Why do estate agents take such manipulative photos?

[TinyGoldfish]

If any estate agents are reading this: just please fucking stop!

I'm wasting so much time lining up viewings only to get there and find that the rooms are actually the size of a small cupboard. When we remarked on how one room looked ridiculously bigger in the photos the estate agent laughed and said "oh yes, another win for my photo skills!"

I'm spending ages trying to visualise the room dimensions from the measurements in the description/floor plan (not that there even always is a floor plan). And even those are coming out a bit off!

Surely distorting the photos is just false representation? And generally shitty. Just stop!!!

[IDoAllMyOwnStunts]

Take the photos with a pinch of salt and go by the floor plan measurements instead. Surely you look at those before visiting? My mums trying to sell and is sick of people saying 'ooh I thought it'd be bigger!' I just think haven't you read the bloody floor plans then?!

Fish eye lenses and whatnot can make any poly hole look worth holding a ball in.

[TheCrowFromBelow]

Are you selling your own property? If so study your own floor plans and compare the plans of properties you are interested in to those. It will give you more of a feel for the size of a new place than the photos would.

[TinyGoldfish]

Not the most extreme example but this one for instance:
www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-58578911.html

Photo 3 and 4 are of the same room (kitchen) yet photo 3 is much wider! At least photo 4 is there to compare to though. When they only include the wide shots that's the only impression you get.

[RiverTam]

Well, I'd be dubious of any flat where not a single room dimension is mentioned, either in the blurb or the floor plan. But the floor plan does show that the kitchen is pretty titchy.

[TinyGoldfish]

I'm not selling, currently renting. But will be getting the tape measure out this weekend, thanks Crow.

Not all of the properties have floor plans Stunts. (But that's a whole other moan.)

[TinyGoldfish]

It's mostly that he was so proud that he'd 'tricked us'. Just show us the truth - we're going to find out when we get there anyway and it will save us a wasted trip!

[Southernc0mfortmirror]

I'm selling my flat and I've had the opposite problem. The agents photos make the rooms look much smaller than they are. I think I'm going to have to ask them to come out again and re-do - very disappointed!

But in my house hunting I've seen quite a few examples of what you are describing, photos stretched so much they look ridiculous!

[TinyGoldfish]

(I'm not interested in that example btw, I was just searching for a photo to show you.)

[whois]

Compare to floor plans, and compare to furniture - look how chairs or wardrobes look streched. Look at furniture relative to other items of furniture - in one photo a table might be pushed to the far L of the wall, in the next to the far R to make it look bigger.

It is SO ANNOYING when places don't have floor plans. Takes 2 mins to knock up (even a rough plan hand drawn by the LL would be ok!) and saves lots of wasted trips.

It's mostly that he was so proud that he'd 'tricked us'

How do you tell an estate agent is lying...?

[whois]

Photo 3 and 4 are of the same room (kitchen) yet photo 3 is much wider! At least photo 4 is there to compare to though. When they only include the wide shots that's the only impression you get.

Kitchens are easy - you can 'count' the number of units. So that room is essentially 5 units wide by 5 units deep :-)

[DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen]

Always look at floor plans!

[PippaFawcett]

Never choose an agent who doesn't produce floor plans - I won't waste time viewing a property without one.

[GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER]

After looking at a shot of the outside, and the price, the first thing I invariably look at is the floor plan.
Any EA that doesn't provide one, with measurements, doesn't deserve to be in business, IMO.
Yes, they often use some fish-eye lens or whatever it's called, to make rooms look a lot bigger. The only way is to check dimensions before making an appt. to view.

[Mummyme87]

Our flat looks bigger than the photos. Have visited a few houses that look a lot smaller in reality. Take them with a pinch of salt and if they have dimensions get you tape measure out. Also look at what is in the room for example. A room with a double bed and no bedside tables with little room either side of the bed...small

[Cel982]

You're right, it is really annoying. I don't see what they hope to achieve by it - as if someone is going to make an offer based on the website listing without actually viewing the place It's much more likely to just piss off a potential buyer.

[whois]

Never choose an agent who doesn't produce floor plans - I won't waste time viewing a property without one.

Different for rental tho - not 100% usual to get floorplans for a rental on RM.

[glassgarden]

what you need is a dollshouse size scale model coupled with dollshouse versions of all your furniture so you can see if it will fit.

Or perhaps computer generated equivalents?

Image the fun you could have:o

[Kannet]

I won't view a house of there is no floor plan on website, it always feels like there is something to hide

[TinyGoldfish]

@ the dolls house idea.

[Trills]

The same reason people lie about their age on online dating.

They hope that once you get to know them you'll forgive them.

[Trills]

"I wouldn't have chosen this on paper but now I've seen it I love it..."

(I am wholly unconvinced)

[TinyGoldfish]

Same property on with two different estate agents:

[TinyGoldfish]

Exactly, Trills! When does that ever happen?

[Donatellalymanmoss]

Happened to me, the photos of the house I bought really did not do it justice, to the point where I almost didn't view. Photos and floor plans will only ever give a certain impression, the only way to chose a place to live is to go and look round.

[Linnet]

There is one estate agent company where I live who over brighten every single photo. They also photo shop the sky outside the windows to a bright blue summer sky with white fluffy clouds. Looks really good when the outside of the house is covered in snow but the sky is a lovely summer sky.