r/RealEstate • u/CrotalusHorridus • 13h ago
Homeseller Can we please STOP using AI generated/altered photos?
I'm so beyond tired of looking at homes online, then seeing them in person, and they look NOTHING like what the online photos are.
These are wasting everyone's time. Agents, if you can't learn to to, or don't want to fork over for professional photos, find another line of work.
Trying to sell an inherited property, and the highly recommended agent insists on using these cartooninshly fake generated images.
73
u/NoFlight5759 13h ago
It should be banned by NAR. You’d think you walked into the wrong house by the photos 50% of the time. My favorite isn’t doing an AI fire in the fireplace. Then when you ask the agent if the flute is in good working order they look at you with 10 heads. Or go I don’t know if you can use it. Great.
21
u/BoBromhal Realtor 13h ago edited 10h ago
it is a Code of Ethics violation with NAR to not be accurate in your marketing and advertisement. At base level, that would mean you cannot alter anything OUT of a photo or INTO a photo that doesn't exist (doors, windows, etc; furniture wouldn't count). As I said in another reply, most sizeable MLS' already have an AI/virtual image policy ...
EDIT: I was wrong - mine says "We do not currently require disclosure of Digitally Enhanced or Virtually Staged photos. However, we do require that photo enhancements or staging must not misrepresent the true state of the property. For example, alterations such as changing wall colors, removing fixtures like fire hydrants, changing flooring, or enhancing landscaping beyond its current condition are not permitted."
it does not say what I stated:
you can use it but you must have the unaltered photo as well.
if y'all have agents, ask them what the policy of their MLS is. Heck, you can probably call the MLS yourself and ask. And if you see violations of the policy, report them.
24
u/GeneralTonic 12h ago
The fact that this FRAUD is already so widespread that it seems common, really does not fill me with confidence the trustworthiness of the gatekeepers of the real estate industry.
Lying, cheating, grifting, and putting all the risk onto the buyer is standard operating procedure for real estate transactions. Assume an actively hostile theater, and watch your back.
0
u/AgentNeedingHelp 12h ago
Nah, if people start reporting agents, they will get fined (they're money hungry and will happily fine agents). All an agent needs to do is post the original photo and then the ai photo after with the disclaimer that it is altered.
-5
u/3amGreenCoffee 12h ago
Unfortunately it's not fraud. That's how those idiots keep getting away with it.
Fraud requires reliance. Nobody is going to rely solely on the pictures and be defrauded into buying something materially different from what they're being sold. And if somebody did rely on it, that would be their own failure to complete basic due diligence of actually seeing the place in person, or at the very minimum getting a video walkthrough.
Unfortunately just wasting your time isn't actionable, so they just keep doing it with no consequences.
7
u/BoBromhal Realtor 10h ago
when I see violations, I report them. Professional agents want consumers to report the violations as well.
3
u/KarlBarx2 11h ago
So, you're right that it doesn't seem to be fraud under the 2026 NAR Code of Ethics. However, you are wrong that it is not a violation of the code. See Standard of Practice 12-10, which prohibits misleading consumers, including use of misleading images.
https://www.nar.realtor/sites/default/files/2025-12/2026-COE-Standards-of-Practice-2026-01-01.pdf
-1
u/3amGreenCoffee 11h ago
How can I be wrong about something I didn't say?
3
u/KarlBarx2 11h ago
You did say it:
Unfortunately just wasting your time isn't actionable, so they just keep doing it with no consequences.
-4
3
u/SpareManagement2215 9h ago
Yes but nothing bad really happens to the agents who do that. Our agent said she can see (and is aware of) what agents violate those rules but besides just knowing they are regular rules violators, doesn’t seem like much bad happens to them!
1
26
u/Dr_Strangelove7915 13h ago
It's not just AI, it's those weird wide-angle lenses that aree supposed to make the room look bigger. I hate those, too!
50
u/rordawg081 13h ago
Honestly, give me some raw cell phone photos with the lights on and it will give me such an accurate view of what the place looks like. When I see older photos still posted of previously purchased homes, from many years ago, it looks so warm, inviting, and REAL. I hate this new catfishing shit. Please stop.
16
u/marc1411 13h ago
Yes! I don’t need to nighttime shots either, they are is freaking fake and look alike.
12
u/Tall-Ad9334 13h ago
The “twilight” shots with the possessed looking glowing windows make my head explode.
15
14
u/Naikrobak 13h ago
Every single cabin in Colorado has aurora borealis over the roof in the main picture. And it basically NEVER happens there….
