The Villages Florida Area Real Estate: Smile - You might be on Candid Camera!

Hi Chris, That is kinda creepy to know that someone could be watching you as you walk through and make comments...I don't care for that!

Chris....I know someone this happened to years ago....It's always good to beware.....I had to suggest this one....it can happen...nice job!
Hope you had a great day!!---Rob

Hi Karin - I agree that it is rather creepy, but you must always be aware that it could be happening, even if you don't see the evidence.  We couldn't miss the cameras this weekend!

Hi Rob - It probably happens more in some areas of the country than others . . . thanks for the "suggest"!

I like your blog post. Good information about what to expect when viewing people's homes with our clients. I also like your visual side of blog as well.

Just learned of this Blog today through a webinar.( Active Rain)

Hi Kimberly - Thanks for stopping by and commenting.  I hope you will join ActiveRain and become a blogger yourself!  Good luck.

Ohhh... That creepy looking teddy bear could be watching you!  Great post, thanks for the tip/reminder.

Hi Laura - Even the cute teddy bear could be watching or listening.  It's a whole new world!

Good advice, Chris.  Every real estate professional should assume that they are on camera when showing properties and they should advise their clients accordingly. Yes, that is over-protection but is better to be safe than sorry.

 Blooming for you!

Hi Roy - Some folks never even realized this could happen, but haven't we all heard of Nanny Cams?  It isn't that hard these day to play 007!

Chris, yeah!  It's totally not safe to make out on elevators anymore!  Bummer!

Chris- years ago when I was looking for a home, my Realtor and I saw a camera at the front door.  As it turns out there were cameras throughout the house.  We didn't have to say a thing to each other but we knew to keep our comments to ourselves.  This is a good reminder to everyone out there.

uh oh....I haven't noticed any in the homes I have been showing but I bet they were there!  Yikes!!!    Great post!

I think people would be amazed at how many times during a normal day they're on camera. Nowadays it seems like someone is always watching.

Hi Patricia - Not many elevators around here, but I guess that would be true.  : )

Hi Kathy - That house was ahead of its time.  A good thing to keep in mind.

Hi Deborah - There all all kinds of listening devises that you would never notice.  It is best just to assume they are there.

Hi Victor - So true!  In some areas you are probably watched more than you are not.  In "small town" areas, you wouldn't expect it to be quite as common.

Chris--Tried to suggest, but it would not let me.  This may be something we should be telling our clients about before showing them ANY homes.  I have teased about it for years, but I think you are right in that it seems to becoming a reality!  Maybe can't suggest because you posted it somewhere else first? 

HI Chris - I have walked through homes before where there were web cams in all the rooms- and it was kind of creepy. 

And I did suggest it Chris - so I hope you get a feature! Good article and thanks for sharing.

Hi Pat - It would be a good idea to discuss this with clients before you start looking.  You don't have to see them for them to be there.  I don't know why you couldn't suggest--others indicated that they did.  I haven't posted this anywhere else.  : )

Hi Sharon - Yes, it can be distracting and take the attention away from the house.  Thanks for letting me know that your suggest button worked.  : ) 

Chris, Houses do have ears and you never know who may be listening.

Chris,

I showed a home in a nice neighborhood but was easily a middle class home. I couldn't understand why the cameras but we saw the screen in the office which was right off the front hall. It was creepy and if the propspective Buyers choose to not say a word the whole time they were in the house.

Hi Marchel - Yes, you NEVER do.  Just keep it in mind.

Hi Nona - I understand for security, but when you are there to view a home it really can be distracting and uncomfortable.  You want buyers concentrating on the house not getting a bad feeling.

Hi Chris, I certainly agree. It would be smart to consider that surveillance is around way more than anyone realizes.

Surveillance is everywhere. It can help you or hinder you, depening on what you are doing.

Hi Chris, great point ...thanks for sharing.Technology keeps on getting more and more into our every day living....

Hi Chris,

This is all too true. 

