Corcoran slimy, unethical selling tactic

You are making too much of this ONLY because you sound surprised they would stoop so low. Very difficult to find an honest broker (and then you have to wonder if that one good broker is just a very good con-man)

Finding an honest broker is like finding a vegan cat.

Yes, like on eBay, you should consider most photos to be artist renditions/photoshopped, even if the photos are from the actual apartments (e.g., they FREQUENTLY use wide-angle lens to make the apt look bigger).

This, however, is NOT one of the primary reasons why we consider many brokers unethical. This is the least of the problems. NOTE: There ARE honest brokers, by the way, and you usually find them through word of mouth.

honest Broker = logical fallacy

vanderveen: "Yes, like on eBay, you should consider most photos to be artist renditions/photoshopped, even if the photos are from the actual apartments (e.g., they FREQUENTLY use wide-angle lens to make the apt look bigger)."

That doesn't make much sense to me. Artist renditions have a place when the apartment isn't finished yet and you want to show what you reasonably expect the finished product to look like. These apartments are finished and those are not "artist renderings"--they are photos that are NOT of those apartments. It's a totally different product. I don't know why I "should consider" them anything but what they are presented as--photos of the unit for sale.

Even if you consider the use of wide-angle lenses unethical, it's not nearly as wrong as what they're doing here. The wide-angle lens photo is still a photo of the unit for sale. It distorts what is there, but those things are still there. Here, the photos show elements that don't exist at all--there are no floor-to-ceiling windows like those shown, and there are no wrap-around terrances (just tiny juliet balconies). Having floor-to-ceiling windows and a wrap-around terrances are features that GREATLY increase the value of the property--they are not insignificant. This is a MAJOR problem, in my book.

Thoughts from any of the brokers on this site? Anyone want to try to defend the use of this misleading and false advertising?

That's what people do--deal with it. You may not like it, but just expect things to have been "touched up," like the pictures you see of Jennifer Lopez, etc. Also, in your case, if there are multiple units w/ identical layouts, sure, they would probably use the same photos rather than paying the photographer to take (and touch up) multiple sets.

I see that you have yet to purchase real estate (I am also drawing this conclusion based on your comments from other threads on pricing). You will notice that this REALLY is the LEAST of your problem when dealing with brokers. The square may frequently be inflated by 20%, for example, That's why you have real estate attorneys to look things over, and that's why you need to see the place in person multiple times to ensure that you like the unit.

Relax. This is a game. It's just buying used cars. You can't be all "Boy Scouts" about things.

Slope should be angry. It's a waste of time and effort for a buyer to view an apartment and find out it's nothing like the photos. They're right. It is a bait and switch and the broker should hear the negative comments. Slope doesn't need to relax and the "game" should be conducted ethically.

vanderveen: "That's what people do--deal with it. You may not like it, but just expect things to have been "touched up," like the pictures you see of Jennifer Lopez, etc. Also, in your case, if there are multiple units w/ identical layouts, sure, they would probably use the same photos rather than paying the photographer to take (and touch up) multiple sets."

Dude, you must either be a broker or a complete sucker. They aren't "touched up" photos--THEY ARE COMPLETELY DIFFERENT UNITS WITH DIFFERENT LAYOUTS AND FEATURES. I don't like it because it's FALSE. FALSE. FALSE. FALSE.

I don't care if it's more expensive to hire a photographer to take pictures of different units. In that case, take photos of the common areas or elements that are identical (e.g., the bathrooms). Do NOT use photos that are presented as Apartment A when they are really the photos of the much more desirable Apartment B (the PENTHOUSE).

Listen--my time is valuable. Perhaps yours is not. But I don't like the idea of being lured to see an apartment based on false photos. That's a waste of my time.

...I am just telling you what to expect w/ brokers. We are grown-ups (supposedly). Would you rather remain "uninformed" about the common practice like a school girl, or was it a good thing I alerted you on this? You are more informed now than you were 5 minutes ago. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER.

I have bought and sold dozens of properties, and I have seen every trick. This, once again, is THE LEAST of the problems you will face in dealing with brokers. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER, please. I am just telling you how it is out there because there appear to be some inexperienced buyers here.

vanderveen "...I am just telling you what to expect w/ brokers. We are grown-ups (supposedly). Would you rather remain "uninformed" about the common practice like a school girl, or was it a good thing I alerted you on this? You are more informed now than you were 5 minutes ago. DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER."

How in the world did you inform me about this? I was the one who posted the links. You told me about E-Bay and Jennifer Lopez.

I share your rage slope but you neglected to mention the gym in the apt. Can you believe they would try that one? I mean who could really believe that they would supply all that equipment for each apt let alone have a room big enough to store it all. Check out the floorplans and you'll see that there is no way that could all fit.

vanderveen: "You will notice that this REALLY is the LEAST of your problem when dealing with brokers. The square may frequently be inflated by 20%, for example,"

A few comments:

(1) Just because there are other, larger, problems doesn't mean that everyone should be indifferent to relatively smaller problems. That's just a terrible argument. Might as well give up on prosecuting assault cases beause aggravated assault and murder are bigger problems.