30
u/ibnsos 13h ago
I hate those AI staged and altered photos. They aren't helping your adds.
2
u/ZeGentleman 4h ago
I've come across 1 a few times (keep forgetting about it and click on the listing on zillow) - one agent has decided to frontload the ad with all "digitally enhanced" pictures. Pisses me off to no end.
10
u/SolidPair8327 13h ago
You see the house online with nice paint, green lawn, pretty flowers, only to get there and the paint is old and faded with the house needing new siding. The lawn is patchy and hasn't been watered all summer, no pretty flowers.
Pisses you off.
8
u/EipsteinSuicideSquad 13h ago
lol everyone thinks the house I just bought is crazy nice......because of the filters and AI photos online. The house is nice, but damn the pictures are WAY nicer.
9
u/EmbarrassedOwl7610 13h ago
Butbutbutbut then people would have to clean their filthy-ass houses before taking pictures!
If Zillow had a comment section I'd be banned on multiple accounts for posting "CLEAN YOUR FUCKING HOUSE!" on filthy, overpriced, "GOOD BONES, PLZ DADDY INVESTOR BAIL OUT MY UNMORTGAGEABLE HOUSE!" houses.
8
18
u/jasonhaber1 13h ago
I think at the very least there need to be disclosures around this.
5
u/GeneralTonic 12h ago
A society that was confident about the difference between right and wrong, and one which was interested in protecting the common good would have no problem simply banning this kind of thing outright.
In this case, facts are easy to verify, and fraud would be easy to prove. We could really just pass a law that says "No, you mustn't do that."
5
u/Listen-Lindas 13h ago
I use it as a negotiating point. Just start reducing the offer based on what’s no longer in the pictures given. Here’s a picture of a Mustang I’m selling a Pinto.
5
u/AccredInvestor 13h ago
This has been happening forever. I like it when the reverse happens....the pics are shit but the property is awesome.
5
3
u/Skylord1325 13h ago
I use professional photos on all my flips and new builds it literally costs me $165 a house. Any agent should be including that in their $10k+ commissions
2
4
u/zeezle 12h ago
Agree completely. In fact as a buyer I would avoid buying a listing that had this just out of spite because it feels so dishonest and scummy.
If they MUST, including an actual photo + a clearly labeled "staging visualization" I can tolerate. As long as it's made obvious it's a rendering and not an actual photo.
4
u/GhostUncleJohn 11h ago
There should be a rule on not using AI and filters on anything being sold from Amazon to Real Estate. Otherwise it’s borderline deception.
9
3
u/AdCareless9063 12h ago
I've turned away from many listings because of this. You're shooting yourselves in the foot at worst, and at best it's being disingenuous and it might bite the listing agent someday.
3
3
u/KaffiKlandestine 10h ago
ive seen people use it for minimal touch ups and ive seen some that are just an entirely generated house.
2
u/CrotalusHorridus 10h ago
Using it to virtually stage a home, and also having the original photo, that's one thing.
I've seen homes with whole-ass trees faked in the yard.
Fake sunset reflections placed on screened in porches. That don't have glass
2
u/QuarrelsomeCreek 5h ago
My favorite: the houses that had a pool virtually added to the backyard photos and pool = yes marked in the listing so it came up for people searching for a pool. That's a 100k+ difference in value.
3
u/InternationalNose974 10h ago
I am getting fed up with real estate and other occupations playing with AI. Height of laziness
3
u/Soggy-Base-764 10h ago
At this point, some listings need a disclaimer for unrealistic expectations lol
3
u/LonesomeBulldog 7h ago
I was just looking at a house online and I realized not one picture showed a light switch or outlet on any wall. Obviously AI. No telling what the house actually looks like.
4
u/SpareManagement2215 9h ago
I genuinely think it should be made illegal to use AI in real estate photos. I’ve seen some that completely changed the property- one listing we saw IRL had an AI ADU in the backyard that didn’t actually exist IRL.
2
u/nofishies 12h ago
Talk to your agent about putting more pressure on the Local Mls to openly label. Anything that’s been digitally altered and or have the original photo right next to it.
2
u/momo516 11h ago
Yuuuuup. And I don’t think it helps. We live in a really desirable neighborhood and homes usually sell within a month. There have been 2 that were posted with AI photos earlier this summer and neither has sold yet, while plenty of others have. They are both pretty nice houses and typical of the area. I’m convinced it’s because the pictures just automatically set you up to be disappointed. Especially because the one has AI landscaping - so the minute you pull up to the house you’re letdown.
