Not every listing photo is staged to be in a fashion magazine or architectural digest. Sometimes a home must be photographed with the owner’s furniture and possessions in plain view. While the main concern in the past has been cleanliness and curb appeal, there’s also an often overlooked issue with photographs of a home: Privacy concerns.
Back in the day, a few digital snaps of a home’s interior were enough to convey the look of a place without sharing much in the way of detail. Today, even an average smartphone photo of a kitchen, bedroom, or home office comes at a staggeringly high resolution. A lot of detail can be gleaned from a zoomed-in photo, especially if the original photos haven’t been compressed for upload online or in a listing database. Combine this with the fact that high-resolution images of the inside of a home are shared online and you have the potential for a serious privacy concern.
Some items to consider include: Calendars with appointments and personal information on them, background photos with kids (and possibly their names– think about the frames), small valuables such as jewelry or watches, and financial and/or health statements. (Think about the sort of things you wouldn’t want left out at an open house.)
It may seem like a small detail, but keeping this in mind will not only help protect your clients’ privacy, but will also prove your thoroughness and thoughtfulness as a responsible agent.
