Source: ABC News —
Real estate agents have been using artists’ impressions to sell houses and land for decades.
Whether it be superimposing furniture into an empty room to liven it up, a full concept design of a home for a house and land package, or a cheeky greening of the grass.
However, a listing for a historic 1870 Launceston home in northern Tasmania went a bit further.
The artist’s impression of the property’s exterior, which is close to the CBD and is going for “offers around $4 million”, is in stark contrast to how the building actually looks.
The entire home, down from its rusted roof and verandah to the cracks in the stonework, has been reworked to give an impression of what the property could look like if the new owner did a total renovation, with a disclaimer at the bottom of the listing noting the use of the artist’s impressions.
It was sold for $2 million 18 months ago in an off-market sale, and the new owner has put it back on the market.
The real estate agent for the property, Kristi Seymour, said the owner hopes it has doubled in value.
“Initially, when she purchased it, she had intentions of doing a full renovation and basing herself here in Launceston, but has since decided after purchasing another property to move outside Launceston.”
Ms Seymour said artists’ impressions were a valuable tool for real estate agents.
“The only artists’ impressions where the property has been digitally enhanced is that exterior view to show what it could look like when restored to its former glory,” she said.
“All of the internal photos that are marked as artists’ impressions, the actual imagery is untouched; they just imposed furniture.”
