If you’ve ever browsed property listings online—whether you’re looking to buy, rent, or just enjoy a bit of window shopping—you’ve probably noticed that some homes look almost too good to be true.
Sparkling kitchens, sun-drenched living rooms, and, of course, lawns so green they’d make a golf course jealous.
But as one recent blunder has shown, sometimes the magic behind those perfect pictures is just a little too obvious.
The latest property photo mishap comes from Noble Park North, a suburb in Melbourne’s southeast. A real estate agent accidentally uploaded both an edited and an unedited photo of the same property—side by side for all to see.
The edited version boasted lush, vibrant grass, while the unedited snap revealed the reality: a patchy, tired-looking lawn that’s all too familiar to many Australian homeowners, especially after a long, dry summer.
Alice Phuong, the agent behind the listing, admitted the mistake and promptly removed the unedited photo.
When asked why she’d edited the image in the first place, her answer was simple: the greener grass ‘looks better’ and ‘adds more colour’.
It’s a sentiment many in the industry share, but it’s also one that’s left some buyers and renters feeling a bit, well, green around the gills.
Let’s be honest—real estate agents have been sprucing up property photos for years. A little extra brightness here, a touch of virtual furniture there, and voilà! The home looks more inviting, and the listing gets more clicks.
But where’s the line between making a property look its best and misleading potential buyers?
Online, the reaction was swift. ‘I never trust the photos, always inspect the place inside out before making a decision, even if they try to cover it up with display furniture,’ one savvy commenter wrote. Another simply called the practice ‘sketchy’.
The incident has reignited calls for tighter regulations around property photo editing. Some Australians are pushing for new laws to ban or at least limit the use of heavily edited images in real estate ads, arguing that it amounts to false advertising.
‘This should be legislated out, editing photos to drive traffic to open homes is disingenuous,’ one person argued online.
It’s not just about lawns, either. In recent years, eagle-eyed house hunters have spotted everything from digitally enhanced trees to suspiciously bright interiors.
In one memorable case, a rental in Leneva, Victoria, featured grass so unnaturally green it looked like it belonged in a cartoon.
Another Melbourne listing was caught out for what the agent claimed was just an ‘overexposed’ photo, but many suspected a bit of digital trickery.
While it’s understandable that agents want to show properties in their best light, honesty is always the best policy—especially when it comes to something as important as your next home. After all, no one wants to turn up to an open house only to find the ‘lush’ lawn is more dust than grass!
Remember, whether you’re buying, renting, or just browsing, trust your instincts and always look beyond the photos. Happy house hunting!
Have you ever been caught out by a misleading property photo? Do you think there should be stricter rules around photo editing in real estate ads? Or do you think a little digital touch-up is just part of the game? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
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