I staged a large home that was over 5000 square feet and it had camera in every room and all outside too.  The homeowner showed me a large screen inside the house that monitored everything and then he showed me how his phone was hooked up to the same monitor so that  when he was away from the house his phone was montering his whole house 9 screens at a time...  

I was so amazed I had never seen this before.  Talk about being a fly on the wall while you are away from your home. 

Great post and congratulations on the Feature!!!

OMG, such a good watch out.  Wow, I can see how that could really effect negotiations.  Better safe than sorry.

It is sad to think it is necessary. Buyers need the ability to feel free to say what they like when viewing a home, I have a feeling that is going to put a damper on each and every showing. But yes, you never know when someone is watching... good thing you didn't take your pants off when you got in the house... :D

Hi Chris.       While I can certainly understand a Seller's need to feel secure, they must know that it's hard for a Buyer to really look at a home when the Seller is present...  This takes it to another level.   Thanks for bringing this topic to front of mind.  

Great to keep in mind - I wouldn't mind the visual taping, but the audio does bother me, because I do think a buyer should be able to speak their mind when they're looking at a home - that's why the sellers shouldn't be there; so they can talk freely.

But this is great to remember when looking through ANY house.

Chris,

With today's technology, I just assume that whenever I'm not in my own home, I'm being recorded somewhere. I've heard of sellers using baby monitor's to listen too.

Rich

Sneaky. On the other hand I bet they record some interesting sights and sounds.

I wonder if this should be disclosed by the listing agent.  Wondering what the legal ramifications could be?

So you are saying that we shouldn't go through the refrigerator anymore?  :) 

Chris - I have always wondered if anyone would actually bug the house to put a camera to see what is going on. Thanks for sharing this. Definitely wait on the excitement until you leave the property.

Chris, I too have been in homes where they are either recording or filming.    It is wise to warn buyers before previewing homes that what they say may be heard, and keep comments to inside MY CAR!

I tell my buyers to always assume that we're being "nanny-cammed", and to only speak "generically" in the house, and we'll talk privately in the car.  Not even out front on the lawn, as sometimes the owners are watching and listening from the neighbours home.

Great post Chris. We have often thought about this concept but have never seen it in action...at least to our knowledge.  The "baby monitor from the neighbors house" could be happening all the time.  Creepy but certainly legal. 

Spying is rampant and the equipment that is sold to go undercover is amazing and easy to operate and install...I had a friend who planted a bug on his competitors computer and monitored all his data for 3 years....When I found out about that, I was incensed. I researched the subject and found out there is nothing you can do about it...The program is undetectable....just think....we are just getting started on this subject too...Good post Chris and thank you

Chris - Nice post to make us all more paranoid...lol Ahh it's a new world out there and sometimes you just have to be vigilant about what to say and not to say while showing a home. Interesting post. We haven't seen this yet in our travels but now we'll be on the lookout for the cameras....

I have mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, it's secure. On the other, it's really an invasion at some levels.

I live and work in the concrete canyons of downtown Chicago.  Cameras everywhere.  I do caution my clients to also watch what they say because of possible audio recording as well.  (Saw a news story several years ago about one of those stores that sell surveillance equipment.  Watch out for that innocent looking pen on the counter or cocktail table.)

The times when I just had to use the bathroom when I showed a home. . .they may even have cameras there.

Dear Chris -

#36 was so funny!

In our area, we have had a spate of thefts of prescription drugs being stolen from the Master Bath when visitors at an Open House ask to use the bathroom. 

Another strike against Open Houses!

Thanks for the surveillance equipment heads-up.

Have a happy day -
Lynn

Thank you for the post. Buyers should be careful what they say about the house .

Good stuff, thanks for sharing it.

Agents and their clients should always be on their best behavior when inside someone else's home and show restraint with their comments, whether positive or negative.

Chris, very good point. You never know who may be watching or listening.

So true...and I believe for most of us it may be for the better.

My wife has a cleaning company and I help her one night a week clean two offices in town. Both are businesses where the HiPa laws are in effect.

