AI Property Listings Test Buyer Trust

The pool looked inviting online. At the inspection, buyers found green water and a torn shade sail. That example, cited by Queensland’s Office of Fair Trading, captures the tension emerging as Australian estate agents embrace artificial intelligence: a listing can become more persuasive while becoming less faithful to the property. AI is being used to furnish rooms digitally, create promotional families and even turn floor plans into songs.

ABC News found examples across Australian property websites, reflecting a marketing practice that extends beyond photographic retouching. Griffith University associate professor Sara Thaichon supports virtual staging when it is disclosed and helps buyers understand a home’s potential. Her concern is “house-fishing”, where enhancement creates a false perception. Real Estate Institute of Australia president Jacob Caine similarly backs transparent use, but says he knows of cases where less attractive property features have been removed from images.

The legal obligation remains accuracy. Australian Competition and Consumer Commission guidance says agents must provide truthful, complete information relevant to a property, including its features, location and permitted use. Its broader advertising guidance emphasises the overall impression conveyed to consumers. NSW’s property advertising rules likewise warn against photographs that imply something false or misleading. Together, these principles mean a polished image requires the same scrutiny as a written description: what matters is what a prospective buyer is led to believe about the home.

Queensland’s regulator issued guidance in late June encouraging responsible enhancement and disclosure, and told ABC it had received six complaints about digitally altered property advertising since January 2025. That figure does not establish how widespread misleading listings are. It does, however, underline the distinction between illustrating possibilities and disguising present conditions. Digital furniture can help explain an empty room; removing an unwelcome feature changes the evidence on which someone decides whether to inspect it.