The Lemon Fool

Are estate agents bastards? AI enhancing listings. I saw some online brochures a month ago and though they look funny. Paid no heed went about my business. Now it's rampant.

Rhetorical question?

kempiejon wrote:Are estate agents bastards? AI enhancing listings. I saw some online brochures a month ago and though they look funny. Paid no heed went about my business. Now it's rampant.

And yet some people buy homes sight unseen, based only on the particulars.

kempiejon wrote:Are estate agents bastards? AI enhancing listings. I saw some online brochures a month ago and though they look funny. Paid no heed went about my business. Now it's rampant.

Examples?

They are often bstards in omitting the grotty house next door and the factory across the road, despite the fact that it's usually visible on that greatest invention of recent times, Streetview, but I'm not aware of having seen any outright fakery.
Drones though... they do seem to have become rather obsessed with drones.

D'ye remember when 'particulars' was one foolscap of Roneod typing with one fuzzy picture? The miles and days we wasted going to look at houses that were dead in the water the moment we pulled up outside; nothing can be worse than that.

V8

88V8 wrote:D'ye remember when 'particulars' was one foolscap of Roneod typing with one fuzzy picture? The miles and days we wasted going to look at houses that were dead in the water the moment we pulled up outside; nothing can be worse than that.

I still have the one-page typewritten particulars for the 5-bedroom house in North London I bought in 1984 for £40,000. Sold it in 1990 for £120,000.

Those were the days.

88V8 wrote:

kempiejon wrote:Are estate agents bastards? AI enhancing listings. I saw some online brochures a month ago and though they look funny. Paid no heed went about my business. Now it's rampant.

Examples?

viewtopic.php?p=640686#p640686, although it does show "now" and "how it could be" photo pairs.

I have noticed these as well, in theory having AI generated beds and sofas in the rooms might make it easier to picture the house when furnished.

But of course they can't resist cheating, so you have a 7 foot wide single room which somehow holds a king size bed with space to spare - just drag the picture to fit, nobody will know.

I guess that's why you have to visit in person, and take a tape measure because they lie about the dimensions as well.

The AI enhanced exterior with dodgy looking brickwork is a choice, is Kate Middleton editing these?

I suppose it might change depending on if your buying or selling.

I note one tatic that isn't AI related is to arrange for one viewing where everyone almost, is invited. This is supposed to create an atmosphere where the buyers get into a fever pitch and a fear of missing out.

Not great if you are trying to buy but views may differ if you are the seller.

88V8 wrote:

kempiejon wrote:Are estate agents bastards? AI enhancing listings. I saw some online brochures a month ago and though they look funny. Paid no heed went about my business. Now it's rampant.

Examples?

They are often bstards in omitting the grotty house next door and the factory across the road, despite the fact that it's usually visible on that greatest invention of recent times, Streetview, but I'm not aware of having seen any outright fakery.
Drones though... they do seem to have become rather obsessed with drones.

D'ye remember when 'particulars' was one foolscap of Roneod typing with one fuzzy picture? The miles and days we wasted going to look at houses that were dead in the water the moment we pulled up outside; nothing can be worse than that.

V8

We used to drive around in the evenings marking up the A-Z with felt pens , one colour for streets we would live in, different colour for ones we would not and a third colour for maybe/maybe not. Map also marked up with school catchments (The Edinburgh Postcode Lottery). We had years to do this as we got caught in the block of flats we lived in (84 flats) by a pregnant common roof repair and needed that resolved before readily selling , by the time it was done we had mapped a large part of North Edinburgh/Leith.

Gerry557 wrote:I suppose it might change depending on if your buying or selling.

I note one tatic that isn't AI related is to arrange for one viewing where everyone almost, is invited. This is supposed to create an atmosphere where the buyers get into a fever pitch and a fear of missing out.

Not great if you are trying to buy but views may differ if you are the seller.

