At What Point Would You Consider Real Estate Listing Photos Deceptive?

At what point do real estate listing photos become considered deceiving?

I am currently looking for a home, and the difference between what I see in listing photos and what I see in person is beyond frustrating.

For this post, I'm not talking about the interior of the home. 

Interior photos have their own issues....

Rooms may appear larger in the photos. Overall condition may appear better in photos than it actually is. Obviously you won't know the truth, and you won't know if it's right for you, until you actually step foot inside. That goes without saying in real estate. 

 

I'm talking about photos of the exterior. Photos that are deliberately framed and/or angled to make a home appear different than it actually is.

For example: 

Shooting a house tightly cropped so as to hide the fact that it's practically on top of the house next to it.

Shooting all the exterior shots in such a way that there is no evidence of the eyesore building, lot, landfill, etc. directly behind it. 

Shooting the house to appear like it's set way back from the street, when in reality it's just six feet from the curb. (I've seen this one far too many times now.)

 

In this market, homes are moving fast, and it's important to schedule a showing asap when you see a listing you like.

I was doing just that, calling my agent to schedule showings, until the third time we decided to cancel a showing after doing a drive by.

 

 

I have learned that I can no longer call my agent to schedule a showing immediately upon seeing a new listing I like, without first taking a drive.  More times than not we have found we no longer want a showing after actually riding by the property.

 

Some of you may be thinking "this is rich...a home stager talking about mls photos being deceptive."

The irony is not lost on me. I know there are people who believe the art of staging in of itself is deceiving...smoke and mirrors to make buyers fall in love regardless of the lack of closet space and lack of home maintenance. 

I stand by the power and benefit of preparing and presenting your house to show at it's very best in order to attract buyers.

I stand by the power and benefit of professional photos to increase both visual and emotional appeal of a property.

 

What I don't appreciate is arriving at a house and immediately feeling disappointed and deceived because it has been falsely represented in photos.

 

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