Or perhaps a better title would be "why we should tweak or crop photos before we use them to sell real estate". Before I say anything, let me make it perfectly clear that I think that Rockport Square is absolutely one of the better projects currently under construction. I absolutely give kudos to Rysar and their team for putting together a quality package and doing such a wonderful job with infill. They've done a wonderful job, overall. Progressive Urban has recently posted some images on their site - for the most part, they look great and the interiors look nicely done... but...

 

Don't get me wrong, having a Discount Drug Mart across the street is a wonderfully convenient amenity but do prospective buyers reeeeally need to envision those neon signs glaring at them?

 

Ok... I'm well aware that the live/work space is a strong component of the project. I know plenty of artists and I have yet to see a live/work space that's so contained. I mean, when was the last time a painter had anything on their drop cloth other than Jackson Pollock-esque splatters? I know things need to be tidy to appeal to non-artist buyers but let's make it a little believeable :-)

 

Finally, I love terraces as much as the next person but does anyone really find this image inviting? I know it's February, I know it's cold, and I know we're in Cleveland but who wants to be reminded of all that when they're considering plunking down a quarter-million?

 

 

The realtors need to quit shooting their own stuff and hire photographers who understand the product and market and the art of photography.

 

A friend of mine photographs high-end properties in San Francisco for realtors, and gets outstanding results by paying attention to the setting and composition and by using some simple techniques especially suited to that kind of work. Probably the most effective of those is the practice of photographing from a kneeling position. It eliminates the perspective distortion in standing eye-level photos, and generally gives the room a more spacious, balanced and attractive look.

Haha. I remember seeing a picture on a realtor site of a bedroom--with clothes all over the floor and the bed not even made!

i am surprized at prog urban dropping the ball on those. they have such exciting properties and promote them well otherwise.

 

my fav was when the avenue people first put up their website and called the project "shiek." some of us wrote in right away and they fixed it to "chic." i got several emails thanking me about that. hey, it turns out great in the end as the developer is being cool about seeking a lot of feedback and suggestions on that super mega-project.

 

i think in nyc my fav was the realtor who put an image of a couple having sex on the wall behind the bed. yeah right that was real subliminal...as a sledgehammer - lol!

 

Those are horrible photos.

 

A powder blue wicker dining set? Turquoise furniture?

I find that this is pretty much the norm amongst real estate advertisements.  I've never understood why toothpaste ads always have professional photography and graphics, but real estate listings look like someone snapped a drive by picture with a disposable camera.

 

Those are horrible photos.

 

A powder blue wicker dining set? Turquoise furniture?

 

That furniture is absolutely disgusting. What the hell is with that nasty artwork on the wall? How about some photo's of the exterior?

The composition on those photos are terrrribbbllleee real estate agents should be required to take photography classes

lost in all this is the fact that the development is fantastic and that the next phase (the first loft building with retail) is slated to start this spring!

^No, it's not lost at all - re-read the second and third sentence of my first post.  :-)

Wow.  Truly horrid promotional material!

 

My favorite was an ad in the Washington Post for a new condo building touting its proximity to the Metro.  In the ad, the developer used a stock photograph that was decidedly NOT the Metro--it looked more like a subway from Seoul or Japan.

The first photo would be a violation for the MLS in Cinci as we can have no signage, including our own shown in a photo.  New and stupid rule they just handed down a few months ago.

I should clarify that those aren't the ONLY photos, I was just pointing out the pics that don't do the realtors any favors.

 

http://progressiveurban.com/rockport/

^

I just checked out PURE, and the photos of the Arthur townhouses are beautiful (except for the balcony). This really does look like a tremendous development.