We get a lot of compliments and referrals but have turned down additional work. 

The owner of one business asked me how we can do such a good job in the same time the other company did a poor job...

I told him "we work and compose ourselves like we are on hidden cameras...and for all we know...we are...as I work and do a job I keep envisioning which side of the issue we would be on if Nightline came calling and showed us a video of how we did. "

ie: No swearing, no cutting corners, no coffee breaks, no snooping, no glancing at what we should not be looking at, no lounging around, no use of their phones or computers, not letting in a "friend" or family member to hang out, etc.

I have applied that thought process in most of my business and must say it makes you work harder and focus better.

Sad that this is what our society has come to.  Big Brother is watching.

We live in an age of Nanny Cams hidden in teddy bears, I guess we can't really be surprised at anything anymore.

Chris~ I have often cautioned fellow agents on agent tour day that they may be on camera. While the owner of the house is currently someone else's client, imagine the conclusions they would draw about our profession if they heard some of the comments AGENTS make! An agent's loose lips could also affect negotiations if that agent happens to be the one who brings an offer.

great post and great information

this is excellent to know now

thanks for the share

V

Don't for get computers and the Xbox Kinect. If they have a camera built in, they can watch you. 

Hi Chris... thanks for sharing... it always pays to be on your best behavior. You never know who is watching...

I once showed a home, where the sellers were actually next door trying to listen to us through the baby monitors.  We heard about it after the fact...the buyers didn't buy their home.  Never assume that you are alone and that anything you say may be recorded!

Chris ~ very interesting.  We'll most likely see more of this in the future.  Great idea for awareness. Thanks.

I like the reminder to discuss whether or not you like the home once you are back in the car, or at least out of the house. If you discuss how much they love the home and the owners happen to be recording, you just gave away your poker hand and will be unable to negotiate much. Great reminder!

Chris - Nothing like live feedback. There are apps for your smartphone to tap in live. I see this as a good watch your step post. Congrats on the feature

I'm watching you right now, Chris. Not really. But in today's world, I definitely could be. Gotta keep your A-game on at all times.

Well, it looks like this post was featured!  Thanks everyone!

Hi William - It is probably best just to assume that you are being recorded as there is so much of it around.

Hi Ted - If you have nothing to hide, you don't have to worry.

Hi Ronald - Technology is everywhere.  We just have to learn to live with it!

Hi Linda - Thanks!  It sounds like you staged the home that I showed this weekend!  : )

Hi Debbie - Yes, good time to say nothing!

Hi Andrea - Well, I took off my shoes . . .

Hi Carol Ann - At least this house had the cameras in plain view!  You don't always know . . .

Hi Kathleen - I like my buyers to talk to me as we go through a house.  If they don't, they may not remember certain things.  But if they get too excited about finally finding THE house, it could affect negotiations.  : )

Hi Stacey-Ann - It can be scary!

Hi Rich - One of our neighbors in Lexington Kentucky used to pick up our cordless telephone conversations on his child's baby monitor!  Thank goodness he told us about it.  : )

Hi Jim - You would hope that when people are looking at a home to purchase, they are looking at the REAL ESTATE, not anything else.

Hi Gabe - I would not think there would be a problem with the cameras in plain view, but "bugs"?  The only problem is, we would never know it unless someone lets slip information that they should not know in any other way.

Hey Christiansen Team, close the door the mayonnaise is dressing!!

Hi Mike - Try to remain calm until back in the agents automobile.  : )

Hi Joan - I would still want to hear comments as we go through, but just not the wrong comments.  I would imagine that sellers sometimes hear things they would prefer they had not!

Hi Alan - I have a friend who has a vacation home in Vermont with a camera (with audio) on the outside of the home as he was trying to catch a vandal (and did)--so those cameras can be anywhere these days.

Hi Howard and Susan - Baby monitors could keep paying you back long after the children are grown.

Hi Richie - I know of agents who pick through other agents' trash (another unbelievable thing, so you learn to shred your trash), but a bug in a competitor's computer--despicable.

