House Renovation Instagram - would you find this odd?

[EllieQ]

I’d like to get to get other people’s thoughts on this, but I’m not brave enough for AIBU.

It’s a house renovation account on Instagram where the couple bought a house that needed quite a lot of work and updating (probate sale where the house was structurally sound but had dated 90s decor).

I’ve noticed that when they post before and after photos, instead of using photos from when they bought the house (ie: empty rooms), they use photos taken when they viewed the house (or from the estate agent’s listing), as it still contains the previous owners furniture/ ornaments/ books. There have been a couple of unkind comments about the way the rooms looked before. I think this is strange and quite intrusive to include the previous owner’s style rather than the empty rooms, though it does show the contrast between then and now.

Would you think it was strange, or is it normal and photos taken while viewing the house are ‘fair game’? It’s a public Instagram account so anyone can see them.

(Disclaimer: it’s a relative’s house. The family were advised to leave the furniture there for house viewings, but as they don’t live locally there were delays in clearing the personal items. This meant the house was put on the market still containing some personal stuff like ornaments, pictures, books).

I couldn’t get worked up about it tbh.

I also absolutely hate this OP and find it really rude. I’d be tempted to message them and explain- I know everyone will say it doesn’t matter but it’s really unkind imo.

I find it in poor taste to use photos with personal items in them and set them up for ridicule. It would irk me but am not sure what I'd do about it

I'd be upset if my relatives home and possessions were being ridiculed.

It amazes me how rude people can be about people's homes on programmes like A Place in the Sun, so I can only imagine the comments on instagram.

Poor taste. Does the instagrammer’s name begin with C? If so I know which photos you mean and thought they were in poor taste.

It’s a bit weird. Maybe they forgot to take before pictures?

I'd not have any time for anyone with an Indta page for their home, so I'd judge them on that and think they were a bit self absorbed, but yes using anyone else's stuff and putting it up for criticique is mega shitty

It's in very poor taste and I'd hate it if it happened to me or my family. Some people will trample over anyone to get the Insta likes though - weirdos.

I'd never considered it until recently, but it is really very rude and insensitive. I'd be so angry if somebody did that to a home my relative had sold.

I think it's rude and insensitive but if they are from the estate agent's listing. I don't think there is much you can do about it.

No, not the same one. Interesting (and a bit sad) to hear someone else is doing this.

The account only has a small number of followers, so I don’t think the couple are trying make money/ become Insta-famous, just keeping family and friends updated. The previous owner’s children found out about it through a friend of a friend who knows the new owners.

It really wouldn’t bother me. The photos were already in the public domain anyway. If the vendors were happy with the agent using them, why would they object now?

I always think that's such a rude thing to do, and have unfollowed people in the past for this.

Estate agents aren't posting the pictures for comment, and saying "look how shit it was before, aren't I wonderful?" Really tasteless.

Message them. They’re probably just thoughtless but they can change their behaviour if it’s upsetting.

Yes, I think that’s why it’s upsetting. Estate agents generally try to be positive about the houses. I often browse Rightmove and have seen some probate sales where the description says something like ‘a much loved family home, in need of updating’ so it doesn’t feel as harsh as ‘didn’t it look awful before!’

I think that's really mean, and a bit weird. And I agree that the photos were for the estate agent, not for someone to poke fun at. I know there's nothing to prevent it once they're in the public domain, but it's not kind.

There are a few instagramers that do this and whenever I see it I do always think it’s a bit of a shitty thing to do. Particularly when it was clearly an older family moving on.

This is really familiar, have you posted about this befor or is it quite a common thing to do?

I agree, I also don’t like it on here when an OP posts a link to a house for sale in order to ridicule it, I always imagine it’s a spiteful relative or friend doing it for kicks.

I wouldn't like it. But I also don't like it when someone links to a house for sale solely to take the piss out of it on here, either. However, the photos were/are out there, so what can you do? I've noticed a lot of renovation accounts use estate agents photos for the before pics which I find odd. They must be people that take lots of photos if they're on social media, so how they forget to take pics of rooms devoid of other people's stuff before they start seems weird.

X cross post with @AmberLynn1536

I also think something similar has been posted before @AllThatFancyPaintsAsFair

Yes I've read this before

I think it's crap to do. It's a warm family joke that my grandad was a bit of a DIY bodger, and their house has looked the same since the 60s but always a very happy and well loved place. I'd find it upsetting to have strangers calling it horrible.

I haven’t posted about it before, but I might have mentioned it on one of those threads with a link to Rightmove making fun of someone’s house - I definitely posted on at least one thread that was deleted by MNHQ as ‘not in the spirit of the site’.