Military Moves: 5 Steps to Protect Your Privacy When Selling a Home
by Becca Stewart - August 19th, 2022
If you’re worried that selling your house will open you up to potential privacy and security incidents, you aren’t wrong. Listing your house for sale brings increased attention and traffic to your home. And while privacy concerns are warranted (especially for military families), you can take the 5 steps below to protect yourself and your family while selling a home.
Personal privacy and military home sales
Selling a home is an entirely different experience than buying one. Putting your home on the market creates several privacy concerns:
Your address on a public forum
Photos of every room in your house, listed online for the world to see
A steady rotation of strangers walking through your home
Homeowners have the right to be worried about their personal privacy. As a military home seller, you face heightened safety and security concerns.
What steps can you take military home sellers take to keep themselves and their families safe?
5 tips for maintaining personal privacy when you sell your home
You have your PCS orders (or at least a vague notion of where you’re headed and when). Now, it’s time to sell your current home. And while you’re probably eager to get your home on the market and sold, protecting your privacy takes a little legwork.
1. Hire a military-friendly real estate agent
The first step to a successful home sale is to hire the right real estate agent. For military members, that means finding an agent who understands your security concerns. More than simply selling your home, a reliable real estate agent should help protect your privacy before, during, and after the sale.
Your real estate agent should walk through your home with you and offer suggestions for guarding your family’s privacy, such as taking down personal photos and removing valuables (more on that below).
Click here to connect with an experienced military-friendly real estate agent near you.
2. Think OPSEC…and PERSEC
If you’ve been around the military any length of time, you’ve probably heard the term “OPSEC.” OPSEC is an acronym (because the military loves acronyms!) for “operational security,” meaning the process of protecting classified and sensitive information related to U.S. military operations.
Photos of your home – and the items in it – will be public once the home hits the market. Before listing your home, put away any photos, documents, clothing, or other indicators of your job title or involvement in the military. Displaying these objects could potentially give valuable information to the wrong people.
Similarly, military families should observe personal security, or PERSEC. This term refers to a service member or military family member’s private information. Just as the service member guards important military information that could be harmful in the wrong hands, you should also protect your personal privacy carefully.
3. Remove personal items
The best way to maintain OPSEC and PERSEC is to remove anything personal from view before selling your home. Removing personal items serves two important purposes. First, it helps prospective buyers picture the home as “theirs,” making them more likely to buy it. And second, it protects your family’s privacy.
Items military home sellers should take down and put away before listing a house:
Personal photos
Children’s artwork
Anything with a family member’s name or likeness
Items with your family surname or past duty stations (I see you, “Home Is Where the Air Force Sends Us” wall hanging!)
Military uniforms
Military awards, photos, or other items with military identifiers
Store these items somewhere where potential buyers can’t see them.
4. Clean up the paper trail
It’s easy to overlook piles of paperwork, but those documents are a treasure trove of personal information. Keep anything with your name, date of birth, or other identifying information out of view, especially during showings or open houses.
Place all important documents, like social security cards, passports, and birth certificates, in a safe or locked drawer before allowing potential buyers to view your home.
5. Tuck away your valuables
People looking at your home online or in person are likely either interested buyers or simply awake in the wee hours of the morning, scrolling home buying websites for fun. (We’ve all been there).
But listings are also a great way for thieves to case your home, looking for entry and exit points, security systems, and valuable items worth stealing. Ensure any high-value items are out of sight and locked away before your listing goes live.
As a military home seller, protecting your privacy should be a top priority. Take a few steps to guard your personal information before your home hits the market.
PCSing to a new location? Let PCSgrades help! We have tons of FREE reviews, area guides, and helpful tips to make your next military move a little bit easier. Before you leave, please consider sharing your experience at your current installation – the good, the bad, the ugly. Your reviews and insight can help other military families.
Becca Stewart is an Air Force Spouse, mother of two, freelance writer, and sufferer of Wanderlust. Originally from Colorado, she enjoys anything outdoors, especially if there’s snow involved. She is a travel fanatic, always looking for her next great adventure. As a full-time writer, Becca works closely with several nonprofit organizations and is a passionate advocate for human rights and military families. Learn more at writebecca.com.
