California house hunters should have an easier time detecting when homes look far better in real estate photos than they do in real life, thanks to a new state law that took effect Jan. 1.
Under Assembly Bill 723, real estate agents and brokers who display photos of a home that have been digitally altered with editing software or artificial intelligence must include a “reasonably conspicuous” statement “disclosing that the image has been altered.”
Real estate companies, photography firms and Multiple Listing Services — the source of real estate listings that show up on sites like Zillow and Redfin — have been scrambling to understand and comply with the new law, which was signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in October.
The law states that the disclosure statement applies to “alterations that add, remove, or change elements in the image, such as interior fixtures, furniture, appliances, flooring, walls, paint color, hardscape, landscape, facade, floor plans and exterior features on or visible from the property such as streetlights, utility poles, views through windows, and neighboring properties.”…