Egads, some of them are physically revolting.

I'm feeling much better about my own house now. hee hee
:-)

Well, Jeez Louise. Keep away from my house, in all its tacky glory.

I'm sure whomever created most of those spaces did so lovingly, and with nothing more than a desire to feather their nest. Hopefully the linked site intends to be tongue-in-cheek, but it seems more like outright snarkiness to me.

This thread, coming so hot on the heels of the "Elephant in the Room" makes me slightly uncomfortable. I really couldn't have cared less how the poster in question in that thread decorated her home -- it was her attitude that I found tacky.

I think I'll go make popcorn now. Anyone care to join me?

Most of these would send Christopher Lowell into a coronary episode. LOL Especially the ones with all the little clutter things by the hundreds!!

Then again ... maybe I'm overreacting a bit. After all, we do post "ugly stuff" from Craig's List here. And we did have a very thread at one point about ugly sofas.

As you were.

The "tacky" decorating didn't do much for me - to each their own, whatever. But if you start clicking on stuff on the left and look at stuff like messy and mold and fixer'upper .. oh boy...that was shocking!!! I wonder what kind of state these people's lives are in. Makes me super sad when I see that they have kids.

I'm kinda with you, AuntJen...While others' taste may not be my own, I generally don't condemn anyone for doing their best with what they have (money and talent-wise). I'm fully aware that I frequently make decorating errors of which I am blissfully ignorant.

Don't get me wrong...I am certainly not shaking my finger at anyone here, and these photos ARE interesting. As I look at them I find myself imagining how happy the homeowner is in "their" space -- just the same as any of us who have made an effort to decorate are.

I hope the home owners are not aware that they have been targeted in this manner, however. That's the part that makes me a little uncomfortable. Afterall, I don't THINK these folks posted their photos suggesting they were design divas. I'm guessing these were posted for some other reason -- probably real estate as someone else here mentioned.

So...my point is... I don't know...as AuntJen said, "carry on". LOL

While the decorating in those photos was yucky, each one, particularly the first set, reminds me of many people I know and their homes - and I would never make fun of them. Sure, they are dated but they love their house and decorating and entertaining as much as I do and those photos seemed voyeuristic to me.

The Wacky House in Westwego, LA -- I actually love that little thing. There is some *great* energy and devotion on display there. I'd love to walk around it and see all the details that I'm sure are tucked into various corners.

And agreed re the "at least the owners like it" aspect of the pics...although they do remind me of Kenneth Brown's new show "Overdesigned" before-pics and I wonder how they'd feel if he were to come in and help them maybe streamline and focus whatever their intentions were into something more liveable.

Originally Posted by tradewind_64 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 15, 08 at 3:02

I'm unclear where these photos came from...were these houses that were for sale? So these were real estate photos? Or were they submitted by people who have gone on to remodel? Or other

Going deeper into the site, it appears that it belongs to a real estate agent in the Phoenix area.
It seems that most of the pics are from RE listings and he/she is in disbelief that people actually use the pics in their listings.

Ah...I followed it a bit further too, and one link, I will agree, is a truly unfortunate snapshot:

Here is a link that might be useful: at least we know what *they* were thinking

it's hard to believe that wasn't staged, lol !!!!!

as for the rest of that site, it goes beyond imagination, it's more the clutter that is disturbing, taste is subjective.

Anyone need coke to go with the popcorn?

I think I have been in many of these well-appointed homes from the 1980s and Christopher Lowell probably decorated them.

Hey! Did you see the bathroom where the vanity goes over the toilet? Cool! hee hee.

What cracks me up is the "dogs making love" bit. The only depth of passion my dog knows involves liver treats.

I didn't look at the site much yet, but I can tell you that when I started looking for a house here, where the market hasn't been hit as hard as FL and where people are generally less sophisticated about staging, I was appalled by the mess I'd see in RE listing pics. It was just beyond belief how people thought they could sell houses with kitchen counters barely visible due to clutter, beds unmade, etc.

Once word spreads about how she's posting pics of sellers homes and commenting on their decor, I think her business is going to suffer.

I have to agree with others that the blog makes me uncomfortable. It's their home and they can do what they want, no matter what the value of the home is.
As valzone said, the other links that show horrible conditions can only make one sad to know people lived, or are living, in those homes.

Sadly, my mom's floral over the top bedroom would fit right in with these photos. It's very clean and uncluttered, but she used the same floral pattern on every surface possible, wallpaper and fabric.

Daisy, you Mom may be on to something. That is a look made famous by Mario Buatta!

I don't know. I don't think it's good karma to make fun of people who obviously put a lot of thought and effort into their decorating. If the person is full of themselves and is rude to other people, then they are fair game (ahem).

I don't think anyone should take this too seriously...these are pictures of homes for sale and the agent is doing what the listing agent should have already done.

Anyway, here's an interesting one from a foreclosure. Vandals went after all the appliances and copper wire, basically destroying parts of the house. The author writes that they are never sure when they'll walk in on a squatter...scary stuff!

