Following inaccurate and downright silly AI generated images appearing on JustEat and Etsy, it appears that no industry is immune from AI slop. The property market is now also flooded with digitally altered images.
As someone who has had their fair share of dealing with moving house and looking at properties, I understand how frustrating and stressful it can be. But some people who believe they have found their dream home have been sorely disappointed to find out the potential house has been ‘enhanced’ using AI.
Over the past year, many have taken to Reddit to complain about estate agents posting listings with AI modified photos that include fixings, furniture, and structural changes that the actual properties do not have.
Deck the halls with AI changes
AI is getting good at enhancing images, but it isn’t quite perfect. Checking for AI enhancement is painful enough, but if you know where to look you’ll start to spot odd details.
For example, one listing for a house on Rightmove shared by a Reddit user features a thriving shrubbery plot in the driveway, but if you look closely at multiple angles of the front of the property, some of the plants have mysteriously shifted or disappeared completely.
What’s worse is that you can see the rear garden from the front of the property, which shows a shed and a patchy lawn with a messy gravel path. But flick through a few more of the property photos and all of a sudden the rear lawn is thriving and has a nice neat path, the fence has been mended, and the entire garden has been significantly expanded.
I’ll take you on a tour of some of the most impressive features. Head through the front door and you will be greeted by a picture frame above a side-cabinet that can change paintings depending on where you stand in the hallway.
The bathroom features towels that change color depending how you’re feeling, and the towel rail cannot decide if it has five rails or six.
But the pièce de résistance is the garden, where the decking has either three or four steps down to the lawn depending on your budget. You can also opt to have the decking’s corner steps and additional gravel path put back in for a modest sum.
In my search to spot exactly what was AI generated, I also came across an original photo of the house. But while searching for further inconsistencies between this original and the edited photos, I noticed something odd.
In the ‘original’ image, the single road to the right of the house connecting the cul-de-sac to the local town – that has existed since at least 1975 according to ordinance survey maps – has disappeared, and is now a dead end. The ‘For Sale’ sign featured in both images is now written in an incomprehensible language.
So which image is genuine and which is enhanced? It appears that both have been digitally altered and I am starting to go insane.
Should AI photos be used on property listings?
In most cases, estate agents will disclose if the images of a property have been digitally altered or edited in any way. But for this particular case, you have to scroll through a 1,700 word property description that also shows signs of AI involvement before you reach the following text:
“Some photographs used within this property advertisement have been digitally enhanced and/or virtually staged for illustrative purposes. Virtual furnishings, accessories and decorative items may have been added to demonstrate the potential appearance and use of the rooms.”
This disclaimer continues; “No alterations to the physical structure, layout or dimensions of the property are intended to be represented by the digital staging. Prospective purchasers are advised to rely upon their own inspection of the property.”
Obviously this is just one example, but a quick look through Reddit threads such as r/SpottedonRightMove and you will find numerous examples of AI enhanced properties, each more extreme than the last.
Some users argue in favor of allowing estate agents to use AI photos to show the potential of a property, or to provide inspiration on a property that may need some fixing up. Others say that using AI to make a property look better than it actually is borders on false advertisement.
Of course, the property values aren’t decided based on listing photos. As part of the process to buy a house, multiple valuations will often take place to ensure the property is actually worth as much as it is listed for.
But as difficult as the housing market currently is – especially for renters – there is a bit of an ethical issue. People often travel many miles to view potential properties, and to arrive at a property that does not look anything like its listing photo is money and time wasted.
