Valencia Property Blog

AI is a new paradigm and a new playground for unscrupulous estate agents. Of course it's not just estate agency that is affected by AI, it will destroy confidence in anything given enough time despite its potential use cases. Can you believe anything you read, see or hear any more? Just last week we saw something that we thought was a bit weird and on delving deeper into the case we found out something pretty shady even for estate agents in Spain. Want to know more? Then read on.

The Same Listing?

We were browsing Idealista looking for decent listings for a client of ours with specific requirements and we came upon the following two ads. Here are a couple of screenshots for when the latter inevitably gets taken down. The first is from the owner.

You may notice a few things. This is an actual picture taken by an owner firstly, no great lighting, blown out exterior and the bare minimum of staging, i.e, taking any spare shoes and socks lying around out of the picture. No AI, more authentic and a true representation of what you will find when you get to see the property. In our opinion what a listing should be, no bells and whistles, just the truth about a property. But then we found this...

AI to the hilt. Depersonalised, sanitised, photoshop touches, any hint of character or features gone and then the small matter of the agent who posted this adding on 5K for the bother of listing.

Why Do This?

When someone contacts the agent because their listing looks so much better than the owner (Even though it's not realistic), the agent will contact the owner for a visit with an interested client. The client will not be aware that the owner has a lower price as they will not have put two and two together as the photos are so different. And by the way if you don't think it's the same place compare and contrast.

Hold on... where have those beams gone!

This is my favourite as not only have they made the bathroom look twice as big but they have gone from portrait mode to landscape meaning the toilet is now essentially shaped for the more rounded bottom.

Loving the suggestion that there's an extra room at the end of the hall in this one along with the wonky bottom step!

The Issue of Trust

Now I don't know about you but if I were to phone the agent to go and see this property and then arrived to find out that the vision of sanitised peace and quiet was actually very different when I arrived then I might begin to lose a bit of trust. And there is one thing that is essential in the relationship between client and agent in the real estate world, you need to trust your agent. The agency here has totally jumped the trust shark before you even get to meet them. If they can't be bothered to present the property as it is then why should you trust them with your biggest purchase decision in your life, namely where you will be living.

However, the agent has covered their back* because after a long rambling description, obviously written by AI, they have added the following paragraph at the end

"The images have been edited using virtual home staging techniques in order to safeguard the privacy** of the owners and highlight the potential of the property. The distribution of the spaces and their dimensions*** coincide with reality, although the furniture and other materials shown are a digital recreation. These representations are indicative and not binding****. Come visit it, you will like it!"

*This paragraph was added in after we saw the listing so maybe there was a contact from the owner.

** How? Just how does this safeguard the privacy of the owners?

***Really???

****Binding? Meaning not real right?

How Do We Know About This

Well the truth is we contacted the owner and directed them to the agency listing ;-). They didn't know anything about it, hadn't given their permission to list it and definitely hadn't given permission to use doctored photos or increase the price.

The Personal Touch

Here at Valencia Property we eschew AI where possible. We write honest and, even if we say so ourselves, funny descriptions of the properties. We don't use photoshop on the images and even less so AI because if the property isn't as presented you would be within your rights to say WTF! when you get into see the place.

We don't place you into a database when you contact us, one of us will contact you and have a long chat about what it is you are looking for and how we can help you find the right property for those requirements, we will even tell you "Not a hope in hell" if your requirements don't match what's available on the market. We build trust, confidence and a professional relationship right from the start.

Showing you doctored photos, using AI for the description, deceiving you as to the reality of the property are not for us. As we always say, we live here and don't want to have to cross the road and avoid our clients post sale. If what you want exists then we'll find it.

Our Previous Post in More Innocent Days

We have written about the inherent deception involved in estate agency previously. However that was just about photoshop when AI was just a twinkle in the eye of your favourite cartoon tech villains. Take a look at the previous post here or by clicking on the image below.

Bonus Tips

Bonus: Quick Checklist for Spotting AI Listing Scams

✅ Too perfect? = AI-enhanced for sure, the Spanish don't do perfect photos of their homes.
✅ No real photos? = Red flag for instant disappointment on visiting.
✅ Vague or repetitive text? = Probably AI-generated. If there are no mentions of 80s-90s pop culture then definitely not one of ours.
✅ Pressure to act fast? = Algorithmic manipulation or someone who has read Cialdini's "Influence"
✅ Agent avoids calls? = Could be a bot or just a typical estate agent. Spain runs on Whatsapps.
✅ Too Bright But No Viewable Lights? = Definitely AI-enhanced, a single yellowed 40w bulb is much more normal.

Property of the Week

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This a good one but don’t just take our word for it, come and take a look for yourselves, especially considering we have the grand total of just 8 photos supplied and didn't fancy AI enhancement of the listing! You'll just have to see for yourself.

Read Our Thread on Trolls

Over on the lovely FB our Valencia Property feed is more and more polluted by comments from trolls blaming house prices on estate agents, that's a bit like blaming illnesses on doctors, fires on firefighters and bad weather on meteorologists. It also shows a profound idiocy of how markets work 🧵
— Graham Hunt (@grahunt.bsky.social) June 7, 2025 at 12:10 PM

That'S Kind Of Stupid Frizzle GIFfrom That'S Kind Of Stupid GIFs

Last Week's Podcast

We released the latest podcast last week, twenty minutes of scouse tinged goodness for you to enjoy. Have a listen and make sure to follow for future podcast episodes. All about visas, 100% taxes, and why "It depends" is the perfect answer to everything because it really does depend!