I'd have to say I love LOVE love to see houses like that when we are in the market. They never sell for full price, and we always get a deal, despite the fact that it's not a tough fix. So I adore these houses heh heh (I pretty much agreed with everything that the author found was horrific).

So, if you're selling...embrace the 80's :o) I'll be waiting for you heh heh

I wish I was at my computer...our beautiful town house was pink, pink and more pink, with wall paper borders, fake plants, sponge painting (badly done) and plastic on the furniture...oh and my favorite...lots of "guilding". They got NO offers for a wonderful home sitting on a lake. The only home in the city on a lake under a million. We still appreciate how much that decor saved us when we purchased :)

Used the examples to get MY own act together -- cleaned, scrubbed and dusted -- reorganized my collections of Stuff-and-All-Sorts!

And I dusted off all of the fake plants and florals! LOL!

(evil grin) I even changed out the reading material in the bathrooms .....(cue the sinister music ....I prefer Nox Arcana! LOL!)

Jan (truly tacky in so many ways-and-means)

Oh NO - that Mario print looks like my OLD sofa!!

I know Christopher didn't decorate any homes with clutter and knick knacks covering every surface. He calls anything that can't be seen from a distance, when eyes are squinted, furniture dandruff.

I think the most important thing in any house is that it is clean, not how it is decorated. There is nothing fashionable about funk no matter how much the furniture cost!!

Some of them do not look all that strange to me.

In real life, not every house is being staged for sale, nor does everyone admire the Pottery Barn look.

Amy, my mom IS Italian . . . maybe that's where it came from :)

Well, there ya go!

Nice sofa Yvette! ;-)

OMG, do not look at the link on the left for dirt/dust/filth. Gag. I agree about the whole 80s thing. Our house sat on the market for nearly a year because it was decorated in a fashion similar to these ones. It was a Street of Dreams house from 1980 that was pretty much never upgraded! As a result, we ended up getting a bargain on it and are slowly making cosmetic changes. The pictures on the blog are amusing, but the writing is pretty drab.

disclaimer: that old sofa is now at my sister's house and she loves it (cause it was FREE! LOL)

Pretty funny. My apt used to look like some of these pictures when the realtor showed it to us - cluttered, tons of wallpaper and dust, dust, dust everywhere. Most people, as igloochick pointed out, can't see past the decor and the dirt. We got the apt for 10% off asking price and spent that money to renovate.

I don't think the site's owner is doing anything wrong by posting these pictures and commenting. These are all from RE listings and can be seen by anyone. If people can't clean up their mess before listing the house, the snarking serves them right.

If people can't clean up their mess before listing the house, the snarking serves them right.

Even if they're elderly, disabled, ill? There could be any number of reasons for those photos appearing as they do. But my, how we make assumptions.

auntjen, I'm not quite sure what you're getting at. It seems that you're making the assumption that they're elderly, disabled or ill. Why are you assumptions any more valid than some else's?

I think it's just giving people the benefit of the doubt and about being generous...which Jen is.

Thank you, Amy. I thought my comment was pretty straightforward. If you don't know someone's circumstances (and frankly, how can we, simply by viewing photos? They're strangers to us, right?), why would anyone "assume" that they deserve to be snarked at because they couldn't (or wouldn't, didn't - whatever) clean up a mess before photos were taken? It has absolutely nothing to do with my "assumptions" being more valid than yours. I'm simply saying that unless we know, we can't say for sure that someone "deserves" to have crummy comments made about the state of their home.

If these are listed houses the Realtor is actually doing sellers and Realtors a service by listing these pictures.

When your house is for sale, like it or not, it is no longer your home. If is a piece of property for sale to the highest bidder (literally). Anyone that does not clean and declutter, the elderly & disabled included, will not sell for top dollar or very quickly. The only possible exception would be if the property is waterfront and it is a tear-down. The elderly can ask their Realtor for guidance (that is part of what you pay him/her for) and any Realtor worth his/her salt is going to recommend a cleaning service, a stager, or emptying the house. The Realtor can arrange these services if the client is unable, and the cost can come from profit with the Realtor fronting the fees.

I post on the Buying & Selling Homes Forums here. We would tell each and every seller listed in those photos in no uncertain terms what to do to sell their house. Sure, we've offended folks, but that is never our intent. Our intent over in that forum is to help someone sell as fast as possible for as much as possible. Sometimes the truth hurts, but if it gets a SOLD sign out front, it is worth it.

Regardless of decor, clean and decluttered sells.

Giving people benefit of the doubt and being generous does not sell houses. Being clean and clutter-free does. And I personally think it's offensive to imply that elderly and disabled have dirty and cluttered houses. My parents are elderly and their house is very clean.

I agree with Jen, that we do not know the people, their culture or their circumstances, but Brutuses, give me a break. When I first started watching Christopher, he had plants hanging from everywhere (unreal plants) and if there were no shelves overhead to hold them, he built them.