(2) There is no standard formula for measuring square footage. For example, reasonable people can differ on whether it's appropriate to include some portion of the area of common areas. It's just not cut and dry. However, when it comes to ELEMENTS in the unit, there is ZERO grey area. Either the unit has floor-to-ceiling windows OR it does not. Either the unit has a wrap-around terrance OR it does not. Reasonable minds CAN'T disagree on that. And that's why it's a TOTALLY different scenario

Slope11217: You seem to have reading comprehension problem. Sorry. Those questions have been answered by me previously on this thread.

Also, after you actually engage in real estate transactions (as a consumer, of course), many of these things become commonsense to you. Are you maybe a college school student looking to get into real estate? I ask only because you seem to have this "adolescent ideology" thing going and you seem surprised about many common practices (not just from this thread but from others, too--including your knowledge of the real estate pricing--2BR for $50k, wink, wink, from another thread).

I know your response pattern, so let me first say that you will make fun of my typos. Sure. That's fine. That doesn't take away from the content of my posts.

Also, you seem intolerant of anything out of "how it is supposed to be." This is common among adolescents, but it could also be a sign of authoritarian personality...borderline personality disorder...OCD.... Are you okay?

Again, you DO realize that you are shooting the messenger because I do not recall EVERY saying that it was all ethical. It may not be, but it is not for me to judge. I am just telling you how things are. Deal with it.

vanderveen:

Can you list some of the more shady tricks brokers use. I would like to be educated to guard myself.

vanderveen: "You seem to have reading comprehension problem. Sorry."

Nope. Sorry. People pay several hundred dollars an hour to have me read things.

vanderveen: "Are you maybe a college school student looking to get into real estate?"

Nope. Sorry. Well finished with college and grad school.

vanderveen: "I ask only because you seem to have this "adolescent ideology" thing going and you seem surprised about many common practices (not just from this thread but from others, too--including your knowledge of the real estate pricing--2BR for $50k, wink, wink, from another thread)."

Nope. Sorry. I said that I personally would not pay more than $50k for that unit. I recognize that others may pay more, but not me. I don't think that's naive at all. It's the same as if someone asked what I'd pay for a home in Alaska. For me, next to nothing because I'd never go there. But I recognize that it's "worth" more than that.

Anyway, vanderveen, thanks for the ad hominem attacks. They're quite humorous.

vanderveen: "I know your response pattern, so let me first say that you will make fun of my typos."

Ummmm...nothing like preemptively accusing me of something that I haven't done. Tad bit self-conscious of your typos, are you?

vanderveen: "Also, you seem intolerant of anything out of "how it is supposed to be."

Posting pictures of an apartment with floor-to-ceiling windows and a wrap-around terrance when the unit for sale does not have floor-to-ceiling windows and a wrap-around terrance borders on FRAUD.

vanderveen: "This is common among adolescents, but it could also be a sign of authoritarian personality...borderline personality disorder...OCD.... Are you okay?"

Thanks for the pop-psych analysis. I'll be sure to see a doctor.

Again, please keep up the ad hominem attacks.

Okay, brokers using misleading photos NEVER happens. It is horribly UNETHICAL, and this Corcoran agent is going to Hell. Are you happy, Slope11217?

Gosh, I was trying to help, but I guess some people can't deal with reality! It's a good thing Slope11217 will be living in his/her grandma's basement for the rest of his/her life.

bugelrex - the gym in the apt trick is pretty shady, no?

Am I the only one who's surprised by how many people are surprised by this photo issue?
I've looked at enough places to know NOT to count of any of the listing photos being realistic.
Why are people so surprised?

a lot of brokers are scum. don't trust any of them however as they're in the middle for the transactional fees.

vanderveen... get yourself a new line of business... fair warning....

vanderveen, what is wrong with a grandma's basement? plenty of free food upstairs and you can sleep all day :)

Just because everyone knows/expects horrible things from brokers, doesn't mean we shouldn't call them out.

If we did more of that, perhaps they wouldn't all be doing all of this nonsense.... (or at least as much).

In my experience, most new developments copy this practice. It is misleading.

Where's BrokersSTINK when you need him/her?

> In my experience, most new developments copy this practice.

In my experience, most RE markets are tanking to an unprecedented degree.

Perhaps they need some new tactics in this era.

>Just because everyone knows/expects horrible things from brokers, doesn't mean we shouldn't
>call them out.

I tend to agree, nyc10022, but going on and on and on like a crazy person about such a very common practice is kinda scary and definitely annoying. One thing for sure, slope11217 has a lot to learn about NYC RE!

Let me just say, I can only imagine what a big party slope11217 is going to host when he ever finds the cure for cancer!!!! Geez, this much excitement over nothing!!!