The lesser-known photo tricks and edits estate agents use to secure a sale
If you’re a house hunter or have bought property in the past, you’ll know a home with an attractive front, tidy interior and alluring features makes all the difference when you’re trawling through listings online.
But have you ever thought that the pictures you’re looking at may have been edited before they reached your screen?
Estate agents do an important job. But unfairly or not, they have a bit of a reputation for using sneaky tactics to get that all important commission,such as overestimating the asking price or encouraging bidding wars.
A lesser known “trick of the trade”, however, is photo editing, which can range from tweaking the lighting levels to changing the whole sky.
‘There’s not really much else encouraging you to look at that place’
Tom Durrant is the managing director of DCTR, which runs a retouching and AI platform called Doctor Photo, offering a photo enhancing service for estate agents for the past eight years.
He says property photo editing is “one of many tools” an agent will use to help their property stand out when it comes to market.
Tom points out that though it may appear agents are making “lots and lots of money”, they work primarily through commission, meaning that making their properties appear desirable on first look is one of the “strongest tools” at their disposal.
“There’s not really much else encouraging you to look at that place, so photos are really, really important when it comes to marketing your house,” he said.
Tom says typical photo edits include adding a blue sky to replace a grey one, straightening walls, removing a skip from the driveway or even adding virtual furniture to an empty home.
Are there any no-nos?
Estate agents have a legal obligation to accurately describe their property for potential buyers, through the written description and the photos used for marketing.
One basic rule photo editors have to follow is: if an item will still be there when the house is sold, it can’t be changed, Tom explains.
He says estate agents sometimes ask for a permanent structure like a streetlight or bench next to a house to be removed from a photo – but he would decline a request like this.
The caveat, he says, is that if an estate agent wants to visualise how a room looks with a wall knocked through, this could be done with a clear disclaimer.
So is it really a surprise?
Some people may feel shocked (or even a little deceived) to know there are a whole host of companies out there offering photo editing services for estate agents.
But Tom argues the practice isn’t any different to how brands will market their products to consumers. He uses fast food chains – one of which he used to work for – as an example.
“It’s in a fake kitchen and it’s all staged. It’s the same thing with property, basically. It’s a tool that agents have.”
Tom says a house is “arguably the most expensive asset anyone’s going to buy in their lifetime”, and sellers will want to market theirs “to the best of their ability to get the best price”.
Robin Edwards, partner at property buying agent Curetons and a former estate agent, says photo editing by agents is “widespread” and “has become pretty much standard practice within the industry”.
He says the proliferation of online property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla makes first impressions all the more important, with property photographers and agencies likely to “routinely use photo editing software” to enhance their pictures.
“Sky replacement is a particular favourite of mine,” Robin says. “The weather in the UK is highly unpredictable and for exterior shots, replacing a dull or overcast sky with a bright, blue sky using photoshop can make a property instantly look more desirable.”
What about the other tactics used by estate agents?
While most estate agents look to maintain high ethical standards, there are “some slightly naughtier tactics” that some might use to try and secure a sale, Robin says.
We all know that a “cosy, intimate space” means it’s no bigger than a typical shed, but beyond dubious descriptions, estate agents might suggest the market is hotter than it really is to push for a quick sale – or even arrange appointments close together to give the buyer the impression that the property is in demand.
“Buyers need to remember that an estate agent works for the vendor, not you, and their job is to get the highest price for the seller, not the best value for you the buyer,” Robin explains.
Overdoing it could see agent and seller miss out
Ian Harris, vice president of NAEA Propertymark, which represents estate agents, says they are there to work for the seller and achieve maximum interest while “accurately representing” the property.
He says overstating key features like the size and condition while omitting other important information could break consumer regulations and “often result in the agent and seller losing out, when buyers visit the property and it quickly becomes apparent it might not be as initially described”.
“As the agents seek to negotiate a sale, dealing with the would-be purchasers’ disappointment that the property is not as it is in the pictures will make the sale more difficult to achieve,” Ian says.
Most estate agents act “responsibly and with integrity” when marketing properties, adds Alison Farrar, policy and information manager at the National Trading Standards estate and letting agency team.
But she says there are some who “deliberately mislead”, which is why the team has been working closely with the industry to “improve and expand the levels of information provided on property listings about each and every property up for sale”.
Skynews
How we can help
If you’re busy house hunting, perhaps looking on line or in a newspaper, it’s very natural to expect that all the descriptions – both written and visual, inside and out – accurately portray the property which is for sale. Since this article suggests this may not always be the case, there can be no better reason than to visit each house in person yourself where you can, so you can see it first hand. Hopefully this will give you the most honest view of its location and facilities and ultimately help you to find the right property.
And when that time comes and you’re needing a mortgage, we’re here to help whether you’ve already chosen the house you want to buy or are still searching for it. With many years giving professional help to house buyers, we can make the mortgage process stress free and transparent from start to finish and ensure we find the best deal in the market which will suit your circumstances. Why not arrange to meet us to get the ball rolling? Your meeting will be without obligation and at our expense. Call us on 0808 123 4321.
Logic Wealth Planning provides independent financial advice in Manchester, Bury, Rochdale, Cheshire, and the surrounding area, but not limited to the region.