Opinions on best practices for real estate photos vary, but one thing everyone agreed on—until recently—is that sellers’ pets should never appear in the listing. Buyers want to picture their own lives in the home, so photos should be a blank canvas.

But more agents are saying that thinking is for the dogs.

“Usually, we don’t put animals in pictures. It’s not a thing in the industry that is done,” says Corcoran Group agent Noemi Bitterman.

Yet, when arranging a photo shoot for a three-bedroom Brooklyn co-op she was representing with her partner, Kajsa Hutton, earlier this year, the sellers’ brown poodle hopped on the couch and refused to leave.

“So we were like, ‘OK, let’s just go with it,’” Bitterman says.

That ended up being the photo everyone loved.

“She just looked so beautiful, and she blended in with the color of the couch,” recalls Bitterman. “She gave the apartment a feeling of warmth and family. People were calling up saying, ‘I love that photo with the dog.’”

The $998,000 co-op sold fairly soon after. Good dog!

Pets in listing photos—a growing sales tactic?

While Bitterman was more or less photobombed and forced to include pets, other real estate agents have embraced them as the hot new sales prop.

Suzanne Weinstein of Coldwell Banker Warburg recently featured a black poodle in the photos for a one-bedroom Park Avenue co-op in Manhattan for $679,000. She thought the pup would not only add a feeling of “elegance and warmth,” but would also promote the building’s pet-friendliness.

However, not all dogs are treated equally.

“I don’t think I would include a breed not known for friendliness,” she says, tactfully not naming any breeds in particular.

And dogs aren’t the only pet in the picture, either. House flipper Tyler Drew of Anubis Properties once bought a home with a custom-built pet door that proved so popular with homebuyers that it sparked a bidding war. He made sure to leave a cat in the listing photos.

And like all things, pets are best in moderation.

“If I see more than four animals in a listing, I’ll usually just avoid the property,” Drew says.

The risks of placing pets in listing photos

But many think that agents’ decision to include pets in listings photos is barking mad: Why alert homebuyers to potential issues such as unwanted odors or fur-clogged filters?

“I would be sniffing intently to see if there is any spray or issues on the floors or lower walls,” says Elizabeth Boese of Coldwell Banker. “Furry animals in the home can also mean a forced-air furnace or AC were overworked as the filter clogs more frequently from the extra fur in the air.”

Listing photos are no place for furry friends, agrees Cedric Stewart of Entourage Residential Group at Keller Williams Capital Properties.

“I get the logic, but I think it is a very bad idea,” he asserts. “In the same way that you want to paint and change the carpet if a seller is a heavy smoker, it’s best to do all you can so that someone who is allergic to pet dander can still enjoy the tour and express interest. I tell my sellers to remove any signs of a cat or dog, which is the exact opposite of this trend.”

Devin Kay of The Exclusive Group at Douglas Elliman is also in the no-pets camp.

“Agents use marketing tactics like including pets, staged people, or other props to make their listings go viral,” he says. “But in my experience, buyers prioritize location, architecture, and interior finishes, not pets or other props.”

Paige Elliott of Elliott & Elliott Real Estate Group says she doesn’t even know any photographers who would allow pets in a photo.

“There are insurance and security concerns,” she says.

One agent equates showing pets in listing photos to having a presidential campaign sign on the front lawn.

“You’ll attract some and repulse others,” says Bruce Ailion of Re/Max Town and Country. “Why take the risk of alienating anyone?”

If you are itching to use a pet in a listing photo, stay away from the four-legged ones, asserts Chrissy Grigoropoulos, founder of Property Shark Realty and author of “Ladyshark: How To Become a Millionaire in Your 30s.”

“Fish are easy pets to include that don’t yield any odor or lingering allergy possibilities,” she says.

If you simply must stage your dog, keep the photo in the backyard, she says.

But there is one type of listing where animals are always welcome, concludes Christine Sparacino of Re/Max Sparrow Realty: “a farm.”

