This is a minor pet peeve of mine. Is anyone else turned off by a picture of a toilet being used as the cover shot? Am I the only one who never looks at these posts?
13 Likes
No you’re not alone, I hate it too and was only discussing that with @Crookie recently
6 Likes
I agree that it is an unfortunate photo choice
3 Likes
I feel that way every.single.time. I don’t think some people actually realise what their cover photo is, probably more so new homeowners. There is a listing currently been up for weeks and weeks with zero applicants and I think it’s because of their cover photo which is just horrendous. I didn’t look any further either and I sometimes feel like contacting them to let them know. But it’s not my business so I don’t.
2 Likes
With the seat up especially and an unmade bed - a real turn off for me.
9 Likes
The throne room 
4 Likes
This in particular always puzzles me. I have a sit I regularly come across that literally looks like this, only a bit more uncomfortable as the mattress itself is curled as if it’s actually a sofabed.
(That’s not the actual image, I found it in a reverse search). Honestly, what is this person thinking?
They’re in a high-demand area, and they always do seem to have applicants. So I guess it’s working for them. At least it’s honest. But wouldn’t you be embarrassed to have that posted in a public place?
4 Likes
I have that problem as well. Not just on THS but on Airbnb and booking.com as well. Come on, if the toilet is the nicest room in your home you have problems
9 Likes
Toilet shots, unmade beds, clutter, dark photos and so on. To me, a giant thank you to hosts who show such photos, because it makes it easy to skip, skip, skip and check out more promising listings.
9 Likes
I’ve had that same urge to contact a HO with an awful cover photo. The other one that bothers me is a picture of the host as the cover photo. I don’t sit for adult humans so why should I see them first?
5 Likes
I would never apply. The unmade bed and clutter in the background are red flags for me.
4 Likes
It seems that lots of HOs are not tech-savvy and don’t realize how photos are important, and how to reorder them. Other HOs are clearly clueless. Why else would you show a photo of a unmade bed in a cluttered bedroom, or an over-crowded bathroom with the toilet lid up, or close-up of a chain-link fence, etc?
5 Likes
Yup, agree that there are different reasons for bad photo order and such. But I’m also wary of hosts who aren’t tech savvy, because that makes me wonder whether their internet, online security and such will be solid, and whether I’ll get needed help if their setup stops or otherwise runs into trouble. That’s especially so, because I telecommute, but also just generally because I don’t want to be without wifi.
With folks who aren’t tech savvy, it’s also easier for them to run into problems say updating dates on a listing if needed or posting their review, or so on. I don’t want to be walking people through tech challenges as part of any sits. Or maybe miss getting a review, because they can’t get it together.
5 Likes
I think it goes beyond not being tech savvy - there are some people who simply aren’t aware of what is a turnoff or just don’t see the state of things (it’s the same with properties for sale… and for some sits)
4 Likes
Yes, that’s why I said “clueless” as an alternative to lack of technical skills.
2 Likes
I confess, I was a bit confused by your phrase “a picture of a toilet being used…”
8 Likes
Ok. You are scrolling through pictures of homes and pets that might interest you. Instead of the first picture being a cute pet, a nice house, sunset in the backyard, a living room or bedroom picture, it’s a toilet.
That’s another forum. 
1 Like
Here is a good example of a toilet being used as a listing’s 1st photo. I like the title on this one as well, very captivating.
Edited to remove screenshot as per posting terms
13 Likes
One upside with folks who are less tech-savvy: they’re less likely to have hidden surveillance…
2 Likes