# Ever see messy photos in a real estate listing? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2024, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448 "2024-03-04T17:18:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Deanna\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Deanna\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deanna_D)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/61 "2024-03-05T18:20:11Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > if these people are too lazy to do even minimal de-clutter, what other aspects of home ownership have they neglected? Exactly! Unless it was listed at below market value, I don’t think I’d bother looking at it. And to clarify, the photos don’t make the house looked “lived in.” My house looks lived in. This house looks nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/62 "2024-03-05T18:29:27Z")
My mother is moving to an apartment, and the realtor really did a lot to make her house look nice. Helped clean up the yard, brought in a photographer, and arraigned a bunch of pictures, fake plants, and plastic food on the counters. Got 6 offers and a nice chunk over the asking price. My advice-always hire a local agent if possible. They’ll know the area and be able to get there quickly. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/63 "2024-03-05T21:20:46Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > My older friends all wear shoes in their homes, and expect me to, as well. I’m kinda the same. “Taking off your shoes? How long do you plan to stay? Would you like me to get you a robe?” We are selling my deceased mothers house. She was neat as a pin, and the house is only 1000 sq ft. The realtor thinks empty would be best. The furniture is fine, clean, tasteful and in good shape. I’d rather leave it, cause I’m going to have to pay to have it hauled off. We are not at estate sale level. But that’s fine, the furniture will be donated to Habitat for Humanity or some such organization. The house is 100 miles away from me, and a good landing spot. I have an additional ‘office’ set up there so I can work from there. That will now live on a folding table until it sells. The change being the desktop computer is now going to travel with me. The house will almost certainly get scrapped though. Everything in the neiborhood is getting knocked down. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/64 "2024-03-05T21:29:50Z")
For days you need a belly laugh > **[Terrible real estate agent photographs](https://terriblerealestateagentphotos.com/)** > > Inexplicably bad property photographs. It's that simple. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/65 "2024-03-05T21:45:52Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Wallpaper and paneling though, hoo-boy, be careful if you care about selling down the line. Eh, if you plan to live there for a while you should do whatever you like to the walls. I guess I wallpapered one room. I wanted to panel another, but ended up going with dark wood trim on white-painted walls. But honestly, my house will probably be a teardown, so it REALLY doesn’t matter what I put on the walls. The next buyer will be buying the lot. > [@wolfpup](#): > > How about pulling up carpet and then laying a brand new hardwood floor? In two large rooms? I can’t believe the energy I had when I was younger! I hired someone to do that. Well worth the cost! > [@Deanna\_D](#): > > And to clarify, the photos don’t make the house looked “lived in.” My house looks lived in. This house looks nasty. Different strokes for different folks. It just looks cluttered to me. And also, you probably don’t want to visit me. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/66 "2024-03-05T21:52:13Z")
Those are really funny. Some of them seem to, um, adequately document weird things about the buildings. Like the toilet in the stairwell. Others are just… I mean, couldn’t you have waited a minute and taken another photo? Digital photos are real cheap. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/67 "2024-03-05T22:39:57Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Those of you who are on Reddit should check out r/zillowgonewild. Some of those things have to be seen to be believed. There’s a woman with a blog/website called McMansion Hell, and she critiques McMansion realty, and she’s hilarious. Even rich people can be awful at staging (mostly stupidly silly, not grossly dirty/disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/68 "2024-03-05T22:56:32Z")
Urgh. Deleted. They said I was too late to save the edit. But they saved it! > [@peedin](#): > > For days you need a belly laugh Great captions! ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2024, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/69 "2024-03-05T23:35:07Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > a house that was HORRENDOUSLY decorated. Hot pink walls. Black and orange shag carpeting … That brings back memories. While looking for a house to rent in Jakarta years ago, I was shown a house that could not be parodied - it had tiger-skin rugs, leopard-print upholstery, shiny fake-gold banisters, hideously ornate Louis XIV chairs, an over-the-top crystal chandelier far too large for the room it was in, you name it. But the most awesome decor of all was in the front room. Indonesians don’t tend to entertain in their homes the way Americans do; instead, houses are built with a receiving room in the front, which typically has a couch, a coffee table, and a few chairs, so that guests can be seated and take tea and refreshments without entering the residents’ living space. In this front room there was a portrait. But not just any portrait. It was BIG. Really big. Like, six feet by ten feet, consuming the entire wall where it was mounted. And it showed the owner of the house, posed like a haughty princess in an elaborate ball gown, buckets of make-up, and a tiara. At that time, foreigners could not buy houses in Jakarta. As I understand it, the house owner was an Indonesian woman who married a wealthy foreigner, used his money to purchase the house in her name and decorate it, then promptly divorced him and put the house on the rental market so she could have a steady source of income. It was such a startling display of money-meets-tastelessness that I couldn’t help myself: when my mother visited a week or two after I was shown the house, I called the agent and pretended I was actually interested in the place, and arranged to return with my mother in tow. I know it was an evil thing to do, but it was worth it. I told my mother nothing about the place except, “you have to promise not to laugh when you see it.” She kept that promise, but barely. It was a source of fond memories for years afterward. ---