 

For this and related articles, please visit Realtor.com

No piece of furniture sets the tone for your living room more than the sofa. But besides being the vehicle to advertise your design tastes, it’s also where the binge-watching happens, where family or friends gather for a chat over coffee, or where you curl up with a book and good intentions before an accidental afternoon nap. In summary: Couches are heavy hitters in your home.

Knowing there’s a lot to consider during the purchase of such a pivotal furnishing—style, budget, material and size—we consulted higher powers to lead you to your most complementary sofa. Let the stars (and your astrological sign) be your guide.

If you’re an Aries: Briar Sofa

Unafraid of trying new, bold things, you surround yourself with items that match, or even broadcast, your intensity. A dynamic burgundy velvet sofa that reflects your energy is certainly not for the fainthearted, but it would look right at home in your home.

Buy it: Briar Sofa in Banks Currant, $1,931 at Joybird

If you’re a Taurus: Wells Leather Grande Sofa

You love making sure your place is filled with comfortable, well-made things. It’s upon closer inspection that one might realize the extent of your taste for luxury. This classic leather sofa was created with you in mind; the beautifully neutral shade has a hint of green—a power color for the Bull.

Buy it: Wells Leather Grande Sofa in Fern, $5,199 at Crate & Barrel

If you’re a Gemini: Cecilia Willoughby 2-Cushion Sofa

Curious and fun, these social butterflies attract others with their undeniable charm and they like their homes to reflect their inner brightness. While yellow is a supercharged color for a Gemini, a uniquely patterned couch could suit you, as well.

Buy it: Cecilia Willoughby Two-Cushion Sofa, $2,698 at Anthropologie

If you’re a Cancer: 5-Seat Modular Corner Sectional

As the zodiac’s homebody, the private crab enjoys creating a true sanctuary. Compassionate and highly sensitive to emotions swirling around you, you love showing others that you care. At home, surrounded by possessions that reflect the deep and multilayered world within, your couch plays a quiet, supporting role. A cushy, lounge-able sectional is in your cards.

Buy it: 5-Seat Modular Corner Sectional, $5,250 at 7th Avenue

If you’re a Leo: Elena 3-Seater Sofa

The image of a queen on a throne comes to mind. All the better to entertain adoring fans and visitors if that throne is as arresting and vibrant as you. The attention this lush, jungle-inspired shade (and the brass accents) will inspire at your next fete is just what you crave.

Buy it: Elena 3-Seater Sofa in Green Velvet, $1,750 at Live Lusso

If you’re a Virgo: Muir Sofa

Simplicity doesn’t mean sacrificing sophistication. Appreciative of clean lines and interesting details, your discerning eye is drawn to the blending of function and form. This minimalist wood-framed style truly suits your inner perfectionist—the one who needs order and prefers neutrals at all times.

Buy it: The Muir Sofa in Dusk, $4,500 at Maiden Home

If you’re a Libra: Mori Performance Fabric Sofa

Your penchant for harmony naturally encompasses your surroundings, giving you a knack for creating aesthetically pleasing spaces. Your home is the very picture of peace, and this couch fits with its clean, warm vibe. When others comment on the incredible but low-key way your style comes together, it lights you up.

Buy it: Mori Performance Fabric Sofa in Alpine, $2,299 at Castlery

If you’re a Scorpio: Mardones Sofa

Your flair for the dramatic and powers of observation are legendary. Some may say you enjoy playing up the moodiness—just a bit—and your predilection for black leans into that. The never-not-trending shade is loved by many, but when used by you, Scorpio, the mystery you (and your living room) project undeniably intensifies.

Buy it: Mardones Sofa in Curious Ebony, $2,199 at CB2 

If you’re a Sagittarius: Joannes Velvet Sofa

An Old World sofa paired with an adventurous color choice feeds your natural optimism and satisfies your exploratory side. Plus, the unique shape will look just quirky enough, anchoring a space filled with the many treasures you’ve gathered on your far-flung travels.

