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Bad and Really Bad Real Estate Photos

Date:July 11, 2008 | Category:Eye Candy | Author:Diane Tuman

It’s amazing that real estate agents and home owners allow really, really bad photos to be published as part of the real estate listing. I suppose a bad photo is better than nothing. Or, is it? You make the call:

The blog “It’s Lovely, I’ll Take It!” devotes itself to “A collection of poorly chosen photos from real estate listings. With love.” [Hat tip to A Whole Lotta Nothing]
Athol Kay’s REagent blog has a category “Bad MLS Photo of the Day” with some funny commentary.
Newsday’s Real LI blog has a category “Retake this photo, please” which gives us really bad photos, Long Island-style.

Maybe a class by Larry Lohrman will save all of us from sabotaging our real estate listings.

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Bill Fletcher 12:49 PM - Jul 13,2008

At first I did not think this photo was all that bad until…wait…in the toilet..is that…? Eeeeewwww!
Brett 3:42 PM - Jul 13,2008

Brett Shaw from Cyberhomes:

Personally, I think that a bad photo will do nothing but deter showings. I can’t believe that an agent would allow that photo to be posted on their listing.
Mindy Allen 1:25 PM - Jul 16,2008

Yea, I think even no picture is better than a really bad one…if this is supposed to be showing this house in its “best light” I hate to see what the picture ISN’T showing.
Annie Becker at Lila Delman 9:32 AM - Nov 4,2008

I started a little collection myself…enjoy!

http://www.liladelman.com/blog/2008/10/photo-bloopers.html

I do have sellers who don’t have/use internet access. I can’t help feeling bad for those sellers who have these photos lurking and don’t know it. Of course, there is another category of houses who look worse in person than they do in the photos!!
Ralph D Bredahl 6:54 AM - Sep 4,2009

Maybe they are just trying to save water.
Alex 8:25 AM - Jan 20,2010

Well this is really bad to show such a bad photo. I have been through thousands of photos being a real estate photo editor and I have alot of photos which needed to be fixed just like this one. Washed out skies, dirty bathrooms, dark living rooms. I advertised on zillow via google and many people having bad photos are now happy to get their photos edited, and even flushes are cleaned too . cheers.
Gypsy 12:25 PM - Mar 13,2010

I see this was posted back in ’08.. and sadly
“Bad MLS Photo of the Day”
“Retake this photo, please”
are both no longer out there.

“It’s lovely, I’ll take it” has a new link: http://lovelylisting.com/

I am surprised to not see more comments on this subject, and those sites now gone, seems there is so many listing out there with bad pix that definitely should be pointed out and critiqued.

And is a bad photo better then nothing? No.. a bad photo will drive potential buyers away.. of course no photos will also make people skip inquiring on a listing.

Photos are not that hard to take, and I am amazed how a realtor can take such bad pix, post them, and feel content about what they are presenting.. not to mention to actually get that house sold. And the seller, even if they do not have internet access, they chose that realtor, part of that service is to make sure the seller is fully aware how their home is presented.. as well as educated on how to prepare their home for pix and showings.

It really disgusts me when I see these things.. It is a buyers market right now.. and anyone who is selling a home in this market needs to sell.. so why would they allow their home to presented poorly.. it takes longer to sell and you run the risk of getting someone low-balling.

It just makes me want to scream.
Jasper 12:48 AM - Jul 21,2010

I don’t know what’s so bad in that picture, we all use toilets from time to time, and not everyone has the opportunity to use golden ones.