Welcome to the revolution in armchair house-hunting! No longer do you need to waste your energy visiting countless estate agents only to be disappointed by properties that don’t meet your expectations. Nowadays, most potential buyers start their search for the perfect home online.
This shift in behavior not only benefits buyers, but also vendors. Online marketing allows for a wider reach to potential purchasers. If you’re selling your property online, it’s important to provide as much visual detail and information as possible.
However, while showcasing your home in great detail may get buyers interested, it also presents an opportunity for cunning criminals. They can use the information you provide to plan a break-in with ease.
Detailed: Canny criminals can use simple online tools and easy access intelligence to help plan a break-in
According to Mark Hall of rubbish removal company divert.co.uk, this information gives burglars the time they need to plan their crimes. He warns that it provides them with vital minutes to break in, rob your home, and make a quick getaway. And with the help of Google Street View, they can already have a good idea of access points and blind spots.
For example, a floor plan can offer detailed directions on how to navigate the house once inside, and a walk-through video might inadvertently reveal whether or not the burglar could be seen from the street. With the increasing number of break-ins (over 279,000 in England and Wales last year alone), this presents a significant risk for both homeowners and potential buyers.
Not only can a burglary be a traumatic experience, but it can also negatively impact the sale of the property. Prospective buyers may be deterred by the perception that the area is unsafe. Additionally, the vendors may face difficulties in progressing with their next purchase if they need to invest in costly repairs post-break-in.
So how can you effectively market your home without making it an easy target for thieves? According to Mark Hall, you have complete control over what the public sees when selling your home online, regardless of what pushy estate agents might say. He advises ensuring that any photographs of specific room layouts are generic and not revealing any sensitive information.
Property fraud expert Colum Smith suggests avoiding posting pictures of empty homes, as criminals actively search the internet for details of such properties to carry out fraudulent activities. He recommends signing up for the Land Registry’s free property alert service to receive notifications if anyone attempts to deal with your property title.
I’d avoid putting pictures up online of a property which you can clearly see is not being lived in. Criminals scour the internet for details of empty properties which are on the market and then try to use those details to carry out fraud.
Colum Smith – Taylor Rose MW
When it comes to 3D tours, they can be a great tool for criminals, allowing them to closely analyze vulnerable and interesting areas of your home. Therefore, before posting a virtual tour, it’s important to carefully review the video and obscure any personal information or valuable items that may inadvertently be captured.
Javvad Malik, lead security awareness advocate at KnowBe4, advises against photographing keys as high-resolution images can potentially be used to duplicate them. Finally, Sumier Foster-Shah, product support manager of locksmiths ERA, emphasizes keeping valuable items out of sight and recommends using a small safe for maximum security.
While the internet remains an effective platform for selling your home, it’s crucial to ensure that it doesn’t become an open invitation for criminals. Take the necessary precautions and protect your property and privacy.
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