2
u/7HawksAnd 11h ago
When every realtor wants to be an actor, every property gets the James Cameron treatment
2
u/PoppyRose525 11h ago
This is where we are headed. Rather than being able to enjoy real content, we’ll spend our time on these apps trying to discern whether AI or human. AI has its uses but it will eventually render social media apps useless. Maybe that’s also for the better 🤷♀️
2
u/carson5021 8h ago
I cant stand the stretched photos!!!! At all...its terrible and it makes the actual in person visit soooooo disappointing compared to people who know what theyre in for.
4
u/sweetrobna 12h ago
California is handling this right, level playing field.
If I went to a showing and the house was obviously different because of edited photos I wouldn't buy
3
u/LoanSlinger Homeowner 13h ago
Agents using AI is just like agents using Zillow. They're paying into a system that is actively trying to take their jobs away, or at least reduce them. We need to resist this AI push on all fronts. It's not "inevitable" like we're being told. It only works if it makes the billionnaires money. Stop using it, unsubscribe from content creators who use it, and spread the word.
4
u/scrub-muffin 13h ago
Real estate agents going away is a bad thing?
1
u/LoanSlinger Homeowner 13h ago
Would your job going away be a bad thing? To you and everyone else doing it, it sure would be. Why would you want someone else to lose their job? If you don't want/need a realtor to help you buy or sell a house, don't use one. No one is forcing you. They serve a purpose for most people, especially first time buyers or sellers.
0
u/scrub-muffin 11h ago
The industry is wrought with fraud. They are all propped up to help the seller's agent, I haven't found one that is helping me buy a home instead of trying to sell me a home. I think used car salesmen should go away as well.
I wonder if you hold the same sorrow for local news reporters and papers that were killed by social media algorithms? Some jobs should cease existing and become anachronous. It sucks but that is the free market.
0
u/alkevarsky 9h ago
Eliminating most if not all, commission-based jobs would be a net benefit for society. They are ultimately parasitic. If you can fill out a few online forms and get approved for a car loan, you should be able to do the same for a house. The redundancy of car salespeople has been conclusively proven by Tesla. And a realtor is unlikely to tell you anything more useful than a good home inspector would.
Along the same lines, if these were suddenly gone, would you miss: Kirby vacuum salespeople or Renewal by Anderson clowns?
2
u/StuckinSuFu Landlord 13h ago
I wish theyd state it, but I dont mind AI staging.. if you are just adding fake furniture.. but modifying the actual images or house is frustrating.
Saw a listing this weekend that fully "transformed" the kitchen like it was "here is what it COULD look like" but didnt mention it anywhere. It took a few times to understand it was the same kitchen.. the real one vs "what it might could be"
5
u/ice_w0lf 13h ago
I could be fine with just the fake furniture if they also provided the photo of the room without the fake furniture. I saw a listing not long ago that did that and didn't have a problem with it.
The whole altering of the house with AI needs to go though
1
u/TheFeshy 13h ago
I wonder if the stats are similar to the AI generated thumbnails on youtube. There, content creators who experiment have told me that normal thumbnails, rather than AI enhanced ones, often have click rates that are 10% or less what the AI thumbnails have. They're basically forced to use them - not by youtube, but by viewers. Otherwise they lose 90% of their traffic.
1
1
1
u/BoBromhal Realtor 13h ago
in theory by now, every sizeable MLS has an AI images policy. Enforcement relies on reporting the rulebreakers
1
1
1
1
u/layofthelandhere 4h ago
It's like going on a date and seeing the person isn't what you expected. Game over.
1
u/juicydreamer 1h ago
I agree. It makes it seem like the place isn’t good enough on its own so they have to alter it.
1
u/respectable-ish 13h ago
I would not even entertain putting an offer on a house with a listing that uses AI to alter photos.
1
u/I_am_normal_I_swear Agent 12h ago
I'm a REALTOR on a team in Houston. We definitely share listings that have horrible photos with each other and laugh at them. I shared one earlier this year for a $750k listing that had cell phone pictures and even had the owners (I'm assuming) in some of the pictures. Always use a professional photographer, and don't do any AI bs.
0
u/TheShortWhiteGuy 10h ago
As a full time real estate photographer, there's AI, then there's AI. I use the former.
0
125
u/buked_and_scorned 13h ago
Hard agree. It’s disingenuous at best.