“Virtual Staging” Can Be Misleading. Make Sure You Are Aware Of This
We are living in a sophisticated digital era where real estate photo enhancement is being done on a massive scale. There is also sophisticated virtual staging software available, where one can completely transform the makeup of a listing in a very short period of time. Both factors have transformed the home staging concept.
Consider this:
You find a house that appears to be what you’re after, and you tap into the photos section of the listing to see the interior shots. The house looks great for the asking price. Everything appears to be in good physical condition, you’re impressed by upgrade extras such as crown molding in some rooms, plus granite counters and premium appliances in the kitchen. You call your real estate agent and arrange a visit to the house. You both walk in and what you find is not what you expected. The walls have cracks, the carpets are stained and dirty in some places. There are no granite countertops, no premium kitchen appliances. In fact, the kitchen looks really outdated and worn out. This is virtual staging at its best. It requires no physical furnishings like physical staging – just good software and imagination.
As home prices climbed over the past few decades, and new digital photo enhancement technology became widely available and easier to use, it has not been uncommon for sellers to distort their images, making the property look better than it really was.
Now that the market has cooled off, sellers of imperfect homes are resorting to the same tactics lest their listing be overlooked entirely. Photographs are being photoshopped to make them look sharpened, brightened and are cleverly edited. Rooms are being staged to look better than they actually are.
The Real Estate Council of British Columbia has tried to do renovate its legislation to reflect certain technologies. In Its 2013 addition to the Professional Standards Manual reads: “Photo-enhancing computer applications make it easy to manipulate photographs in a variety of ways. While editing out such items as a garbage can or an automobile parked in a driveway would be acceptable, removing nearby power lines or changing any physical characteristic of a property such that it results in a misrepresentation would not be acceptable.”
When looking at listings on line, the age of the home and room measurements should give reasonable hints as to the authenticity of the images. Remember, even the fanciest of photography is no substitute for an on-site visit.
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