Neighbour’s living next to a £350,000 house for sale claim the vendor is ‘pulling a fast one’ after spotting image enhancement software had been used on pictures to make the property look more shiny and creating an entire hedge outside it.
The three-bed house on Station Road, Eaglescliffe appears to have been the subject of some over-enthusiastic photo editing in a bid to make the property look more appealing.
Indeed, from the estate agency photographs it looks a turnkey ready property for anyone who can afford the £350,000 price tag.
No one would dream the property is slap next door to beauty parlour and just a stone’s throw from a 24-hour construction site.
The house raised eyebrows on social media when it was advertised as an ‘exquisite Edwardian Three bedroom terrace beautifully restored’.
When the Daily Mail visited the property this week it looked markedly different from its listed pictures and whilst neighbours all agreed the new owners had done a done job modernising the interior, the difference outside was palpable.
In one image, which has since been removed from the listing, eagled eyed locals spotted the Black Lae Hair and Beauty Studio which is attached to the side of the house had been morphed out and replaced by a fake shrubbery.
The Daily Mail ran the images through multiple AI checkers and reports were unanimous that the pictures had been doctored.
In one image, which has since been removed from the listing, eagled eyed locals spotted a nearby business had been morphed out and replaced by a fake shrubbery
The property actually looks markedly different from street level when we visited
The Daily Mail ran the images through multiple AI checkers and reports were unanimous that the pictures had been doctored
One popular site stated: ‘We are quite confident that this image, or significant part of it, was created by AI.’
The listing on Rightmove also includes a 360 degree tracking shot of the outside which includes a view of nearby Eaglescliffe railway station.
However, no one would guess from the footage that for the last two years the station has been under redevelopment with constant racket from the site.
While our reporter was outside the property, a man who said he was the owner pulled up in a Porsche and asked what we we were doing.
When we explained the concerns, he said ‘I think you will find a lot of adverts do that now. You are not allowed on the property but do what you want to. You don’t need my name.’
The owner’s reaction has been the subject of much mirth from his neighbours.
One neighbour said: ‘It was funny when I looked at because I realised they had used AI to do the place up.
‘Obviously, no one is going to make an offer before looking at it, but it is kind of false advertising.
‘I was laughing that they had parked a Porsche outside like they were selling a dream. It is just a bit bizarre.
Some neighbours have accused the owner of pulling a fast one with the listing
‘But the far bigger is the local council has allowed 24-hour works with no restrictions to modernise the station.
‘It has been going on 21 months now with people just working there 24-7 with no restrictions on the times in a residential area. It is ridiculous.
‘When you contact Network Rail they take four or five weeks to comply and then just fob you off. Obviously, work has to be done.
‘But they are doing the work and having deliveries here at all hours. It is due to go on probably another year. I imagine the estate agents have not mentioned this.’
Another neighbour Andrew Bailey, 57, said: ‘They are pulling a fast one. It’s a laugh. The price is shocking.
‘It has been empty for a while. I cannot believe it. They have faked it all. It is a bit overpriced even though they have done it up.
‘An old fellow used to live there but it has been empty since he died and I don’t think the estate agents have had a lot of interest- especially at that price.’
The woman who lives next door, who asked not be named, stuck up for the new owners.
An image taken from the listing which AI checkers flagged had been heavily doctored
She said: ‘They did not fake it. They just added the furniture onto the Rightmove pictures. It is beautiful inside anywhere. It is absolutely gorgeous.
‘It does not bother me. Who cares? If you are going to view it you are going to see what it is like anyway.
‘A guy called Alan lived there. He passed away and his son also passed away so is son’s widow sold it to three people who did it up.
‘They did a really good job because it was in a hell of a state. You could tell the furniture was not real anyway. I just hope it sells to someone nice. They have done a gorgeous job.’
A spokesman for estate agents Roseberry Wood said: ‘Thank you for your email. Please be assured there was no intention to deceive in our marketing of the property.
‘The listing clearly states that some images have been virtually staged to enhance presentation. See the below, which appears on the listing:
“This property advertisement includes a combination of original interior photographs and virtually staged images (provided by the vendor) of the same rooms to illustrate potential lifestyle and living arrangements.”
‘Virtually staged or CGI images are not uncommon in property marketing and are a recognised tool within the industry to help potential buyers visualise a home’s possibilities.
‘We take compliance very seriously and ensure that our property listings contain clear links to Material Facts so that prospective buyers have access to all relevant information before making a decision to view or purchase.’
