Why is there a pig in estate agent's property photo?

There's a new contender for the title of the weirdest thing to be found lurking in a set of estate agency photographs. A property in Ipswich went on sale with one photograph clearly showing a massive pig in the lounge - resting its head on the owner's sofa.

The detached one-bedroom house on Britannia Road, Ipswich is on the market for £1250,000. It's already fairly quirky, because it's a converted Meeting Hall - with the bedroom in the odd triangular roof space. The homeowner is clearly an animal lover, as the kitchen features a photo of a cat perching on the oven. However, it was the pig which caught the attention of house-hunters and was shared on social media.

Sadly after the initial response, the agent decided to remove the photo of the pig from Rightmove. The agent told the BBC that it had been put up in error.

Response
However, the response has been impressive. When asked if they would buy the property 62% of Daily Mirror readers responded that they'd only be keen if the pig came with it. On Twitter one user joked "Buy a house in Ipswich and get a free pig", while another added: "Delightful property for sale in Ipswich. Not sure if the pig is included in the asking price," and a third joked: "It is often harsh to describe a residential property as a "pigsty", but in this case it seems justified."

Pet mistakes
Sam Ashdown, the property selling expert behind the Home Truths Blog, highlights that it's never a good idea to try to sell a property with any evidence of pets - in case they put people off. They should also be removed before any viewing, as they can be unappealing and distracting for buyers. However, as her Wall of Shame reveals, it's a common mistake to allow pets into the picture.

She's not seen a pig in the picture before (except for a statue of a horribly lifelike pig in one garden), but has seen plenty of evidence of cats - sprawling on the bed, or in one weird case, staring right into the camera lens. There also plenty of dogs pictured doing everything from shedding in the kitchen to begging at the door for the photographer to let them in.

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