Altered photos: Removing the real from real estate |
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How much is too much?
It's still a gray area about how much "Photoshopping" is too much. Ralph Holmen, associate general counsel for the NAR, says the organization's code of ethics requires agents to provide a true picture, although some touching up is allowed. So it's up to each agent to decide what the limitations are.
Many, such as Vince Malta, a real estate agent in
San Francisco and past president of the California Association of
Realtors, don't understand what the fuss is about.
"In my opinion, photos that take out visible
utility lines are not trying to conceal material facts from prospective
purchasers," Malta says. "It's just a form of marketing
so that buyers can see the house."
Malta
admits that he airbrushes out utility lines running in front of a house and cars
parked in front. "The photo may not be accurate but it does allow one to
see all the features of a home, otherwise the power lines may block the view.
I don't believe that's concealment, and it's much better than concealing pure
defects. When they come to view the house, they're going to see the utility lines
anyway." The Ethicist weighs in
Others believe that showing anything other than the actual photo
is just plain wrong. Randy Cohen, who writes "The Ethicist"
column for The New York Times, calls it unambiguously unethical
and deliberately deceitful. "There's no such thing as an objective
photo unless you take it from all angles. You might photograph the
backyard from a particular angle to emphasize the view of the waterfall,
and no one would quibble. But if you deliberately remove a bush
to get that view, you're definitely crossing the line. Deliberately
obscuring the fact that there's a lead-smelting plant across the
street is nonethical.
"The question for sellers is 'What are your intentions?'"
he asks. "Deceiving a Web site viewer into thinking there are
no power lines from that angle is the visual equivalent of lying,
because if you stand where the photographer did to get that shot,
you will see something quite different.
"Sellers
should set a slightly higher standard and give potential buyers a clear understanding
of what the house is like. To do that, you should select a certain view of the
room, yard or house and present that to the public. The more you deviate from
that, the less ethical your conduct."
A little touch up is OK for
some
Nevertheless, more real estate firms
are touching up their photos. Bart Wilson, chief marketing officer of Voyager
International, a firm that does photo and video graphics for real estate firms,
says his clients' retouch requests are increasing, even on higher-end properties.
Wilson tells the story of an agent with a 19th-century
Santa Fe, N.M., house that he wanted to make look more modern in
photos. Doing so meant erasing the power lines and some bushes,
and "straightening up" the adobe wall in the backyard.
The photo was put on the Web site and soon after a millionaire from
New Jersey wired $2 million into an escrow account with the intention
to buy. He flew in to Santa Fe, rented a limo and drove to the house,
photo printout in hand.
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