The latest annoying estate agent trend

[KerfuffleShuffle]

Currently in the market to move again and I can't help but be bemused by the latest estate agents tomfoolery when it comes to photographs.

An artsy angled shot of an ornament on a side board. Focused object and blurry background - check

A picture of a colourful pot plant in an otherwise begraggled and weedy garden - check

And my favourite one, a picture showing a kitchen tap turned on, cascading down like a serene waterfall not out of place in a spa promotional. I didn't know a working water supply was a top worry for house hunters.

Also do they know showing - 10 out of 15 photos of one room, 1 of the outside, 1 of the garden and 1 of the far fetched-squint and-you'll-just-see-it-view isn't fooling anyone. It just tells us the rest of the house is a bit shit.

So what are your most favourite or even annoying quirks estate agents and house sellers insist on doing nowadays? Plus, here's a link to a wonderfully quirky but fits list of the above house we nearly viewed.

www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-67408549.html

I have lived on a house that was “deceptively spacious” though. It was a mid terrace and even now I can’t quite work out how the large living room fitted.

• a foot distance apart I mean

Enko shhhhh don't tell anyone. We try and keep the cheap North a secret to keep it that way

But really it's because it's Barnsley. Most of South Yorkshire is pleasant but doesn't have a whole lot going for it apart from Sheffield, which is still reasonable but considerably more pricey.

I don’t like,it when the first photo is not the front of the house. It makes me think that it’s hideous looking.

Other dislikes is when they have several photos,of the same room, taken from different angles, which don’t really show you anything new.

example

Four pictures of the same kitchen. I think I get what it looks like from the first. Maybe post a couple, but not four.

Later, there two photos of a lovely dressing table, which I presume the vendor,will take with them.

Nice house, though.

What a depressing looking place - but £300k for a 5 bed house?

That would buy you a small flat here, if you were lucky.

They should've lost one bedroom and had a master suite with an ensuite and dressing area.

Special mention for close up photos of the house number - why? What's next - the wheelie bin?

Yabu to not mention that legend of a video tour 😂😂 never understand why they are mainly pics though. I can flick through pics walk around and let me hear the floorboard squeak

And what’s with water making the pics- it’s an estate agent no one is going to pinch them

When they get the current owners to write their ‘sales pitch’ about what they like about the house. My dad had to write one when he sold my grandma’s house. “My brothers and I loved growing up here (60+ yrs ago...) and we hope another family will make happy memories here” I like trying to read between the lines, like a job reference where what it doesn’t say is more interesting than what it does say!

I’m confused, is that house acghally a pub?

Last time I sold a house all the estate agents where charging for the photos because they were using professional photographers, which is why you're getting all these stupid 'arty' shots and the wide angle lens shots.

Years ago they used to be taken by the estate agent and were included in the fees. They were basic, but at least they showed you what the rooms looked like.

I assume the vendor is still paying extra for the photos, which I assume means that if you don't want to pay the extra you don't get any photos.

You do need to see bathrooms and kitchens. Decor etc can be easily dealt with.

Floor plans are important.

Sometimes if a house isn't up to scratch that fact is reflected in the price but should be clearly stated.

I've looked at Rightmove regularly in recent times and can't say I've noticed the trend you mention. I probably will now! What I have seen is nice looking houses that are going cheap. On further investigation they have been in really dodgy areas, by dodgy areas I mean with high crime rates, violence and noise - on the edge of quite pleasant areas so you wouldn't know unless you were familiar with the road. The agents have said nothing about that.

Tbh I thought the pics were reasonable.
Love the interior, esp the kitchen!
If it were on a quietish road,I'd consider it!
Know this is not the focus of the discussion but find the exterior pub sign totally offputting, if that could come down I think it would improve the property.

@enko I've just had same thoughts and looked on a map! SE here too

A while ago on one of the rightmove threads, someone posted a house listing that used models. It was really weird. There was some male model pretending to use the kitchen and an adorable little girl running round the house. To be fair, it was a massively expensive property, so maybe it’s worth the the cost. But ugh. I hope that doesn’t catch on.

@itbemay DH is up for it just got to find us both a new job

We are looking to buy our first house next year and I'm sick of this and wide angle lens to make poky front rooms look huge!

A couple of years ago I was surprised to know I now lived in a village, when for 23 years I'd been living in a suburb of a town.

A newly opened estate agency decided there were village schools and village shops etc. and a vibrant village atmosphere which was news to me.

Anyway it caught on. Sounds good and gets them the buyers from outside the area. It's still a suburb though.

Similarly annoying was a glamping place website, where the majority of photos were of laughing sun-drenched beautiful people, with a tiny bit of tent in the background. I want to see what the tent looks like, I don't want stock advertising shots!

And don't the Americans pay people to 'stage' houses for sale?

If we bought that place, I would spend most my evenings waiting for passers by to still think it was a pub and try to pop in for a 'quick one'.

How are you all seeing it? The link won't work for me.

I'm so old that I recall reading the Roy Brooks house descriptions in the 1960s, he wrote a book Brothel in Pimlico which was the sort of thing said in descriptions!
“Wanted: Someone with taste, means and a stomach strong enough to buy this erstwhile house of ill-repute in Pimlico."

There are a lot of photos here of wellies in porches. I think estate agents are trying to sell a certain image to Londoners moving out to the country. I’ve noticed the running tap thing. They seem to like showing small details at the expense of showing what the bloody room looks like. It reminds me a bit about the wedding photography trend that cuts off people’s heads to highlight the detail of flowers. For some reason it really bugs me and I had to put in a special request for my photographer not to cut off the heads of bridesmaids etc.

The latest trend I have noticed is for photographs to show the house as 'lived in' ie beds not made, clutter on display.

While I am all for no artsy styling, at least tidy up a bit!