Used to find that up here with the ones to do up, Edinburgh had traditional open viewing on Thursdays evenings and Sunday afternoons, but the ones with potential could get daft numbers of viewers . I remember a bungalow we viewed (March Road) with a big garden that needed totally gutted internally (there was no kitchen or bathroom left in it) and about 30 viewers/couples milling about house and garden- we were recently married and ended up not bidding as we knew we would be outbid as neither of us had much equity in our respective flats

Gerry557 wrote:I note one tatic that isn't AI related is to arrange for one viewing where everyone almost, is invited. This is supposed to create an atmosphere where the buyers get into a fever pitch and a fear of missing out.

Yes, most of the several estate agents I had round for a valuation and quote said they'd do that, and the one I went with did it and it worked out well for me... viewtopic.php?p=651684#p651684

mc2fool wrote:

Gerry557 wrote:I note one tatic that isn't AI related is to arrange for one viewing where everyone almost, is invited. This is supposed to create an atmosphere where the buyers get into a fever pitch and a fear of missing out.

Yes, most of the several estate agents I had round for a valuation and quote said they'd do that, and the one I went with did it and it worked out well for me... viewtopic.php?p=651684#p651684

Sounds like the American practice of having an "Open House". Typically held on a Sunday afternoon, it is essentially a form of recreation to visit open houses. Being nosey, basically. Such people are called "lookie loos".

Estate agents who organise such things are probably looking for new clients themselves and not necessarily expecting to get offers on that day. But evidently it worked for you so fair play. Although the idea of dozens of people tramping all over my house makes me nervous. Maybe if I had already moved out . .

Lootman wrote:

mc2fool wrote:Yes, most of the several estate agents I had round for a valuation and quote said they'd do that, and the one I went with did it and it worked out well for me... viewtopic.php?p=651684#p651684

Sounds like the American practice of having an "Open House". Typically held on a Sunday afternoon, it is essentially a form of recreation to visit open houses. Being nosey, basically. Such people are called "lookie loos".

Estate agents who organise such things are probably looking for new clients themselves and not necessarily expecting to get offers on that day. But evidently it worked for you so fair play. Although the idea of dozens of people tramping all over my house makes me nervous. Maybe if I had already moved out . .

Not an open house per se, there was only one buyer (or couple) in at a time, and they'd all been given specific time slots. Just lots booked in rapid succession -- 16 in 2 hours! I retired to the garage where the estate agent sent them on to me for me to answer any questions....

Lootman wrote:

mc2fool wrote:Yes, most of the several estate agents I had round for a valuation and quote said they'd do that, and the one I went with did it and it worked out well for me... viewtopic.php?p=651684#p651684

Sounds like the American practice of having an "Open House". Typically held on a Sunday afternoon, it is essentially a form of recreation to visit open houses. Being nosey, basically. Such people are called "lookie loos".

Estate agents who organise such things are probably looking for new clients themselves and not necessarily expecting to get offers on that day. But evidently it worked for you so fair play. Although the idea of dozens of people tramping all over my house makes me nervous. Maybe if I had already moved out . .

Blimey I'd definitely be worried about petty pilfering from my heaps of ol' clutter, I mean all the beautiful and fascinating objets d'art tastefully arranged around my hovel.

Mike4 wrote:

Lootman wrote:Sounds like the American practice of having an "Open House". Typically held on a Sunday afternoon, it is essentially a form of recreation to visit open houses. Being nosey, basically. Such people are called "lookie loos".

Estate agents who organise such things are probably looking for new clients themselves and not necessarily expecting to get offers on that day. But evidently it worked for you so fair play. Although the idea of dozens of people tramping all over my house makes me nervous. Maybe if I had already moved out . .

Blimey I'd definitely be worried about petty pilfering from my heaps of ol' clutter, I mean all the beautiful and fascinating objets d'art tastefully arranged around my hovel.

First rule of preparing for viewings: declutter! And I put away everything pocketable....