Are the houses listed by a real estate company, or being sold by owner? What website were these photos on? What are the specifics of the "suck" compared to the photos? If the houses are listed by an agency, did you complain to the agent or company owner? Do you really think it's in a company's best interest to mis-represent their properties in the way you imply? Do you know there are codes of ethics (for companies that belong to the National Association of Realtors), along with state laws requiring disclosure of condition and other aspects? Offenses result in fines, loss of license and more.

Buying a house is a major investment- most folks understand that and I never knew of anyone buying a house, sight unseen, based on a photograh, without a thorough investigation of the property.

The first step in a SALE of anything, on the part of the seller, is attracting attention and creating desire. In advertising, that can be the job of the photographer in showing the "product" at its best, hopefully, without fakery or dishonesty. Once that is done, the rest is up to the seller and the buyer to come to a meeting of the minds and make a deal- or not!

Again, folks don't usually consider the purchase of a home strictly based on a photograph. There is a great number of considerations such as PRICE, the neighborhood, and its facilities and services, schools, transportation and commuting, convenience, accessibility to shopping, socioeconomic aspects and more. Then there are the physical aspects such as space, a number of rooms to accommodate the family and their lifestyles, the amenities such as garages, perhaps a pool, a finished basement, etc. Of course, the state of repair, condition and whether or not it is in "move-in shape, a fixer-upper or somewhere in between.

There is a process such as having the property professionally inspected, making certain there are no mold or asbestos hazards, electrical or plumbing issues, or any major defects such as a roof that needs replacement. These inspections are usually required to secure a mortgage. Usually, a lawyer is involved in handling the paperwork and conducting a search to ensure there are no liens or othere financial restrictions or encumbrances on the property. So...you just don't view an advertisement and hand over your credit card!

If you are a PHOTOGRAPHER, you should understand the effect of wide-angle lenses. Even if you are not a PHOTOGRAPHER,- ever read that notation on your right side rearview mirror- something about "objects seeming further away"?

I have been shooting architectural interiors and exteriors for years and I have never had a client tell me to fake anything or make it look at what it is not. They just tell me to make it look NICE. I have told the odd client that "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear " without extreme fakery, perhaps massive retouching and if it is a wreck, they had better fix the place up and do the repairs before I come into photograh it. I don't want to be a party to fraud!

Personally, When I sees anything advertised and upon discovering it ain't what it is supposed to be, I simply won't buy it or deal with a dishonest seller, let along a realtor. It may cost me a tank of gas and waste some of my time but that is less expensive than ending up with a lemon car, camera, box of candy or a HOUSE? I comes out as a saving in the long run!

A smart seller, agent, or broker, does not want to waste their own time explaining why a property is not as advertised.

You are correct there are rules of ethics and laws pertaining to disclosure. However advertising photos do not fall under either. Ethics and disclosure go hand in hand but they deal with the contractual phase of the transaction in most cases. Realtors have no ethical or legal requirement to disclose defects in the property in most cases exceptions being things like lead paint and urea formaldehyde. It is up to the buyer to have a proffesional inspection to check for defects. Realtors can not ethically withhold information they know if asked. So if a realtor is asked does the foundation have a crack? They must answer truthfully to the best of their knowledge. However if they are not asked they do not have to volunteer the information. That is exactly why caveat emptor is the number one rule of real estate buying. Now a smart realtor will bring up defects in a home voluntarily because they don’t want to get to contract phase and have a deal fall apart and have to put a property back on the market.

Back in December we were on the house hunting kick to get out of rental and find a permanent place to lay our heads. Most of the photos we saw on the major real estate sites were not a up-to-minute representation of the houses we saw. Most realtors, I suspect, use older images to save a couple pennies and really don't show the current state these houses are in. For the most part, it was simply cosmetic or furniture differences, but we never saw houses that were misrepresented by fake or modified pictures.

Is it a morale practice, I personally don't think so, but it just forced us to get out and look at all the properties in greater detail to make sure we were buying exactly what we wanted.