Will the online version of the listing hold up to the in-person showing?
Too good to be true? What happens when AI creates expectations a property can’t meet.
By David Kurt, Broker of Record, Lake City Realty
Imagine you’re looking at a waterfront listing near Sudbury. There’s a boathouse in the photos, and you’re already thinking about where you’d keep your boat. Then you get to the showing and find out the boathouse was added to the image. It was never there.
That’s where I draw the line on AI in real estate. Buyers use listing photos to decide which homes are worth seeing. If a photo gives them a reason to book a showing, they should be able to count on finding what the photo led them to expect.
I see plenty of good uses for AI. It can help brighten a dark photo so buyers can actually see the room. It can help us draft ads and respond faster when someone emails at one in the morning on a Wednesday asking about property taxes or utility bills. We still have to check the numbers before we share them, but the tool can help us get back to people sooner.
When an edit changes what a buyer expects
Take a patchy lawn that hasn’t been maintained in years. Make it look lush and green, and a buyer might assume the yard is ready to enjoy. Make a gravel driveway look like interlocking stone, and now the buyer is picturing an upgrade the seller never made. The same thing can happen in a virtual tour when an edit makes a room look bigger or hides damage. It reminds me of the old fisheye listing photos that made a small room look twice its size.
Those changes affect what buyers think they’re coming to see and what they expect to spend after they move in.
The Real Estate Council of Ontario puts the responsibility on agents and brokerages. RECO says we must verify AI-generated listing descriptions against property records and physical facts before publishing. It also says we must clearly label digitally altered images and make sure virtual staging or AI edits accurately show the property’s permanent features. So if we virtually stage a living room, the furniture may be digital, but the windows, walls and fireplace still need to match the room a buyer will walk into. RECO guidance on the use of artificial intelligence
In the U.S. National Association of REALTORS®’ 2025 technology survey, 46% of respondents reported using AI-generated content, which can include listing descriptions. I’m in REALTOR.ca’s listing system every day, and my impression is that AI is showing up more often in real estate marketing. How often Sudbury listing photos are altered is still an open question. 2025 REALTORS® Technology Survey
The words can set the wrong expectation, too
At Lake City Realty, we’ve had listings with a basement bathroom in rough shape or a detached garage that was close to falling down. Calling it a “bonus bathroom” or touting the garage as extra storage gives buyers a picture of something they can use. If the condition affects how a buyer can use the space, that’s part of describing it accurately.
My test is simple. If a buyer booked a showing because of something we put online, would they recognize it when they arrived? I’d ask that about the photos, the virtual tour and the description before the listing goes live.
If a feature in a Sudbury listing is the reason you’d make the trip, ask for a current, unaltered photo or have your agent verify it before you go. And if you’re selling, look through your listing as if you’d never set foot in the house. What would you expect to find when you opened the door?
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