Hi Lisa and Robert - After reading all these comments, I am feeling a bit paranoid at the moment.  : ) 

Hi Melissa - I agree, but it is their home still . . .

Hi Karen - I will never look at a pen the same way again!  : )

Hi Fernando - Let's hope you had a LITTLE privacy!  : )

Hi Lynn - I read you comment after commenting on Fernando's comment--maybe he wasn't safe in the bathroom!

Hi Gita - So true.

Hi Anthony - It could make buyers decide to only say negative things about a house while in it--just in case they are "heard."

Hi Michael - Thanks for stopping by!

Hi Mike - Great story!  Hopefully Nightline won't come calling after a showing!

Hi Ira - Yes, and he has pretty good vision!

Hi Adam - I guess that is true.  I have learned a lot from writing this post!

Hi Liz - You are so right!  I will have to mention that at my next office meeting.

Hi Vince - Thanks for stopping by and commenting.

Hi Jeff - Gulp, you are right!

Hi Mike - But it is best to just be on your best behavior all the time.  : )

Hi Dan - I wonder if the lack of trust had anything to do with the lack of an offer?

Hi Ken - The future is now!  : )  Don't quote me in 5 years!

Hi Tricia - But these days, it seems that no matter how much a buyer LOVES a house, they are not willing to pay full price for it!  : )

Hi Claude - Thanks for the congrats.  My phone is too dumb for that app!

Hi Aaron - I wish that were not true!!

Chris ~ great point.  And the 'bugs' nowadays are so small who would ever even see it?

Chris, thank you for bringing this forward ...i like most think about it sometimes but letting our guard down is not a good idea at all....we're all on tv all the time it seems! 

Chris:

Thanks for the heads up.  I have never seen nanny cams in houses, but I can see the need in some homes.

Hi Dawn - It is sad.

Hi Ginny - It does seem that way today!

Hi Evelyn - The whole thing about Nanny Cams is that you can't see them.

Gosh, you'd think no one can be trusted anymore! I love comment #36, LMAO.

This was really a fantastic article!  I have often thought "Boy, I'm glad there are no cameras in the house to record what my Buyer just said."  In this day and age of technology, it is very naive to believe that there are not 'bugs.'  I will be ever mindful of that now.  Thank you!

Hi Pamela - It would be nice if everyone could be trusted and trustworthy!

Hi Mimi - Glad to bring this to your attention.  You really never know!

This hasn't happened to me but I've heard others tell of this.

Perhaps it's best we develop a secret handshakes and hand signals avoiding all vocal speech in a home when touring with buyers... I will agree that vdeo technology is becoming more common, however, avoiding oral communication when viewing a home is going a bit too far.

Nowadays, whenever I am in public I assume I am being filmed. It's just the way it is . . .

Hi Tammie - The problem is you don't know if it is happening to you if it isn't obvious like the cameras.

Hi Mike - We could write messages in code on a note pad (just in case the camera can zoom in) and then use our Little Orphan Annie decoder rings to decipher what we are saying.  OR we could say what we will (short of jumping up and down and screaming GOTTA HAVE IT AT ANY COST).

Hi John - In public, yes--it is pretty much guaranteed.  In a private home . . . it is not always expected, but I guess it should be.

Chris, one of the things I always struggle with is telling my buyers to keep their emotions in check and their mouths closed when going through properties for this very reason OR when the seller is around.  They don't realize how much leverage they lose in the bargaining process if the owner knows they are in love with the property.

It is scary to think Buyers would have to keep their buying signs in check, because that has always helped me as a Realtor.

I have seen cameras on 2 homes. One the seller was in that business of selling surveillance  cameras and the other was protecting their investment as a grow house for medical marijuana...

Hi Don - And on the flip side, a seller can give away a lot (literally) if they are there. 

Hi Jerry - So true!

Hi Amy - I can't imagine putting a house on the market that is a grow house for medical marijuana.  : )