When I bought my house it was inhabited by a renter who had dogs, dog hair, & - if I may be so bold as to say it - not only was his decorating style (close your eyes, easily offended ones) "Tacky", but the house was filled with even tackier curtains that had been sewed & installed by the owners - many, many, many years before.

Now, don't get me wrong, I really LIKED the renter - a very nice guy, & his daughters were delightful - I even visited them in their next home. He was friends with the owners who were, shall we say, eccentric, but also nice people.

So, nothing against the people at all. But I LOVED the squalor in the house! Because I totally lowballed my offer, no one else made one, & this little gem is mine all mine :)

Make fun of tacky all you want, but be willing to see past it when you're looking to buy!

Wow...all I can say. I wonder if some of the homes were rentals, and the shots were taken with tenants there? Or a lot seemed to be FSBO's. You don't get the best photos with those. I also think we've been so saturated with the 'Designed to Sell' shows and the like, that we EXPECT every home to be staged to the nth degree.

We got our place at under market because it was FSBO, and they hadn't updated in 35 years. Had a realtor gotten their hands on it, they'd have done what we did and we'd never have been able to afford the place.

I cracked up at one photo, the pink gingham and daisy wallpaper in a bathroom was in the kitchen and dining area of a house we rented once. I covered the entire walls with baskets to cover up that hideous wallpaper. Had green shag carpet too. The owner told me she LOVED that wallpaper, made her feel she was in a garden. I was very glad when we moved!

Even if they're elderly, disabled, ill? There could be any number of reasons for those photos appearing as they do. But my, how we make assumptions.

IMO, the snarking should be directed toward whatever doofus Realtor decided to use the photos to sell the home! After all, horrid condition, bad decor, or not, you don't have to use the photos that don't show the house in the best light.

I browsed the site, and was in stitches. It's SO common here. I've seen ALL of those types of photos. While I often wonder about the homeowners' thoughts and why on earth they'd want people to see their home that way, I feel the "blame" falls on the Realtors. Have a listing that looks like that? Take 35 photos of the exterior in different lighting/time of day, pick the best one, and leave that to be the ONLY photo used for marketing. Sometimes less truly is more when it comes to marketing a house like that.

There was a house listed recently that was similar. In the MLS description, the Realtor put something to the effect of "Seller has been ill, there will be medical equipment in living room. Good potential, good floorplan, but very dated and needs work.", and then just used one very nice photo of the exterior for marketing.

In my opinion, there's plenty of excuses for bad photos, but NO excuse for using them!

dilly, that's a great site! Did anybody else look at the design by the decade section? Fascinating and loads of fun. Some of those mid-century modern designs are fabulous. And the 1970s section -- we should call the 1970s the "What the He\\ Were We Thinking?" decade. Was *anything* of beauty produced in the 70s? Some great films, but nothing else I can think of.

Well, I didn't get very much work done yesterday. Spent waaaaay too much time looking at the designs by decade (she types sheepishly).

I feel the "blame" falls on the Realtors.

Agreed. I can't remember if this was on a blog or a message board, but I remember seeing some MLS pictures posted by an agent who said she couldn't believe the listing agent didn't do some basic clutter control on some counters.

The agent's comments made me think that some agents will do a little, quick sprucing to make sure the photos look attractive.

Of course, in the cases of some of those abandoned homes, you can't really expect the agent to put on a haz-mat suit and start scrubbing. The bank or owner should really get a cleaning company in, but I guess they just want to get rid of the properties without spending any further money.

And I personally think it's offensive to imply that elderly and disabled have dirty and cluttered houses. My parents are elderly and their house is very clean.

Wow. You've totally missed my point. I have no idea why you choose to be "offended", but hey, your call.

Have fun with this one, ladies!

It just makes me wonder.....

jeanninepc, Ha ha, wallpapering a bathtub! What does the notice that is tacked up to the wall say? It almost looks like it says biohazard or something that the health department or building inspector would post.

O.K., jeannine, those captions are *hilarous*. I love the personification of chairs and plumbing fixtures...

That blog (the one I posted) has had me cracking up!

"Enjoy the front porch with your very own porch swing!"

"Why why why why why?"

"I usually don't care what two (or more) consenting adults do in the privacy of their bedroom (or website), but this -- this is Wrong.

Found by BikerPuppy, who points out that the listing mentions the "private garage." This is important, because whoever buys this house obviously cares a lot about privacy. "

"Getting to know you! Getting to know all about you!"

Must. Stop. Reading. Stop. Must.

Oh dear - the "It's Lovely" blog has tears running down my cheeks. Literally. I have things to DO! Must come back later..... The caption writer is sheer genius.

Thanks (I think) jeannine - friggin' hilarious!

yes, moonkat -- my family and I were laughing til our sides ached at those captions...that is one of the best blogs ever! Thanks again, jeannine!