It's an open secret that real estate agents often touch up online property listings to make homes look more appealing to prospective buyers - but one Melbourne listing may have taken things a step too far.
A unit for sale in Noble Park North, in Melbourne's southeast, has gone viral after eagle-eyed Australians spotted an awkward error: the listing includes both an edited and an unedited photo of the property's front lawn.
The edited image showed lush, manicured, emerald green grass that framed the house like a garden magazine spread.
But the very first image on the listing - presumed to be unedited - showed the lawn in far poorer condition, patchy and yellowed, with clear signs of wear.
The side-by-side effect left social media users baffled and amused.
An agent from the company behind the gaffe admitted to Yahoo that she tweaked the image because it looked 'better' and added 'more colour'. She also said she'd be removing the unedited snap from the ad.
Real estate photography tricks are common - think sunnier skies, softened lighting, and digitally staged furniture.
However, this accidental transparency has sparked a fresh debate online about the ethics of doctoring listing images, with many saying they're tired of being deceived before even stepping through the door.
The edited image showed lush, manicured, emerald green grass that framed the house like a garden magazine spread
'They always get me on the grass. Beautiful, lush, green yards often end up being a patchy mess when I turn up in person. Sometimes, you even find a dodgy gravel driveway instead of grass as advertised,' one Reddit user admitted
Others shared similar frustrations, saying agents often go too far.
'The photos of the grass for the house I bought last year were lush green and perfect. 'In reality, their two large dogs had turned it into a mud pit slash bathroom,' one person wrote.
Another said there was a 'plague of very unrealistic photo edits' in their region.
'They all include photoshopping in an amber glow to every window, and replacing the sky with a dramatic sunset sky. Not only is the aesthetic ugly, it does not accurately represent the look of the house… Misrepresenting it is unethical.'
Some buyers say they won't even consider listings that appear heavily edited.
'What agents need to understand is this: they think they're showing the property in a way that makes it appealing, but anyone with half a brain immediately thinks, "What else are they hiding?"' one Redditor posted.
'We refused to even inquire about homes that had photos like this - or fake flames in fireplaces, or fake furniture in empty rooms. It's hard enough to get a legitimate sense of the property.'
Others pointed out how digital staging can also go a step too far in some cases.
The very first image on the listing - presumed to be unedited - showed the lawn in far poorer condition, patchy and yellowed, with clear signs of wear
'Another misleading 3D staging I see is when they put a queen bed in a tiny room where it can't really fit. Because they can play with scale, the room appears larger. So a real three-seater couch may not actually fit, even if the photo makes it look fine,' someone said.
Some buyers were more forgiving - to a point.
'I can understand some of the things - even if I don't think it's necessary - like greening the grass and staging digital furniture. The trouble is, it often puts things out of perspective. If you're doing it to deceive, then it wastes my time as well as theirs.'
Another user made the distinction between harmless tidying and misleading enhancements.
'If the photoshopped version shows a more valuable version of the home, it's unethical. So removing an unsightly hose or fallen leaves - fine. But if it would cost money to create the photoshopped version in real life, it's completely wrong.'
One person summed it up bluntly: 'In my opinion, if you are editing photos to hide defects or enhance the home to show it differently than how it really is, you're not protecting your client well.'
Despite the backlash, the Melbourne lawn fail has given some buyers a chuckle - and a reminder to take property photos with a grain of salt.
