Brokers 'Catfishing' tenants and buyers from home by digitally changing the list photos – although they do not always get away with them.
Although virtual staging – the process of digital design or decorating a room – has long been a trick in the industry, some bad actors make unrealistic operations to lure buyers.
And although regulations are present to protect potential homeowners against misled, it seems that alone is not enough to prevent unfair operation.
In one poorly processed right -hand list, the real estate agent did his best to remove any trail of a neighboring house from the 'beautiful southern/western' back garden.
However, the upper part of the house can still be seen floating in the air – presumably the result of an attempt to give the impression of more sunlight and raised space in the £ 290,000 building.
In another, every exterior shot is simply unreal – because it clearly does not exist and the product is of digital generation.
The £ 900,000 list describes a 'large garden' and 'natural environment', although online viewers have access to a realistic picture of neither.
Fortunately, these operations are so coarse that they are more or less harmless. The sloppy operation makes it clear that something has been omitted from the image set.
In one poorly processed right -handed person, the real estate agent did his best to remove any trail of a neighboring house from the image of the back garden (image of an online real estate list)
In someone else, every outside jacket is simply unreal … because it clearly does not exist and the product is of digital generation (image from an online characteristic list)
The £ 900,000 list describes a 'large garden' and 'natural environment', although online viewers have access to a realistic image of neither of them (image from an online real estate list)
But in cases where photo editing is more successful, buyers run the risk of being dangerously misled.
Managing Director of Dockide Property Services Spencer Fortag told MailOnline: 'There is a series of new technology that is available for laymen, which is really quite powerful.
'There are clear benefits for editing images. For example, if a house has a switch to the driveway because the owner is moving, it is fine to edit that – it is temporary.
'Or virtual staging to help people visualize what the house could look like. But removing something like a power pylon from the garden, something you would mislead the buyer by thinking that the house looks a way, should not be allowed. '
And some agents have tried technically harmless operations that make the Sky Bluer, the sun brighter or the grass greener.
But in addition, the less Tach -Savvy has succeeded in creating a Sinister Smog effect.
“Those tools must be there to improve the knowledge of the buyer of the real estate, not to mislead the consumer by thinking that an intrinsic part of that ownership setup exists or does not exist,” said Mr. Fortag.
There are indeed laws that are in place that make the wrong identification of certain aspects of an illegal property.
Some agents have clearly tried to edit in a way that makes the Sky Bluer, the sun brighter or the grass greener (image of an online property list)
The less Tach -Savvy among them has succeeded in creating a Sinister Smog effect (image of an online characteristic list)
An example of virtual staging – where a photo is digitally furnished and decorated (image of an online characteristic list)
Brokers and ownership developers cannot legally provide inaccurate descriptions with regard to details such as room size, location or ownership functions.
“Enforcement of such problems is always the tricky,” said Mr. Fortag.
'It's good and good with regulations, but they will live and die through the means of enforcement. If not enough people report that kind of problems, nothing will be done. '
Regulations that limit agents have been 'sharpened' over the past five years, Mr. Fortag said, a change he described as 'only a good thing'.
'I would like to think positive things about our industry. I hope this time that agents don't really hide terrible things.
“Hopefully the processing poorly executed mistakes by real people and not deliberately attempts to mislead.”
There are cases where photo editing can actually help the buyer in making a better informed choice for a look.
Jennifer Woolley, business development partner at Wards, said MailOnline: 'CGI sensation is sometimes favorable, so that people can imagine what the room would look like and what it could be like to live there.
Spencer Fortag (photo) from Dockside Property Services says that regulations that limit brokers have become stricter in the last five years
An image from a characteristic list that has clearly revealed the use of generative AI
“It can also give an indicator of size so that people know if they can fit a bank, double bed, a chest of drawers – provided that the staging is accurate.”
But the line between harmless retouching and deception can easily be exceeded.
'In general with private resale properties, I think it is better to be very transparent and to be in advance with what you sell.
'For your average potential buyer, it would be misleading to show a heavily photographed image to win their interest online and not have the case in real life. That will lead to disappointed and misleading potential buyers. '
The number of changes by a marketing agent must be checked, said Mrs. Woolley.
“In the event that a home has benefited from Photoshop or CGI, that information must be clearly announced.”
And disclosure is crucial because not every buyer has the same level of technical literacy.
Many entries clearly state that an image has improved by AI. In some cases, before and after photos of the rooms are shown with and without virtual staging.
Jennifer Woolley (photo) from Wards says that the number of changes must be checked by a marketing agent
An example of virtual staging – where a photo is digitally furnished and decorated (image of an online characteristic list)
An example of virtual staging – where a photo is digitally furnished and decorated (image of an online characteristic list)
Even if false operation becomes clear with a personal image, this risks the time to waste, with some potential customers who travel for hours and take days off to view properties.
“This has long been a problem within the real estate sector,” says Thomas Balogun, real estate developer at Atlantic Edge Property Investments.
He said to MailOnline: 'You run the risk of misleading buyers when operations differ considerably from reality. A lot of time is wasted, which can lead to trust problems or legal disputes.
'Overworking can set unrealistic expectations, resulting in the disappointment of buyers during viewings. And agencies have a similar trick where photos are taken to make the size of a home look larger. '
To balance the benefits and pitfalls of processing, transparency is essential, Mr Balogun said.
“It is clear that images have been digitally improved, ensures trust while the technology is effectively used.”
