Texans Are Calling for Laws to Remove Home Photos After Sale

Buying a home can be stressful, exciting, and one of the most rewarding things you do. Unfortunately, there is something about the home-buying process that has Texas home owners scared for their safety.

This issue is so prevalent that 77% of Texans actually want laws created to address it. What has everyone on edge? Photos.

From excitement to exposure: The Unseen Risk

According to a recent survey commissioned by Hypewired, a retail estate marketing firm, 77% of Texans want laws in place that require photos of houses to be scrubbed from the internet after a sale.

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Currently, photos of listings can stay online for a long time once a sale is finalized. The fear is that would-be criminals can use these photos to see the layout of a home. It's an easy way for them to plan a crime.

Listing photos and scam rentals: What’s at Stake

Another issue is scam rental listings. Scammers will take these photos and make fake ads for rentals that don't exist. Then, they scam hopeful renters out of thousands of dollars.

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It's something that some of us never think of. When we purchased the home we're living in now, I never stopped to think about the photos that could still be online and what people could do with them.

I agree with the majority of the individuals who took part in the survey. Most Texans want the buyers to have the choice on whether or not to remove the photos. Looking back, I wish I had been given the option.

Quick Steps to Protect Your Home’s Online Privacy

There are some steps you can take in the meantime while people wait for legislators to intervene. You can ask your agent to request removal. You can file removal requests directly on sites like Zillow and Realtor.com.

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Another step you can take is to search your address on Google and then ask for cached image removals.

It's something that most of us never think of. The very thing that drew us to our dream home can also be a potential resource for criminals.