Homesellers Spy on Prospective Buyers During Open Houses
Real estate agents and homebuyers have noticed homesellers spying on them as they tour properties for sale. Tools for spying involve everything from old-fashioned security cameras to newer smart devices which track their conversations and actions during open house events.
“It’s one of those things where it is the person’s home, they have the right to do whatever — but you feel a little violated,” says Andie DeFelice, broker with Savannah-based Exclusive Buyer’s Realty, Inc., and the president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents.
The rise in the use of surveillance devices by homesellers raises concerns about privacy, courtesy, and legality in real estate transactions. The trend also comes at a time when, in most areas of the country, real estate markets are strongly in favor sellers. Gea Elika, principal broker of Elika Associates in New York, N.Y. says that she thinks that the technology will only become more prevalent in real estate.
The National Association of Realtors has already issued a best practices tutorial on the subject, along with a list of what is allowed in each state. For now, the NAR recommends that brokers consider hanging a sign in the home or notifying visiting homebuyers directly on the listing form that there are surveillance devices present on the property.
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