Ugly House Photos

Some home staging can be so exact and minimalistic that it comes across as cold, sterile, and fake.  These sellers decided against that staging technique.

In the office, they went for the rooted-in look.

In this room, they went for a versatile look.  It’s a bedroom, it’s a storage room, it’s a …

In the living room, they went for the night look…

…AND the day look!  It shows off the room’s different personalities.

In the bedroom, they wanted to show how much room there is for hoarding.

Warm kitchen.

Bright kitchen.

Need shelves in your bathroom for toiletries?  Remove the drywall and use the noggings as shelves!!

They wanted to emphasize that the garage can be a multi-purpose room.

You can never have too many hangers.

Dead tree out front?  Perfect for Halloween.

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I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I kneed to buy this house!!

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Vague and out of focus living room photo.  Not helpful to buyers.

This is a good one.  The seller took a picture of his/her computer monitor with the house’s Google Street View photo.  Too difficult to do a screen capture or walk outside?

This seller tried to promote that his/her home is close to a school.  But taking a photo of an elementary school while inside your car is kinda Chester the Molester like.  Now it looks totally creepy.

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Many real estate websites allow unlimited photos from sellers.  There is a saturation point or overkill amount or boredom level, however, once you go above say 30 photos.  Case in point, here’s a Glendale, Arizona home for sale with 72 photos.

They included a close-up of a cabinet door knob.

A photo of a bowl of nuts!

A photo of potpourri!

A photo of a glass vase!  There was a photo of a dinner plate.  It went on and on.  Yawn.  These items are for decoration and don’t stay with the house.  So why include them?

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It’s best not to show your reflection in real estate promotional photos.  And if you have time, please remove the items from the vanity and close the toilet seat lid.

You, too, sir.  Please stay out of the mirror’s reflection.

This poor photo requires too much energy from a buyer to figure out it’s a bathroom.

This is the only photo for this Tolleson, Arizona home.  The sellers don’t want buyers to see what it looks like on the outside or the inside.

Poorly stitched together panoramic photos make cabinets look damaged and rooms and floors look uneven.

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We haven’t a clue why this photo was included in a Phoenix listing.  The photo’s caption reads, “Diving pool.”  But it’s a photo of a box for a Ryobi tile saw.

Here’s a real estate photo of a heater box in Houston, Texas.  And a wall frame missing drywall.  Perhaps the photographer desperately wanted a picture from this angle, so removed the drywall?

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We can’t quite put our finger on it, but something’s wrong with this real estate photo.

Hmmm.

This Scottsdale real estate photographer is all thumbs.

They said it was a point and shoot camera, so said this Augusta, Maine photographer.

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December 21, 2012.  The end of the Mayan calendar and the end of the world.  The collapse is already starting.  Aaaah!

Now the Earth is tilting the other way!  Help!!!

It’s all over!  Goodbye, cruel world.

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This home is just about ready for buyers.

Fine dining.

Dusty briefcase and clutter in the laundry room.

Cozy family room.

Better than most kitchens we see here.

The wood floor has a vintage look that buyers want.

Ignore the wall crack.  Admire the wallpaper.

Everything looks better when you squint your eyes.

The front of the house.  This was the first photo buyers saw of this house.

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Eight ways to improve real estate marketing photos.

1) No need to point out the features of the house with your finger.  Let the photo do the talking.

2) Take original photos of the house.  At the house.  Don’t take a picture of a printed photo of the house.

3) Get out of the car to take pictures of the house.

4) Don’t use fish-eye lens.  Especially in bathrooms.  It’s very creepy.

5) Keep the camera in focus.  This was the primary photo for a Morristown, Arizona home.

6) Careful with PhotoShop.  Buyers can spot fake grass a mile away!

7) Maintain a horizontal balance and take a photo that makes sense to buyers.  From a Dothan, Alabama home.

8) Don’t take photos while standing directly in front of a mirror.  Turn on lights too.  Here are some examples.

We still see you in the mirror.

At least she tried?

Nice try, but still didn’t work.

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