Buy it: Joannes 84” Velvet Sofa, $1,140 at Wayfair

If you’re a Capricorn: Madison Leather Chaise Sectional

Ever the hard worker, you often make things look like they fell together effortlessly—but there’s actually a lot that goes on behind the scenes. Your understated but carefully considered style finds its match in a buttery leather sectional. Quiet luxury is right.

Buy it: Madison Leather Chaise Sectional Sofa in Caramel, $3,299 at Castlery

If you’re an Aquarius: Carson Sofa

Whipsmart and eccentric, you’re a true individual—and you possess an incredible eye for modern design. When your rich inner monologue takes you spinning off into other dimensions of space and time, the blue color of this sofa will help bring the Water Bearer’s attention back to Earth.

Buy it: Carson Sofa in Baltic, $2,078 at Apt2B

If you’re a Pisces: Waverly Sofa

Your sensitive self feels best surrounded by the soothing, restorative shades of the ocean, Pisces. The dreamy seafoam color of this couch and its gently rounded shape are both romantic and reminiscent of water. Curl up, loosen those impressive powers of imagination, and daydream away.

Buy it: Waverly Sofa in Champlain Sea Velvet, $3,999 at Kim Salmela

 

For this and similar articles, please visit Realtor.com

PAM’s conservator will use tiny cotton swabs to remove a layer of varnish from 1959.

Claude Monet, Waterlilies, 1914-1915, oil on canvas, Museum Purchase: Helen Thurston Ayer Fund (Portland Art Museum)

 

Many visitors to the Portland Art Museum have oohed and aahed over Claude Monet’s Water Lilies. The 1914-15 oil painting is a cornerstone of the museum’s Impressionist collection and a perpetual visitor favorite. It features the characteristic blues and greens of the artist’s Giverny, France, garden, plus reflections and pink and blue blossoms.

The first time that conservator Charlotte Ameringer surveyed her new employer’s collection upon moving to Portland from the Museum of Fine Arts Boston in 2022, she saw all of the Monet’s glory, plus something else: a varnish on top that absolutely had to go.

“It significantly changes the way it looks—and not the way the artist wanted it to look,” she says. “Because it’s so important a painting, we have this obligation to present it in its best light.”

Ameringer has her chance starting in late June, thanks to a Bank of America grant, one of 24 artworks to receive support this year.

Monet created a series of about 250 Water Lilies (Nymphéas) paintings in his garden in Giverny over the three decades before his 1926 death. PAM’s is considered a particularly superb interpretation: It hung in the artist’s son Michel Monet’s dining room for more than 35 years before coming to PAM in 1959. That’s when the varnish went on, as per the industry standard.

The artist was very specific starting around the 1870s that his paintings should not be varnished, Ameringer says. She gives an analogy of collecting rocks at the beach: wet rocks have vibrant, saturated colors but once they dry out, all those color differences are much more subtle.

“The dry rock is what Monet wanted,” she says. “A wet rock is what we have. [The varnish] amps it up in a way he didn’t really intend.”

This is the second time a piece in PAM’s collection has been chosen for the Bank of America conservation program: In 2019, Roy Lichtenstein’s Brushstrokes, the yellow and green aluminum sculpture in front of the museum on Southwest Park Avenue, got a fresh coat of paint.

Art lovers can follow along with Ameringer’s painstaking work with a series of seven videos that she will create during the painting’s six-month conservation. She uses tiny, hand-rolled cotton swabs similar to Q-tips dipped in a mixture of solvents to remove the varnish without damaging any of the paint layers. She might be able to finish 2 square inches in an eight-hour workday.

But what is it like to work so intimately with a masterpiece?

“I think it’s really exciting, I’m not going to lie about that,” Ameringer says. “But we’re trained to treat every painting equally. You don’t know what will be important in 100 years.”

While Water Lilies is getting work done, visitors can get their French art fix at the museum’s exhibit Monet to Matisse: French Moderns, which runs June 8-Sept. 15. The show includes Monet’s Rising Tide at Pourville, an 1882 painting of a clifftop dwelling in Normandy.

 

For this and similar articles, please visit Willamette Weekly