There’s a new term making its way into real estate: “housefishing.”
Basically, catfishing… but for houses.
And honestly, I get why this can be frustrating for buyers.
I recently read about the growing conversation around AI-enhanced listing photos and where the line falls between making a property look its best and actually misrepresenting what a buyer is going to see when they walk through the door.
It’s something I’ve been thinking about because I do use virtual staging on some of my vacant listings ~ but I use it very intentionally.
A vacant room can be surprisingly difficult to visualize. Where does the sofa go? Is there actually enough room for a dining table? What would a bedroom look like with a bed and nightstands?
Adding furniture to a couple of rooms can help a buyer understand the possibilities of a space in a way that an empty room sometimes does not.
There’s another, less glamorous reason I do it, too: I’ve found that listings that look completely vacant can attract a lot more scams and nefarious activity. Showing photos of a home that is furnished can provide at least a little bit of deterrence.
But there is a line.
I am NEVER going to use AI to:
• Change the size or layout of a room
• Add a view that doesn’t exist
• Remove an ugly feature
• Make a dated kitchen look renovated
• Turn a tiny bedroom into a spacious one
• Or create a version of the house that a buyer will never actually see
Because ultimately, my goal with listing photography is to get someone interested enough to come see the property, not get them there under false pretenses.
I’ve had buyers fall in love with listing photos only to walk into the house and say, “This is not at all what it looked like online.”
Not a great experience for a buyer, and ultimately, it’s not good marketing for the seller either.
AI is going to continue changing real estate photography. I think the important conversation isn’t whether we should use it. It’s how we use it, and whether we’re transparent about it.
Enhance the presentation. Don’t change the reality.
