What the??????

Someone's been playing too much with Photoshop!

Wow! That's... nuts!

Here's one that I keep running across while searching the listings in my zip...

Here is a link that might be useful: bizarre house pic

Why would you do that? I guess maybe to create something memorable about the house? Looks like a doll house in that pic.

thatgirl -- I hereby award you the 'oddest lising photo' for today. (In fairness, I must disclose that we are neighbors. LOL)

Chisue - I take it from your User Name that you're in Chicago or there about?

There was another listing that I thought was 'odd' - but understandable if you knew the location. The realtor added a fake sky! Of course, they were covering the ugly power lines and smoke stack of the worst hospital in the area ... I guess they were trying to keep people from automatically eliminating that house from their list - but it would take a blind person not to notice it if they did a drive by!

That's a pretty small backyard!!

I thought the 1st link was ok, can laugh about the dog as there are ads here that use dogs but you could tell they stretched the pictures if you look at the dishwasher, plus the rooms look like odd sizes, so that's deceptive.

The 2nd link shouldn't be allowed. Things like editing the sky & grass are pretty deceptive.

If that's not further evidence that most realtors are slimy and deceptive, I don't know what is...

Luckily for buyers, at least those two yahoos are obvious idiots, as well...

Sorry Disney, but that statement chaps my hide. One photo and you make a blanket statement that most realtors are slimy and deceptive?

"Doctored" photos are definitely not the norm in my area. In fact, I've only ever seen them on this board, and those are few and far between.

Actually the photos on the first link are not stretched. Most of them taken from a nee high position using expensive wide angle lens (the one that have little distortion on the edges / corners). Mounting camera about 2.5 ft of the floor gives you perspective of how a small child sees the world. Another alternative is to take panoramic shuts and stitch them - result would be a "bowed" sealing. Scroll down on attached link to see actual photos.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stitched photos

The 2nd link is a deliberate joke! It's Michigan--who has palm trees? It's just so obviously fake that it's almost funny. It looks to me as though it was INTENDED to be funny.

Actually, I like those "stitched" photos.

Tally sue - nope, not intended to be a joke! (also, not Michigan - very very very far northern IL, so almost Wisconsin, but not Michigan)

Just like any town - my town has good and bad areas. Unfortunately - we have a lot of shades of 'bad' - kinda bad, bad, and you-wouldn't-want-your-worst-enemy-to-live-here-bad. I don't know for sure, but my guess is that house is next to some really ugly boarded up, burnt out, crack house and the realtor didn't want it to show in the pictures.

I think if it was a joke, there would also be additional photos to show the real house (at least the outside, many houses here are so bad inside they don't even post pictures).

Our MLS charging $100 fee if (at least one) picture is not uploaded in 3 days. They randomly check photos for compliance with the rules.

What am I missing here? I look at the listing on the first post and I don't see anything strange about it. What is strange about it?

Agent comment: Owner started renovations on the large house with garage apartment off the freeway. Lot almost 10,000 sq. ft. Pick up this gem, dust it off, add polish and it will shine.

Here is a link that might be useful: House for Sale

Happyladi, on the first listing, yesterday one of the photos had a HUGE dog's face filling the patio doors entirely - it was just weird. Today it looks like the photo was replaced with a normal photo, with the dog standing just outside the patio doors.

I said "most" realtors, reno fan, not "all". Learn to read.

sheesh.

The "palm tree" house floating on the ocean actually looks like it is the actual house, but pasted on top of a painting. If you do a Google street view, it looks just like the one 5 houses up from Ridgeland Ave on the west side of the street. Not sure when the street view picture was taken, but it's got a dumpster in the driveway and a couple of contractorish trucks on the street in front.

Doesn't look like it's that bad of a neighbourhood (or house) but I'd be so turned off by the listing that I'd not even bother to look.

Ewww, apparently that realtor thinks that someone (or herself) has some sort of "cute" Photoshop ability. From another of their listings -
{{!gwi}}

Hope she does a better job of selling houses than she does with listing pictures.

Uh Disney?? I did read it correctly.

Here is my direct quote: Sorry Disney, but that statement chaps my hide. One photo and you make a blanket statement that most realtors are slimy and deceptive?
"Doctored" photos are definitely not the norm in my area. In fact, I've only ever seen them on this board, and those are few and far between.

I never said you implicated "all" Realtors in your opinion. Saying that most realtors are slimy and deceptive as a result of seeing one stupid doctored photo is a pretty inaccurate and over-generalized statement that I happen to take exception to.

Yep, you did say most.

I really have to lay off the Kilz.

Too much priming will fry your brain. Just say no to primer...

I think most realtors are slimy and deceptive because I've bought and sold 4 houses. They've either been stupid or incompetent, or both. Or slimy.

Methinks thou doth protest too much.

However, that may be the Kilz talking, too.

Off to prime the kids' bathroom, wahoo. Home selling 2008-if it's not a gem, don't even bother... (she grumbles as she wanders off to polish the turd that is her house)

Dis, I'm probably taking it too personally, as I am a Realtor. Though I try really really hard not to be slimy. :P

Best of luck with your house. I've seen the exterior shots on the Home Dec board, and I don't happen to think it's a turd at all!

This is one of my favorite blogs - it's all about wacky home listings and the pictures they choose to use:

Here is a link that might be useful: It's Lovely! I'll Take It! Blog

Thanks, reno fan, I appreciate that.

I think sometimes I can't see what my house has become and I still look at it and see what it used to be, so I'm biased some days. Especially when I trip over a bucket of paint and spill it *all over* the carpet and then have to have the carpet replaced. Like yesterday. Argh!

To keep this on topic, I am now seeing "stretched" pictures all over the place!!! Maybe I just didn't notice them before but wow, I saw three yesterday.

I used to see stretched photos in listings for my area, but lately it's become more obnoxious. We have a realtor in town who apparently has an assistant learning how to use Photoshop. If the photo doesn't have the colors touched up or the lawn "re-sodded" electronically, they've used the Find Edges filter to add that oh-so-special artsy effect. It's really annoying.

Not to make excuses for the smarmy Realtors that do try to alter photos, but some MLS systems *only* accept photos that are uploaded horizontally.

If you attempt to upload a photo with a vertical orientation, it will indeed make it horizontal, but it will stretch it. It can make a teeny little kitchen look long and spacious.

Happyladi,
Here is the page with the first picture with Clifford (the big red dog). Go down the page a little.

If it doesn't come up on that page, you may need to click on "Older Posts" at bottom to go to the next page.

SR

Here is a link that might be useful: Clifford

thatgirl--

Funny, I've got a house for sale in 60085. It's a one bedroom, but price dropped to 115k

If you are actively looking at houses, could you give me some feedback on how its condition compares with what you've seen on the market?

(Sorry, my yard doesn't have palm trees--I must be on the wrong side of the street! lol)

Here is a link that might be useful: waukegan house

Oh, and here's the realtor.com page

Here is a link that might be useful: realtor dot com page

Sunrocky, Thanks for the link. I laughed when I saw that picture with the dog!