Why photos may not tell the whole story during your house hunt

Jaime Kilpatrick | Consumer columnist

Feb. 27, 2013

I must have looked through hundreds of listing photos during our search for a home last year. But the experience taught me that while a picture may be worth a thousand words, some of those words may not say enough … and the best way to check out a home's features is in person. Lighting, camera settings, and staging can affect how the home appears on-screen. There are some things you just have to see for yourself.

Here are three examples of homes I encountered that told a different story in person from what I saw in photos:

What appeared to be nice tile throughout the home turned out to be the concrete foundation, as the owner was in mid-renovation
A seemingly huge master bedroom looked so because it was staged with child-size furniture
Photos that showed lush green trees and a manicured lawn had obviously been taken before the dead of winter and a record drought we were in at the time

The most bizarre situation to me was a listing that I later discovered had used virtual staging software to insert furnishings into the listing photos while the house itself actually remained empty.

If you want more information about a property after viewing photos online or in print, tell your Texas REALTOR®. He'll get your questions answered and make an appointment for you to view it for yourself.

More by Jaime Lee 5 things I had to learn for myself while buying our first house Why your first home may not meet your expectations … and that’s OK What do they know? A first-time homebuyer’s advantage

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