How To Find Old Pictures Of Your House Online

It’s a strange feeling for homeowners of an older home to know that it has been lived in for quite some time and by different people. This can lead to a sense of wonder about what the house used to look like. It is only natural to struggle with how to find old pictures of your house online.

Online resources like Facebook are a great way to find old pictures of your house if you search your address. Old online real estate listings stay up online indefinitely sometimes and you can see old pictures of your house. Special websites like SepiaTown and WhatWasThere feature old Google Street View images from throughout the years.

Sometimes, it is as simple as contacting the previous homeowner through Facebook. It never hurts to ask and you’d be surprised how many people hold onto photos of their old homes through the years. Follow along as we explore how to find old pictures of your house online.

Luckily, you can easily find old pictures of your house online these days. Online resources and social media make it easier than ever to see what your house used to look like. Several websites, such as SepiaTown and WhatWasThere compile old online images from Google Street View.

This can help paint a picture of what your home looked like in recent history. However, homeowners with an old house can’t help but seek out old, historical photos of their residence. That can’t be done with a resource like Google Street View because that is a newer development.

Online resources are useful, but finding old pictures of your house may be as simple as reaching out to a historical society. Communication is key, especially if you want to get old pictures from a previous homeowner or their family. Let’s take a look at the best ways to find pictures of your house.

Look online for old listings of your current home to find older pictures. Some websites seemingly leave up old listings indefinitely, or they simply slip through the cracks. This is a great way to get a different glimpse of your house, even if it’s only from a few years ago.

You may have trouble finding old pictures of your house that date back further than a decade in this case. However, it is still a great way to see your house before a particular addition or before you made it your own. Search listings for your address by year or search a specific date that you know the house was previously on the market.

SepiaTown is one of several websites that compile old pictures of houses and streets online. This online time capsule can let you see your house in a different light. You should be able to at least find an old view of your street on SepiaTown.

Search your street or address and take a step into the past with old Google Street View images. This gives you more context for how the surrounding area used to look as well. You won’t find images that are too old with SepiaTown in most cases, but it’s an invaluable resource.

Contact the previous homeowner to find old pictures of your house. This is much easier if you had direct contact with the old resident before you purchased their home. Otherwise, you can connect with them via their email address or on social media.

They will likely be understanding and could provide old pictures of your house if they have them. The worst thing that could happen is that you don’t hear back or they simply don’t have pictures to offer. They could even put you in touch with the homeowner that they purchased it from to date even further back if possible.

WhatWasThere is a compilation of old images from Google Street View. This is a great way to find old pictures of your house online, but there is no guarantee. Some areas may feature several different Google Street View images from throughout many years.

However, another area may only have one image from a specific time, if anything at all. Not every address and street will have an image or series of images from throughout the years. You are more likely to have luck if your street is popular and features many homes and buildings. Those are more likely to be searched on Google Street View, documented, and compiled.

The average library has a section dedicated to local history that includes newspapers and old pictures. You can even find old ariel photos of your neighborhood, street, or town if they were ever published. Libraries sometimes feature local documents that never even saw the light of day for the general public.

Either visit your local library in person or access their online database to explore your home’s history. Most modern libraries feature a comprehensive online database of all of the information that you can find in person. This is a great way to learn more about your home and street to learn more than simply how it used to look.

Some newspapers have a massive back catalog of old issues available online for subscribers. Look into when your house was on the market through the years. Check to see if the house was ever listed in a newspaper or magazine when it was on sale.

This has been a common practice for quite some time and you’ll be in luck if a previous seller listed the house this way. You may also be able to find old photos of your house in the newspaper archives if it was ever documented for a notable reason. Explore your home’s history beforehand so you know exactly what to look for in your research.

You can find countless community groups online dedicated to documenting their homes and area. It’s generally easier to find community groups in large, notable, or well-known areas. Homeowners post old photographs, documents, and newspaper clippings to contribute to the group.

Look online to see if there is an existing community group for your neighborhood. If so, you can search through the existing posts to see if there are any old pictures of your house or street. Post a request for old pictures or information about your home on the community group if you are comfortable with it.

However, it’s wise to exercise caution and avoid broadcasting your address. Many community groups are invite-only or only allow you in if they can confirm you live in the area. You can even reach out to your HOA to see if they have old pictures of your street or house because that is much safer.

It may seem awkward but contact your neighbors online, in person, or via a letter to find old pictures of your house. This seems daunting if you have a limited relationship with your neighbors, but don’t let that stop you. However, it is useful to have some sort of shorthand with them or your request for pictures may seem strange.

Make it clear that you want old pictures of your house or street simply because of your curiosity. There is always a chance that they have an old street photo, especially if they have lived there for a long time. Contact as many neighbors as you know or are comfortable reaching out to and keep things casual for the best results.

The best way to find old pictures of your house online is through social media. You can look up your address with a modified search on Facebook to find old photos, for example. Otherwise, you can use social media as a tool to contact the previous homeowner and see if they have pictures.

Visit your library or subscribe to a newspaper to access their archives if they have them online. Libraries generally have a dataset that you can look through in person on a computer. Special websites like WhatWasThere display old photos of houses and streets.

SepiaTown is another way to find old Google Street View information to get a glimpse of your home’s past. Online databases like this are useful, but they don’t have images that date back too far, unfortunately. Sometimes it’s as simple as googling old real estate listings of your current house online to find old pictures.