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In my books a buyer taking photos is a BIG NO - NO

By
Real Estate Agent with RETIRED 200305001

There is a post this morning about Sellers have webcams to record Buyers coming thru. My blog today is the other side of privacy invasion.

I have Buyers that want to take pictures of the inside of homes to keep track of what they saw.

On vacant homes I guess you can, but there are plenty on the MLS. On occupied homes I see it as an invasion of privacy or even can be seen as "casing" the place. There are plenty of pictures on the MLS.

If you are worried about keeping the homes straight in your mind then you are looking at too many in one day. I  will only show you a maximum of 4 per day. That's whole another show as Oprah used to say. 

So is a buyer taking photo's in an occupied home the right thing to do? Your thoughts?

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Rob Shepherd -  ABR, GRI, REALTORS® for Florence Oregon Real Estate
Expert in helping those buy or sell Florence Oregon property and retire in Oregon. Call me anytime or visit my website for local listings and information on Florence Oregon.
Email: mr.listit@gmail.com 541-991-0607

Comments (15)

John McCormack, CRS
Albuquerque Homes Realty - Albuquerque, NM
Honesty, Integrity, Results, Experienced. HIRE Me!

Good morning Rob D. Shepherd. What a excellent topic!  With today's phones it's hard to know what buyers are doing when one turns their backs.  I don't think I've ever had a 'looking' buyer ask to take pictures of a occupied home.  My answer if they asked would be no.   

Jan 20, 2015 10:37 PM
Lise Howe
Keller Williams Capital Properties - Washington, DC
Assoc. Broker in DC, MD, VA and attorney in DC

I can see the point of view from both sides.  I have had buyers ask to take a few pictures in empty houses but not in occupied houses so far. Good post - 

Jan 20, 2015 10:39 PM
Dagny Eason
Dagny's Real Estate - Wilton, CT
Fairfield County CT, CDPE Homes For Sale and Condo

Rob D. Shepherd Good Morning Rob!!  I agree.  Love your reference to Oprah.  Funny!!!

Jan 20, 2015 10:42 PM
Jeff Pearl
RE/MAX Distinctive / LIC in VA - Lovettsville, VA
Full Service Full Time Realtor

Buyers and their agents should have permission from the homeowner to take photos inside the home.

Jan 20, 2015 10:44 PM
Rob D. Shepherd
RETIRED - Florence, OR
RETIRED

John: Thank you!

Lise: Lucky you have not had to deal with this!

Dagny: Thanks for stopping by!

Jeff: Agreed.

Jan 20, 2015 11:04 PM
Sandy Padula & Norm Padula, JD, GRI
HomeSmart Realty West & Florida Realty Investments - , CA
Presence, Persistence & Perseverance

Rob D. Shepherd I have had to set buyers straight about this on numerous occasions. This is one more reason why GOD invented pens and paper. I encourage my buyers to take notes one the homes they visit and I constantly review with them while showing homes their likes and dislikes and try to get them to rank the homes seen throughout the day. Your thoughts are correct.

Jan 20, 2015 11:54 PM
Tom White
Franklin Homes Realty LLC (615) 495-0752 or www.FranklinHomesRealty.com - Franklin, TN
Franklin Homes Realty LLC, Franklin TN

Interesting subject, Rob. I have not had that come up when I've been showing homes. I think if asked, I would say no, don't take any photos. I will say that I did take a picture one time of a built-in next to a fireplace that I though I could build...oops.

Jan 21, 2015 12:27 AM
Rob D. Shepherd
RETIRED - Florence, OR
RETIRED

Sandy and Norm: Thank You!

Tom: I think for yourself would be o.k. if it was just one feature.

Jan 21, 2015 01:02 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Home Stager/Redesign

Rob- this is something that buyers' agents need to discuss before a showing. I'm sure that buyers don't even realize it as being invasive of someone's privacy

Jan 21, 2015 06:01 AM
Rob D. Shepherd
RETIRED - Florence, OR
RETIRED

Kathy: I discuss it real quick when they mention camera.

Jan 21, 2015 11:35 AM
Silvia Dukes PA, Broker Associate, CRS, CIPS, SRES
Tropic Shores Realty - Ich spreche Deutsch! - Spring Hill, FL
Florida Waterfront and Country Club Living

Rob, I'm not a fan of buyers taking photos of property, so far, most of them have asked whether it's ok beforehand.  I prefer people pick out a feature or characteristic of the property and "name" it something to remember it by. 

Jan 22, 2015 12:00 PM
Troy Erickson AZ Realtor (602) 295-6807
HomeSmart - Chandler, AZ
Your Chandler, Ahwatukee, and East Valley Realtor

Rob - Great question. I have never had any buyer ask to take photos of a house that was still occupied, but have had several take photos of vacant homes. I guess I would have to say no to a buyer taking photos of an occupied home.

Jan 26, 2015 04:03 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I'm not an agent, but I certainly didn't want anyone taking any pictures inside my home when it was on the market!

Jan 30, 2015 04:26 AM
Inna Ivchenko
Barcode Properties - Encino, CA
Realtor® • GRI • HAFA • PSC Calabasas CA

I had a client who is a professional photographer. Even the property wasn't in a good shape, she took pictures, but after sale, we removed them from MLS.

Feb 04, 2015 03:38 PM
Sussie Sutton
David Tracy Real Estate - Houston, TX
David Tracy Real Estate for Buyers & Sellers

I have had tons of people ask to take photos. I agree that the sellers agent should post "no pictures allowed to be taken of this house" in the agent remarks in the MLS. It is something that should be discussed with the sellers before hand.

Mar 15, 2015 09:53 PM