I guess it would depend on the situation. Are you greening up grass that will be green in a few weeks? Because altering that photo is just saving you a trip in a few weeks to re-take the photo. I saw some photos on another forum where the listing agent actually removed power lines. That's misrepresentation.

I don't think we should touch up pictures, no exceptions! If the grass is greener in a few months, take more pictures then.  Honesty is always the best policy..No one likes to drive out to a property that looks good in a picture and when you get there you find out it isn't as nice as the picture.

Look at it this way: You plan a vacation for months and the picture of the hotel on the web site is beautiful with a nice pool and view from your room is breathtaking. When you check in the hotel is nothing like the picture on the web.. I could make your whole vacation a disaster..

So.... Bobby. You've changed the summer pictures on your listings? Of course you did. You went out this past fall and took dreary photos with brown grass and no leaves on the trees. Then you went back out and re-took them again with snow. Right!

Disclaimer - I know Robert. I've earned the right to be mean to him. :)

I have been to waaaaaay to many listings that describe the listing as the dream home. The photos were perfect!!! But when you got the home. There was no Kitchen...Ripped up floors...No Lawn. These photos turned out to be 4 years old when the home was bought by them. Nothing about being in the middle of a remodel and the home owners ran out of money.

We need to be honest! I consider photoshoping a listing the same as fixing Cap Rates to make an investment property more interesting. (Easy to do...Don't include TAXES!)

We need to be honest in all our dealings with the public or we will continue to suffer and we will continue to have more and more "For Sale by Owner" listings! There is a reason we are 2nd behind Car Salesmen in the trust department with the public. WE HAVE TO CHANGE THIS IMAGE!!!!!!!!

Todd

I will trim hedges and mow a lawn.I will remove magnets from a fridgerator pots off the stove ,clothes off the bed ect. As long as you are not spucing up something that affects the actual property value your in safe waters.When you change the roof or paint the house then your misrepresenting.Sometimes those touched images serve as a tool to show the client how the house should show if those things are done.Amazing how the house becomes uncluttered and the gardening gets done.lawns change color with the seasons.Greening the grass is not that big a deal.If your consious is bothering you mow the lawn trim the hedges and fertilize it.Removing cables and wires just show the house better with out the distraction of the wires.They are not buying the cables and wires they are buying the house. The wires are actually noticed more in an image than in real life because of the ability to see the house all in one concentrated area. If you do not remodel or cover up latent defects, image enhancement should be acceptable and good advertising.

That's a pretty extreme case. If you consider any retouching of a photo the same as fixing cap rates, I would hate to be one of your sellers. If the photo's dark you don't lighten it? If you're shooting into the sun, you don't filter out that spot? Or do you have so few listings you can keep going back to retake your photos? Isn't it our job as listing agents to display our clients homes in the best light possible? You can have an honest representation of a property and still edit the photos.

I have to play the devils advocate :o)

My cap rates are broken tell me how I can fix them please?

Thomas,

My last post was a response to Todd. I'm just a slow typer.

Jackie

Interesting topic...I have known some agents that have "fixed" their pictures to the extreme.  I know I will use the auto correction feature in windows picture manager, but only when the picture is too dark - even thought the flash went off. =)  We also shoot virtual tours as a side job.  I am going this week to retake the front shot now that the snow has melted.  I don't mind taking new shots - that way clients can see me taking care of their listing.

Hello C Team!

It's a good thing to re-take photos when the snow melts. Are you going back in a few week and re-take photos again when the grass is greener? And then are you going back in a few weeks after that when the flowers start blooming? And then again when the trees are fully leafed?

I would have to say.... If you have to go to your listing in the FALL, then again in the WINTER and then again in the SPRING..... You may want to look at the list price because it seems to me that you are going on 6 months and that listing is about to expire. So it doesnt matter what pictures you have because the next agent will price the home better and have lousier pictures and guess what???? They will get a closed transaction.

Todd R -

Are you joking? I'm in southeast MI. Houses are on the market forever and a day. I have 2 listings right now that I've had for 2 years. One of them was on the market for 9 months before I took it.

But the point I was making is there are no absolutes. Robert and Todd C. posted above that basically NO editing is ok. The same as lying and cheating. I'm in Michigan. We can still have snow in early spring. List at that time and you have a snow picture. 2 or 3 weeks later you will have a brownish grass lawn. A few weeks later you will have a fairly green lawn but no leaves on the trees. A few weeks later, you have perfection.

