photo first.
Line 3: quote the label word for word
The seller should see the exact text buyers will see, so nothing on the portal surprises them. I like adding "Furniture and decor are not included" because it answers the buyer's next question (does the sofa convey?) before they ask it.
Use one label everywhere the photo goes: MLS, portals, flyers, social posts. If your MLS prescribes its own wording or placement, use that and paste it into this line instead.
Line 4: say where the originals live
Under §10140.8, an altered image in a California listing ad needs a statement that it was altered, plus a link, URL or QR code to the unaltered original. In practice that's a page holding the original of every staged photo, linked from the listing and printed as a QR code on paper materials.
Telling the seller this does two things. It confirms you are meeting the rule, and it tells them the empty, unstaged rooms will be public. Some sellers care about that. They should hear it from you before buyers see it, not after.
Line 5: ask the seller about defects
This is the line I'd never cut. A staging tool doesn't know the hardwood under a staged rug is water-stained, or that a staged sofa sits in front of a cracked baseboard. The seller does. Asking them in writing gives them a direct chance to say so, and it leaves a dated record that you asked.
If the seller flags something, don't argue about whether it's visible. Re-stage the photo with the furniture placed elsewhere, or use the original. Furniture should never be placed to cover a defect, and the staged photos should never contradict the seller's written disclosures. Since the originals are public anyway, a buyer who compares the two will find the stain regardless; better that the staged version doesn't look like it was hiding it.
Line 6: make approval a reply, not a silence
"Let me know if you have any questions" produces silence, and silence is not approval. A one-word reply is dated, searchable and sits in the same thread as the photos it approves. "Nothing goes live until you do" sets the gate plainly.
Save the reply with the attached photos in the transaction file. If you change a staged photo after approval, send the changed photo again and ask for a fresh "Approved." The approval covers the files the seller actually saw, not whatever ends up on the portal later.
What re-doing a photo actually costs
The usual reason agents skip a step like this is that a flagged photo feels like a delay. It shouldn't be. On QuickStage, re-staging a photo is $1 pay-as-you-go, or as low as $0.11 a photo on the annual Agency plan, results come back in about 30 seconds, and QuickFix re-dos are included on plans. A seller's "the rug is hiding the stain" costs you a minute and a dollar at most, which is far less than the conversation you'd have if a buyer found it first.
Bottom line
Send one email before staged photos go live: the staged photos by name, what wasn't changed, the exact label, where the originals live, a direct question about defects, and a request to reply "Approved." Wait for the reply, save it with the files, and re-send if anything changes. The label and the original are the law in California; the sign-off is the habit I'd add on top.