Bathtub with mannequin legs (via HookedOnHouses.net, http://aka.ms/notselling2)

This listing photo shows off a nice bathroom. But we’re wondering: Are the mannequin legs necessary?

Kitchen staged with flowers (via HookedOnHouses.net, http://aka.ms/notselling1)

Do you like flowers? The person who took this listing photo sure did.

Snake on a master bed (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

The owner of this $3.95 million home in Kansas City, Mo., must have thought their photo needed something a little more exotic.

Rooms stacked with possessions (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

Can you believe this messy house was listed for $995,000 in San Francisco? Maybe all that stuff came with it…

Bathroom with a mirror framed in a toilet seat (via HookedOnHouses.net, http://aka.ms/notselling1)

It's a bathroom, so they put a toilet seat on the wall. Makes perfect sense — and an intriguing listing photo.

Living room with people sitting in chairs (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

Not sure which feature of this $70,000 Houston home was supposed to sell us: the elderly relatives or the at-the-ready vacuum.

Messy living area (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

No need to tidy up — or wake the woman sleeping on the floor. Potential buyers of this $300,000 house in Hawthorne, N.Y., had no trouble visualizing what it would be like to live here.

Man in a cast lying on a bed watching TV (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

Marketing execs take note: Nothing sells like a guy on a bed watching TV. For $100,000, this sweet Philadelphia home could have been yours — along with all that awesome wood paneling.

Man looking into a messy living room (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

Is this pic supposed to show that the former owner required people take their shoes off? With those super-clean carpets, this house was a steal for $69,000 in Byron, Mich.

Baby lying face-down on a bed (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

Wait until the kid is passed out on the bed before you take a picture. Perfect! This house was on the market for $239,000 in Aldie, Va.

House with crime scene tape around the porch (via AOL.com, http://aka.ms/aollistingfails)

Welcome to our 4 br. 2 bath crime scene in Dover, Del.

Red substance in a bathtub (via Curbed.com, http://aka.ms/curbed10worst)

A dirty — or possibly bloody — bathtub just screams "buy me," doesn’t it? This home was on the market for just $70,000 in Los Angeles, meaning the buyer probably had some money left over to hire cleaners.

12 horrible real estate photos that will scare away buyers

1/7/2013

The housing market is pretty tough on sellers lately, so there's no substitute for cleaning and prepping your house, finding a good real estate agent and posting a great series of listing photos. Or you could go in another direction completely. From a dirty bathtub (is that blood?) to a kid passed out on a bed, this gallery of real listing photos showcases 12 reasons why these sellers will probably own their homes forever.

Click to see more on msnNOW.com, updated 24 hours a day.

Warren Buffett’s investment advice is to buy houses Haunted real estate attracts Hong Kong's rational investors Pot plants in real estate ad turn out not to be an asset for homeowner