Is Realtor.ca a DECEPTIVE website? (1.Viewing)

Realtor.ca


An incredible domain name starting to lose it's shine?

Is Realtor.ca a fraudulent website?​

I am a big fan of the website and visit most every day but am finding it more difficult to discern the truth from fraudulently generated AI content.

For years agents have been using wide angle cameras to make spaces look bigger than they actually are. I cannot stress how many times I made appointments to look at an offering only to see it look very different from the pictures posted online. Bathrooms that looked roomy and spacious are cramped poorly lit places. Massive living rooms are in reality tight living spaces made to look spacious and inviting.

I learned to identify those type of images and decided ignore those listings moving forward, but it has become more and more difficult to do as agents are using deceptive practices to get you to come and look at a listing.

For instance...

1. Old listings are made to look new again by cancelling the listing and immediately relisting them. This is to fool the consumer into thinking it's a new listing instead of one that has been on the system for 135 days. I see this on price changes as well where the listing will disappear and immediately come back as a new listing with a lower price.

2. One image will be marked as staged/generated content but entire unfinished or partially finished spaces will be made to look like they are finished and much better looking than they actually are. I was looking at a listing clearly showing a pool table, bar etc in the basement that looked so realistic I figured I could negotiate it into the selling price only to discover non of it was real making it a complete waste of time.

3. So many listings have generated content that it is getting more and more difficult to tell the real from the made up content making the pictures almost useless in the decision on what listing to make an appointment for to view. That is exactly what the agents are trying to achieve, anything to get you to the property even though the means to get you there are actually deceptive. Can I say deceptive at this time? Yes I think with the amount of generated content deceptive is an accurate description.

4. I have seen edits with a beautiful lawn added, a nice fence, a finished garage or basement only to discover none of it was real.

5. How about the elephant in the room? When virtual furniture is placed to hide scratches and dents in the walls. So the picture is marked Virtually Staged and the walls/baseboards are perfectly white and look flawless only to see countless deficiencies when viewed in person.

6. I just came across a listing where the house had no swimming pool yet it showed a picture clearly stating simulated pool. That would have been ok but other pictures had portions of the pool also visible and those pictures were not marked as simulated making you wonder what portion of the images are actually real.

7. Another common misdirection is plants and shrubbery placed for privacy in the front or back yard that are not actually there in real life.

8. I have seen listings with poor to no landscaping taken in the summer time and the moment it snows those images are removed and replaced with snow covered images to hide the fact there is little to no landscaping or deficiencies.

Listing: https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/29211765/514-oxbow-road-waterloo

Notice one picture marked simulated pool yet multiple pictures showing a pool

Scott Neil is the CEO at REALTOR and the persons whose attention I am looking to get after simply getting virtually no response from my complaint.

https://www.realtor.ca/about-realtorca

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/29211765/514-oxbow-road-waterloo

I am concerned about false and misleading images appearing on Realtor.ca. The relisting of houses instead of price adjustments, the use of wide camera lenses. Artificially created images and even PRETEND POOLS like in the listing above where it clearly says simulated pool but remnants of the pool show in several images implying it is real.

For the new year I am thinking of launching a social media campaign targeting REALTOR for it's continued false information on listings.

• I am looking to ban wide angle shots
• artificially created images where furniture is placed to cover up defects in the actual listing etc.

I have many followers on X and will start there unless REALTOR reviews their policies of abuse on listed images.

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The above is what I sent to REALTOR

The below is the response:

Good morning Frank,

Thank you for contacting the CREA Member Experience Team. We publish the data/pictures as they are submitted to us from the local boards. In this case you would need to discuss your concerns with: Cornerstone Association of REALTORS® – Proudly Different, Noticeably Better

Regards,
Wendy

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Then you see multiple images with one marked virtually staged when the images underneath also are but you don't know where the real and the fake ones actually end.

https://www.realtor.ca/real-estate/29046783/186-timber-trail-road-elmira

My intentions with this topic is to make Agents more responsible for their listings and for REALTOR to come aboard by limiting deceptive wide angle camera shots and virtually staged photos.

Remember even photos clearly marked VIRTUALLY STAGED have furniture strategically placed to hide dents and deficiencies that could alter your decision to view the property.

I have never seen this many deceptive and even fraudulent listings on Realtor.ca and the response from Realtor to my complaint has been less than stellar!!

Realtor.ca doesn’t manage the listing data themselves. They use an IDX feed provided by local boards like TREB and WRAR. The same feed is also used by Zolo, Zillow, etc.

I agree that there’s a fine line between helping a buyer envision a property and misidentifying it.

But this isn't like social media saying they cant control what people publish - only realtors can publish, its their own system, they control every god damn thing that their realtors can or cannot do, so they cannot play dumb here, and they need to be accountable.

I feel like there should be a rule that says if you post an AI modified photo, you have to post the ORIGINAL photo next to it - this way the viewer can see both what it currently looks like next to what it could look like. Otherwise it is deceptive.

MapleDots said:

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Lame A.F.

rlm said:

I feel like there should be a rule that says if you post an AI modified photo, you have to post the ORIGINAL photo next to it - this way the viewer can see both what it currently looks like next to what it could look like. Otherwise it is deceptive.

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My biggest pet peeve is when they place virtual furniture in front of defects and then use the excuse they are just showing the potential of the room.

I think the idea of showing both the real photo and the modified photos side by side is the only fair way to not misrepresent a property. They are selling REAL PROPERTY, we deserve REAL PHOTOS, not fantasies.

rlm said:

But this isn't like social media saying they cant control what people publish - only realtors can publish, its their own system, they control every god damn thing that their realtors can or cannot do, so they cannot play dumb here, and they need to be accountable.

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They're non-arms length, but they still act independent of each other. You'd likely receive the same response if you sent that message to Zolo.

As a rough example, imagine if ICANN had a marketplace and it was fed listings by CIRA. Yes, ICANN oversees CIRA, but it doesn’t oversee CIRA’s domain registrars.

mcm said:

They're non-arms length, but they still act independent of each other. You'd likely receive the same response if you sent that message to Zolo.

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They put a great amount of effort into the rules that protect their brand/trademark. This is no different, they can and should enforce rules about photos, otherwise they will erode the trust in their brand.

Oh, I agree. They're obviously just passing along the blame. Message CREA and they'll likely refer you to RECO.