Do you go back 4 or 5 times in the couple month period? Or do you edit? Now multiply that by 25 or 30 listings.

Jackie,

I was only kidding. I am one for not misrepresenting anything. We live in a lawsuit happy society. There are people out there that would claim they bought the house because it had WHITE grass when they purchased it and it suddenly was green the next. So yes go and take pictures when the time warrants it. Nothing like having another excuse to VISIT the sellers. Plus who knows maybe just that little bit of detail keeps them listed with you when the expiration dates comes up.

Jackie,

         No my listings are not on the market that long. I can't imagine having a listing lasting more than 90 days. If I do, it was priced wrong to begin with. Also, I don't take my own photos. I have a professional photographer come out and do it. I don't do the $10 an hour work. That is for an assistant. I do the stuff that brings in the business and gets things sold. The paperwork and the other $10 an hour work (PHOTOS) is something you have someone else do.

        Two years on the market? Can't imagine having a residential listing that long. I have had a commercial property under contract for that long, but only because of the DEQ restrictions and lawyers to get a contract on Heavy Industrial is a lot more difficult than residential.

        I thank you for the critisim, but lets try to keep it nice in the forums in the future.

Todd

Have you ever had a week whereby you were frustrated and nothing went right.  Jackie is sitting in Michigan - snow up to her neck or beyond and the for sale sign has been in the ground for over a year.  

Jackie I have one photo of one of my listings without snow when the grass was green (no flowers though) and it was November 1st in Chicago.  I have the other one with snow.  As soon as spring hits or the snow melts, I'll go out and take another picture.   And yes, I take alot of pictures.

However, I can take a picture of a dump of a house with a $700 camera

and it looks like a mint.  I have been asked to go back out and use a cheaper camera because the more expensive camera made the house look better than it actually was.  This was when I was appraising!

I do not believe it is misrepresenting the home if you have a "just before snow" picture and then take another one in the spring after the snow is gone - whether the grass be green or not.  How in the blue blazes are people going to visualize what that home looks like with the snow.  It would be nice to know that under that snow there is grass versus black soil, eh?  

Actually, I had one client try to cover up that there was no grass but dirt and when we had snow - I disclosed it during the showings every blasted time.  My reputation is on the line.

Raise the bar here people.  It should be a win-win for all.  

Todd,

The critisim started when you wrote " I consider photoshoping a listing the same as fixing Cap Rates to make an investment property more interesting."

There are very few absolutes in real estate, and I found the above comment to be rude and accusatory. As well as your last post.

It happens that the average market time in my area runs well over a year and several houses have been on the market for over 3 years. You can't sit in another state and make an accurate blanket statement about another market. Real estate is local. At least I can keep the majority of my listings until they sell.

Since this will be my last post on the subject, nice is going out the window. If you paid anybody for the photos on your site, you should get your money back. And you might want to try a little photoshopping. But I guess that's what you get for only $10/hour. I take my photos while I'm at the house. It would be stupid to come back to the office and send my assistant back to the house I just left. That's called flexing. Not making the best use of my time or hers.

As far as commercial real estate being more difficult... You're talking out your rear. I've done both, and choose to stick primarily with residential. I personally believe they should be seperate licenses. But I didn't find commercial real estate to be difficult. I've sold quite a bit of development property. Again not difficult. Just different.

I have no problems keeping it nice on the forums, until someone starts making accusations and stopping just short of calling me dishonest.

This one seems to have gotten out of hand. I do appoligize and sorry if things were taken the wrong way. Lets stop here and call it a day. I do wish everyone the best of luck in their markets, what ever it maybe.

Todd

Todd I am a bit more humble I suppose as I do the so called ten dollar per hour.I guess its a control issue I want it done right and if you do it yourself it gets done right.This is a detail oriented business.Besides if all I did were listing ,selling,and paperwork ,I would be bored stiff and not enjoy the work. I like going out and feeling the satisfaction of planting a sign.All these things symbolize a job well done and are looked at as reward,They keep me going.I just do not trust others to do the job as well I as I would. Do I want a Mcdonalds or a cafe on the Green? Do my clients want the same ? To each his own there really is not a right or wrong way,There are markets for all ,some are better some are worse.