Can I ask EA to re do photos?

[gettingbacktobeingmeagain]

Photography booked for a day next week when weather is likely to be gloomy at best, and as 90% of our windows face west, the interior risks looking really dark.

I’ll wait to see of course (presumably I have to sign off photos before it goes online?) but if they aren’t showing the property in the best way (it can look stunning) can I insist they re do them?

You can but I would speak to the EA about it beforehand and try to get the day changed. They may reassure you that they can use photoshop to make the day look sunny even if it is raining.

A house near me has just gone on right move with the most ridiculously photoshopped pictures, the garden is all shades of green unknown to man so I would be a little wary of that.

Like many questions on here my answer is the obvious one, just ring em up and ask

I redid some myself and emailed them to the agent as theirs were appalling.

well I've had EA photos photoshopped before to show a blue sky and it was fine & looked natural so that's my experience.

I redid some photos myself for my flat because they were pretty awful

I'd check the weather and rearrange to a sunny day. If they take the photos themselves it might be ok to get them redone but if they send a photographer they might charge you as they'll be invoiced for the photographers time.

If it's just one of two you could take them yourself, I did this with our last place when the garden was looking amazing on a sunny day and they used that instead

Maybe get photos done on an afternoon when the sun is out as west facing.

I used to work in an Estate Agents (25 years ago, so much has changed) just at the time digital cameras became the norm. Our valuers had to go on a course on how to take good photos of a property, but I think that's probably just another thing that's gone by the wayside now. I look on Rightmove and am horrified to see photos of toilet seats up, mirrors where you can see the person taking the photo and some random corner of a room which shows off a decoration belonging to the owner which is completely pointless.

Whilst Photoshop is a great tool for pasting in blue sky and greening up a lawn it will not correct a dark interior. It will just look dull and flat. It's best to do the photos on a sunny day.

You are the customer here and you are you paying them.

It absolutely can brighten up a photo that’s dull! Any decent phone could do that! However if they don’t brighten the photos (it’s not saturating with colour) then ask for retakes.

When I sold I didn't like the EAs photos so I took my own, just on an iPhone, at the best time of day for the light in each room. Was also able to move things about and take my time.
They were really impressed with the photos and happy to use them instead of their own.

I think photos are really important, a prospective buyer is likely to spend more time looking at photos, before and after a viewing, than looking in real life.

Thanks everyone - happily EA has just been in touch to reschedule due to logistics at their end, so all good 😊

Discuss it with an EA. We are looking at an area that has a lot of homes with that render that sort of "bleeds" and I saw a house pop up yesterday and it looks fully repainted.....

Except in reality it hasn't been!

So they do adjust pictures a lot but if you can rearrange for a sunny day it's got to be better. And buy some spring flowers! Our garden looked particularly lovely yesterday with the primroses out after such a wet winter. Lifted my soul!

We made the mistake of having photos done on a rainy day. The photographer changed the colour of the sky to blue with fluffy clouds, but the ground was very clearly wet. It just looked silly.

If there is a sunny day before the EA photographer comes, you could take a few shots yourself on your phone to be used to compare if necessary. In the end, though, It's in the EA's interest for the shots to show the property to its best advantage. After all, they don't make any money if it doesn't sell.

A lot of EAs will photoshop them anyway. When I last sold the EA employed a specialist photography company to take photos. It was a grey gloomy day when she came to take the photos. However the photos she then submitted to the EA had bright blue skies, bright rooms inside the house, and a full green lawn (when in reality it was a bit brown and patchy).