Buying a new house is by far one of the biggest purchases you'll ever make. It's the ultimate American dream. One of the first things most people want to do in their search is to see pictures of the inside and outside of their potential properties. Often, that search begins online with sites like Zillow, Realtor.com, and Redfin.
However, once that dream home is yours do you really want those interior pictures online after you've closed on your house? The answer is NO. Did you know that they could remain on these websites, especially if your realtor forgets to take them down?
Let's go over how you can take matters into your own hands and get these pictures off the internet.
When a house is listed for sale, a realtor will put pictures and other information about the house on a Multiple Listing Service, or MLS website. (Kurt Knutsson )
DO THESE REVEALING PHOTOS OF YOUR HOME BELONG HERE WITHOUT PERMISSION?
Can't I just ask my realtor to take the pictures down for me?
Yes, this should be the first step you take. When a house is listed for sale, a realtor will put pictures and other information about the house on a Multiple Listing Service, or MLS website. The MLS is a comprehensive database system used by real estate agents, brokers, and real estate professionals only to share information and photos about properties that are available for sale or rent. With this service, the pictures are then distributed to other listing sites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com.
In most cases, you would need to contact your real estate agent or broker and request that they remove the pictures on your behalf. They have the necessary access and tools to make the changes. However, if they aren't moving fast enough, you can remove the photos from sites like Zillow, Redfin, and Realtor.com on your own.
Here are the steps to remove the interior images of your house for all 3 major listing sites.
In most cases, you would need to contact your real estate agent or broker and request that they remove the pictures on your behalf. (Kurt Knutsson)
HOW TO SCRUB YOURSELF OFF THE INTERNET
How to remove photos from Realtor.com
- Go to realtor.com/myhome and create an account
- Once you have your account made, search for your home address
- You will first have to prove that you own this home. Follow the site's steps for proving ownership
- You can then go to your owner dashboard and click the My Home tab.
- Click Remove Photos
How to remove photos from Redfin
- Make an account with Redfin if you do not already have one
- Go to your Owner Dashboard using the drop-down menu under your name in the top-right corner of the page to claim your home
- Follow the steps for claiming that the home is yours
- Go back to your Owner Dashboard and click on your home
- Click Edit Photos
- Click Hide listing photos
- Click Yes, hide listing photos to confirm
Taking control of the online presence of your newly purchased house is essential. (Kurt Knutsson)
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How to remove photos from Zillow
- Make an account with Zillow if you do not already have one
- Search for your address to find your home’s property page
- Click More
- In the dropdown menu, click Verify your ownership
- Follow the prompts to verify that the address is yours
- Click on your profile icon
- Select Your Home from the menu option
- Click on the tile for your home to load the property page
- Click on the Edit Facts icon from the Owner View of the property page
- To remove a photo, click on an individual image and click Remove Photo
- Remove all your photos, then select Save Changes
Kurt's key takeaways
Taking control of the online presence of your newly purchased house is essential. Be sure to instruct your real estate agent or broker to remove the interior photos of your house from the MLS immediately after closing on your property to protect your privacy as a homeowner. If your realtor or broker isn't moving fast enough you can follow the appropriate steps on Realtor.com, Redfin, and Zillow, to ensure that the interior pictures are removed from these major listing sites.
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Did you have success removing your interior home photos with these steps? Let us know by commenting below.
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