So, your new buyer wants their home photos OFF THE INTERNET!  They typically ask their agent (or us) to please remove them from the MLS.  Well, no… removing the listing photos from the MLS does not achieve the owner’s ultimate goal.  But we do try to help!

• First, know that access to MLS photos can made available only to brokers, agents and appraisers who are members of our MLS.

• Removal of the photos from the MLS, will not remove them from the hundreds of websites that the sellers may have used in marketing their home for sale.  The sites already have them saved in their database and removing them from our MLS does not remove them from the sites. (so please don’t delete them!)
  

• Our agreement with primary syndicators (Zillow & Trulia), requires the automatic removal of all but ONE primary photo (typically the outside) when the property is sold, if provided by our MLS data feed.

• Our agreement with secondary syndicators requires the automatic removal of ALL photos (listhub and their family of syndicator sites) when the property is sold, if provided by our MLS data feed.

• Realtor.com displays all photos, but the Board Office staff can request removal of photos and they are taken down quickly.

• The listing broker can change the broker distribution to “Seller Directs Listing to be Excluded from Internet” and that removes the listing AND photos from sold searches on all IDX sites, broker websites or public displays that get an MLS feed beyond those mentioned above.

• If owners find other sites displaying their home photos, they should request to have their photos removed directly from those websites, because likely they didn’t come from the MLS.

• Additionally, if the owner has an issue with the primary photo appearing on the main syndication sites (Realtor.com, Zillow, Trulia, Listhub) most will remove even the primary photo quickly at the request of the owner as well.

While the listing broker always has the physical ability to remove their own photos from the MLS (except the main property photo), we urge you not to do this.  Photos are incredibly important to Realtors and Appraisers using them for comps and/or valuations purposes and it diminishes the MLS service to have this historical data removed. Especially when it does not achieve the buyer’s end goal.  We do recommend you change the listing entry to show the listing should be excluded entirely from the internet on the “Broker Distribution” tab whenever asked and encourage the buyer to ask for removal where appropriate.

On a side note, did you know that you can pretty easily get your home blurred out in the Google street view maps as well?

• Enter your address in Google Maps and change to “Street view”
• Go to “report a problem” in the bottom right hand corner
• You will get a page labeled “report inappropriate street view.”
• Adjust the image so the house is inside the red box.
• Fill out the form
• Check back in a few days to see if the image has been blurred.

You can also get license plates and faces blurred. For example, if you want a picture of your business on Google Maps but don’t want the license plate number of your vehicle parked in front on Google, you can get that blurred. You can also get your car blurred out as well if you want.