Sometimes a Mistake is not a bad thing -- A little embarrassing perhaps

Carol - I also straightened the sides of the house which were leaning in because of the way the photo was taken. 

The use of my retouched photos is as gifts to be given at closings. i create change-of-address cards, framed renderings, coasters, cutting boards, mugs, and notes. These are not used for advertising purposes, and I can assure you, the clients are delighted with them.

However, I also create renderings for commericial real estate properties that are undergoing renovations and repositioning in their markets, so the changes are to indicate what is coming. There is nothing wrong with that either as the message is clear.

With respect to retouching residential real estate photos for marketing purposes, I think that it is fine to put in grass and trees in new developments. Clearly, renderings are used to sell homes in subdivisions. There is no attempt at deceit; there is just no other way to give a buyer a clear picture of what is to come. 

It would be deceitful to use retouched pictures to draw clients to an existing home that is in terrible repair. And, frankly, it would make the realtor look very bad if he/she did not first warn the prospect about the discrepancy between the photo and the actual home. This is not, however, what my photos are used for.