**Author:** ![Zyada](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zyada/32/3028_2.png) [@Zyada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zyada)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/70 "2024-03-06T05:21:46Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > One of my guilty pleasures is house hunting (either on line or visiting open houses, I’m careful not to create work for real estate agents when I’m not serious) thanks to idle curiosity. I really like seeing what weirdness people have in their house. One of my favorite sights was a giant ceramic mushroom, 2 to 3 foot tall and at least as big around as a small bistro table. Back before digital cameras, or I would have gotten a pic ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/71 "2024-03-06T12:36:45Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > …I was shown a house that could not be parodied… The house I referred to probably didn’t compare. From the moment we drove up, we had a hard time seeing past the really bright turquoisey garage door and shutters. A bold choice. Inside, we were too inexperienced to see past REALLY LOUD paint and carpeting and decorating choices. I recall one bathroom whose walls were so bright pink that we could not determine whether the vanity was white or light pink. But the kicker was the lower level. It was in a rattan/jungle theme with some easy listening music coming from the combination end tables/floor lamps/speakers. I heard what I thought was water running, and the agent said, “The fountain stays!” Our current home might have been just as bad - a set for Mad Men swingers with love beads, foil flocked wallpaper, an indoor brick charcoal grill… But with 2 homes behind us, we just went from room to room saying, “It’s another gutter!” For us, it is amazing how much work is needed to make even a nice appearing house into the home we want to live in. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/72 "2024-03-06T12:54:35Z")
A friend was house hunting, and walking through a house with a realtor. It wasn’t in good shape. There was faded drapery shredded by cats and other signs of disrepair. The realtor opened a door and they saw a room with cat shit all over the floor. The realtor said, “and this is the cat shit room”, and closed the door and moved on. They didn’t buy that house. ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/73 "2024-03-06T16:58:05Z")
I suppose if I ever put my condo up for sale I should remove the horse skull from the living room wall, and the deer scapula? ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/74 "2024-03-06T21:21:39Z")
Realtor here. There could be several reasons why those pix were used. Here are some possibilities. In a hot market like right now, staging, which can be expensive and time-consuming, may not be worth it. The seller wouldn’t cooperate with the agent. The seller is an absentee landlord and cannot travel to the property to fix or clean it up. The seller wanted the house sold fast and insisted it be listed ASAP. Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/75 "2024-03-06T21:41:43Z")
> [@wolfpup](#): > > When it was officially listed, it sold the same day for full asking price – literally within hours. Never mind. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/76 "2024-03-06T23:03:17Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’ve seen more appealing crime scene photos. That _basement_. I sent that listing to my soon-to-be-married son in Chicago. He replied, “I have to note that this is one of the worst neighborhoods in Chicago with regard to violent crime.” ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/77 "2024-03-06T23:19:43Z")
The least likely explanation for detritus/bad “staging”/crappy photos in a real estate listing is that the agent/sellers want to be honest with potential buyers. That was the claim behind a viral listing for [a heavily fire-damaged Tennessee mansion](https://www.businessinsider.com/tennessee-mansion-ravaged-fire-listed-zillow-15-million-2023-1) awhile back. As of January 2023 the house was reported to be in contract, but I see there are current Zillow and [Trulia](https://www.trulia.com/home/5603-winslow-rd-franklin-tn-37064-338677595) listings (for $8,000,000) that make it look like the damage was repaired\*, at least on the outside. \*or there was one hell of a Photoshop job. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2024, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/78 "2024-03-06T23:44:50Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Realtor here. There could be several reasons why those pix were used. Here are some possibilities. Would it make sense that a particular Realtor would specialize in such cases? ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/79 "2024-03-07T00:07:24Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > Realtor here. Thank you. In your expert experience, it wouldn’t be worth the realtor’s minimal effort to somewhat straighten the bed clothes and remove some of the clutter? Would not seem to require expensive and time consuming “staging” How often do you deal with sellers who will not cooperate with the agent to the extent the agent can get decent photos? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2024, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448/80 "2024-03-07T01:26:07Z")
> [@Dinsdale](#): > > We generally go shoeless in our home, not only because it is our preference, but also because it keeps the house a lot cleaner. But guests are free to remove their shoes or keep them on as they prefer. I grew up in a shoeless household; most my friends houses were shoeless as well. Wearing shoes indoors kind of feels weird to me because of that. Plus even now, as an event photographer a lot for the South Asian community, I’m asked to remove my shoes. For me, it’s not the age that is the cutoff but the culture. My folks and many friends growing up were Polish or Polish-American. It’s interesting to hear that more younger Americans are also switching to shoe-free houses. This is not something I’ve noticed myself but, then again, I don’t have a lot of under-40 friends that I could think of. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-see-messy-photos-in-a-real-estate-listing/998448.md?page=5)