Photo Editing Tools - Unethical Real Estate Professionals - Tricks of the Trade that Make You Think?

Most web masters use Photoshop to help make the pictures on their client's websites perfect. Websites are advertising and that is to be expected. Many real estate people have professional pictures taken for marketing reasons too. Some real estate professionals take digital pictures of their listings and then touch them up, to remove blemishes or bad lighting, because most real estate professionals do not sideline as professional photographers.

My question is where do they draw that line?

If a tree in the back yard is diseased, do they touch up the truth? That tree is part of the property, right? Its one thing to doctor your own photo for marketing purposes and brochures, but you are not selling yourself, well I hope you are moon-lighting to make extra money in this tough real estate market. But in all seriousness, if you begin adding things into the photos that are not there, such as additional shrubbery or radically change the condition of the lawn, quality of the masonry work or change the color of the house, then may I ask when this practice becomes unethical?

What is the point in which you have literally broken the laws concerning false advertising?

We all know there is a human tendency to exaggerate, anyone who has ever done any online dating can attest to that, however as professional real estate agents, in a rather unforgiving market, you must control the urge to leave out details or modify realities. Doctoring a photo of a property, other than removing the issues caused from poor photography skills is a slippery slope. This is one growing tend I been observing.

We see quite a few purposeful accidents in the MLS listings, where information is conveniently left out or accidentally exaggerated, many who constantly do this are called onto the carpet for it, often they don't last long. What about doctoring of photos? How far do you push the reality or do you at all?

"Lance Winslow" - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

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