Most home buyers - about 77 percent, according to the National Association of Realtors - start their search by looking at listings on the Internet.

But the home photos they find on real-estate Web sites can vary widely - from a single grainy shot to a gallery of views, inside and out.

Give the real-estate agents the credit or blame. They’re responsible for the photos, and not all of them seem to understand what’s at stake.

With photos, "You’re giving buyers a reason to go and see this house," said Joseph Cooper, a former real-estate agent who works as a professional photographer of houses for Realtec Consulting in Washington Township, N.J.

"Homes that aren’t visually appealing on the Internet are going to attract less attention," said Norm Fisher, a Canadian real-estate agent who has created online the Unbelievably Bad Real Estate Photos Hall of Fame to spotlight the problem.

Fisher’s hall of shame showcases graphic crimes such as a kitchen that seems to be tilting because it was photographed at an angle; rooms in shadow because the photographer apparently had never heard of a flash; and a child’s bedroom with an unmade bed and clothes scattered on the floor.

Even worse, some agents don’t include photos, or have a single exterior shot.

But most successful agents include a number of shots. Kathryn Platt, a top agent with Burgdorff ERA in Hillsdale, N.J., said she always includes at least six to eight shots with each listing.

How do you make the photos sizzle?

To start with, the photography technique should be good. There’s no excuse for blurry or grainy photos. Platt said she and her assistants make sure to turn on the lights, open the curtains and remove clutter before they take photos. And they take multiple shots so they have more to choose from when they get back to the office.

For the most expensive listings, Platt hires Cooper to take the shots.

Of course, just as the most talented photographer can’t turn the average American into Angelina Jolie or Brad Pitt, there’s no way to take beautiful photos of some houses.

If the interior is shabby or the landscaping grubby, stage the house by at least shoving the clutter to the side, out of the camera’s view.

Mind you, it’s OK even if you can’t turn an ugly duckling into a swan.

"There’s a market for those properties," Fisher said. "If you represent them accurately online and if the price is attractive enough, you’re going to attract the right buyer."