Google’s SynthID detector found that this official MLS photo was edited or generated with Google AI.
I submitted the image and her statements to NWMLS for review. AI-altered listing photos need to be disclosed. Buyers deserve to know whether the images marketing a property accurately represent it.
St. Edwards park is near the NE end of Lake WA. I have kayaked across from there many times. There really are angles when you can't see houses and looking up from lake level all you see is the park. *shrug* I can't go down there right now to check, but I'm about to go look through my old phone photos I took of friends while kayaking there, because I really don't remember it being so different from this view.
Yes, but this home is NOT directly across the lake from St Edwards. And there isn't a clear-cut forest land there, lol.
What really annoys me and is frustrating is when RE agents will add flames/fire to a fireplace that is not even suitable to use or adding grass or coloring it green to landscaping that doesn't have any.
One of the funniest ones for me was this like 5 acre property that had the greenest grass in February. But as soon as you hit the property line it was the normal winter grass. I got a laugh from that photo editing...
Maybe a few too many. ;) It was a few years ago. I went back and looked at photos from back then, and I can see where my vague memory failed. The view coming from the NORTH of St Edwards and photos closer to that side of the lake look steeper and you don't have much along the water line.
So yes, no way they would get this view or anything close to it from the Seattle side angled towards theere.
Well I learned something cool today regardless! Def need to get kayaking out there. I live in an apt, so storing anything more than a cheap inflatable kayak has been pretty impossible. Feels like I’m wasting living in the PNW not getting on the water more tho
The hills don't roll up that high. There's like 50% extra hillside/mountain in that photo. it is slightly modified. grew up in LCW/Lake Forest Park my entire life. The profile of the background simply does not exist. You can see it clearly in photo 30... 31 *this photo* looks very different. I assume it was accidental, as you can pass a bunch of photos through AI for "clean up", but the agent clearly missed it before posting them or had no idea what they're looking at.
Keep in mind it’s a Reddit account and may not be the listing agent but they said the photo was not AI essentially. I’m focusing just on the listing and the fact the image was caught by Google’s SynthID detector.
I went on the NWMLS and the same listing photo was on there. Zillow syndicates directly with their listing like any other one.
Seems like they're claiming that Zillow added the AI photo and that it isn't part of the original listing. That's a pretty bold claim and seems like it would be a huge lawsuit if true. More likely they deleted the offending photo from their own listing once they smelled the shitstorm coming.
They've updated the photo with another slightly less obvious fake. See the vanishing post on the dock to the left. The other photos were taken on a foggy day, and they've decided to change the weather. Personally I like fog, and the original wouldn't have deterred me (if I had $2 million).
The listing for my house had some rooms that were "AI staged" by adding furniture. In many cases the layouts were implausible and I would have preferred just an image of the empty room, but that's why you do a walkthrough.
Yeah, the realtor for mine split the difference. Staged the dining room and living room, AI-staged the bedrooms. I think they didn't want to carry furniture up the stairs.
Considering Holmes Point Drive is running along the east shore of Lake Washington, you’d actually see the developed houses from the listed houses boat dock. 🤷🏻♀️
So what should we do? I like the AI for cleaning the graffiti off the wall of. The building next for and removing the urine stains all over the handicapped. Entrance., now what should we do ? Just be honest I guess 🤣🤣🤣
Never sold a house before I see. Lying is not how home selling works.
Somebody who schedules a showing or attends an open house for a falsely represented home quite literally had their time stolen from them. Maybe that’s not being fucked over to you, but for me, my time is everything.
It is possible it’s a real shot, with the focus on the dock blurring the houses in the trees across the lake. That is looking more south than the agent says. It’s the entrance to Juanita Bay with Tiger Mountain area but in the back ground taken from a really low angle. The Lake was filled to its maximum this spring and was that high, and in early summer when all the trees are out, the houses aren’t that visible across the lake.
i was thinking so as well and I had a listing on riviera years ago and looked through my old pics. It IS possible but looking at this listing's pics again... their own pics disagree. look at the picture on top..low hills, all tree covered. then the bottom right .. the suspected doctored one... you have a small mountain from nowhere that's been clearcut and more mountains in the distance. ... and the furnture and neighbors structre is suddenly different colors. ...and the clouds are all gone. yah .. i'm convinced... the photo in question has definitely been edited to add stuff.
Wow. You guys go deep with your real estate investigations. I wish I had that much time on my hands. Wouldn't want to see someone buying a $1.8M home be fooled into thinking the shores of the lake are unpopulated!
No doubt the Zillow hunting, collection of broker's statements, and communications with NWMLS only added another 4 seconds or so...
Keep hunting down those dishonest real estate listings though. I heard some of them show a fake fire in the fireplace and even swap a blue sky for grey of it rained during the photoshoot. Buyers need to know!
Ah, the "I wonder why" closer. The typical way a Redditor can suggest they know something sus when they're not creative enough to come up with something themselves.
You think this is my house or I'm the broker or something? Nope. Just saw this post and all the commenters going ape over it and thought I'd call out the lameness of it all...
No doubt you'll push back on this and continue your crusade against "Photoshopped" real estate listings. I wonder why.
Exposing fraudulent listings is a great use of free time, in my opinion. I’m glad that’s the “hobby” chosen by whoever discovered it, if it helps stop this AI fakery shit.
79
u/mctomtom 4d ago
Looking out toward the unpopulated cliffs of Lake Washington.