Real estate doctored photos to advertise a property with mouldy bathrooms

The grim reality of Sydney’s rental market: Real estate doctored photos to advertise a property with mouldy bathrooms, holes in the carpets and rusty kitchen appliances

  • The two bedroom unit was put on the market last month, asking $775,000 
  • The original listing showed photos of a clean bedroom and spotless kitchen
  • But forensic analysis showed the master bedroom had been digitally altered
  • The real estate agency has now taken down the edited photos from their site  

A real estate agency edited photos to advertise a dilapidated house with mouldy bathrooms, holes in carpets and filthy kitchen appliances.

The two bedroom unit, in Wollstonecraft in Sydney’s lower north shore, was put on the market last month, with an asking price of $775,000.

The apartment was described online as a ‘rare opportunity,’ with photos showing clean bedrooms and a spotless kitchen.

But it was later discovered the photos had been heavily edited to hide the unit’s grimy interior.

A forensic analysis showed at least one of the pictures, including the master bedroom, had been digitally altered,’ the ABC reported.

The kitchen looked like it was in pristine condition in the doctored photos, and showed clean counter tops and appliances, but the photos were edited  

The photos posted to the online listing showed a clean master bedroom with carpets in good conditions and perfectly-painted white walls.

However the room’s walls were actually discoloured and the carpets were stained and falling apart.

The photos posted to the online listing showed a clean master bedroom with carpets in good conditions and perfectly-painted white walls, but the walls were actually discoloured and the carpets were stained and falling apart

Also not shown in the initial listing were photos of the disgusting hallway floor which was covered in large brown stains.

The kitchen looked like it was in pristine condition in the doctored photos, and showed clean counter tops and appliances.

But the real kitchen was anything but clean. Photos showed a dated stove top covered in grime and rust, and bench tops and splash-back tiles laden with mould.  

The real estate agency has since updated their online listing to only legitimate photos that show the home’s poor condition after inquiries were made to NSW Fair Trading.

The damaged carpet of the master bedroom is now visible in the amended photos, but pictures of the kitchen and hallway have been removed altogether.

The real estate agency texted potential buyers today that changes had been made to the listing ‘to ensure that we accurately position and represent this property throughout the duration of the sales campaign’.

NSW Fair Trading confirmed it had launched an investigation into the advertisement, and said real estate agents ‘must act honestly, fairly and professionally with all parties involved in a property transaction’.

The real estate agency texted potential buyers today that changes had been made to the listing 'to ensure that we accurately position and represent this property throughout the duration of the sales campaign'

The real estate agency texted potential buyers today that changes had been made to the listing ‘to ensure that we accurately position and represent this property throughout the duration of the sales campaign’

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