While my buyer was looking around a condo on Florida’s Treasure Coast, I was checking the unit number on my phone. The listing photos showed a kitchen with new white appliances. I was looking at older stainless-steel appliances with enough wear that, after more than 25 years of showing homes, I was beginning to wonder whether I’d opened the wrong door.
The unit number checked out, so I pulled up the photos again. The flooring was different, the walls looked different, and there wasn’t a white appliance in the kitchen. The listing photos had been altered using AI, and the property description had been generated from those images. By the time we scheduled the showing, we’d seen the same inaccurate information twice, once in the photographs and again in writing.
In this episode of Florida Explained, I share how those discrepancies helped us negotiate $35,000 off the asking price and why my buyer still decided to walk away.
What did the listing photos get wrong about the condo?
The difference between white and stainless steel might sound like a matter of taste. What mattered to my buyer was that the listing represented the appliances as new. Once we could see their actual condition, she had to reconsider what she was willing to pay. The flooring and walls deserved a second look for the same reason.
That’s where the listing agent’s review matters. If software writes a description from an altered photograph, it can describe an appliance that was never installed or an update that was never made. Before publishing a listing, I want the agent to compare the finished photos and description with the property itself and tell buyers when an image has been materially changed.
Why did my buyer walk away after negotiating $35,000 off?
We made an offer based on the condo we’d walked through, and the seller agreed to a price $35,000 below asking. The seller also made clear that they wouldn’t be making repairs. My buyer understood that when she agreed to the price, and we went ahead with the home inspection.
The inspection turned up problems beyond the worn appliances and the finishes we’d seen. When we sat down afterward, the question was whether she still wanted to own the condo knowing she’d be responsible for those issues. She decided the next day to cancel the contract.
I had brought the differences in the photos and description to the listing agent’s attention. When the condo went back on the market, I checked the listing again and found those same photos and details still in place. The next buyer looking online would see the same kitchen that had me standing there checking the unit number.
How can Florida home buyers check listing photos from out of state?
If you’re looking at Florida homes online, start by comparing photos of the same room from different angles. Does the flooring continue through the doorway the way it did in the previous photo? Do the appliances, windows and fixtures match? If a feature helps put a home on your shortlist, that’s the feature I’d ask to see up close.
When I do a live video walkthrough for an out-of-state buyer, you can keep the listing open while I’m at the property. Ask me to bring the camera closer to the appliances, show you the floor where the rooms meet or turn around so you can see what’s outside the window. If anything looks different, we can look at it together and ask the listing agent about it before you book a flight or make an offer. Once you’re under contract, the inspection gives you a chance to investigate concerns that even a careful walkthrough can miss.
My buyer and I kept looking and found another condo that suited her better. When we opened the front door, the photos, the description and the home in front of us all matched. This time, she could spend the showing deciding whether she liked the place, and I could put my phone away.
If you’re shopping for a home in Stuart, Jensen Beach, Palm City, Hobe Sound, Hutchinson Island or Port St. Lucie from out of town, send me the listing and tell me what caught your eye. Contact me at Lifestyle Realty Group. You can also watch more Florida Explained videos on YouTube.