Cameras CCTV in the house

I believe you meant “buyers” at the beginning of this sentence.

If so, you have a valid point I guess. The seller may be able to discern the actual concern the buyer has about a certain defect. This can help the seller decide if they should take any action on the concern.

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Yes, I misspoke. Sorry bout that.

It reminds me of buying a used car. I step away and discuss the car with my wife. No, the Seller is not allowed to listen in. :grin:

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I wear a body cam. Not to catch audio, but to catch video. I turn it off at the end of the inspection before the client arrives. If I am surprised by an early arrival, or if anyone is present during the inspection, I tell them I am wearing a body cam to document the inspection and that they may be recorded.

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Rule in many states is video recording is OK, audio recording requires consent of the person being recorded… YMMV.

This is what I’ve been told Oregon’s law is - video is fair game but audio is not. Other states may vary, of course. I agree and think buyers should be made aware of audio recording. The sellers being able to listen in on buyers’ thought process for upcoming negotiations is an obvious advantage.

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Wait till The time when the realtor will tell you to takeoff your body cam because an infringement of the sellers rights. But then the realtor says they have cameras all over the house to monitor you. That happened one time I gave the realtor a look and said do you want to go back and hear what you said. She threw a hissy fit when I asked if I could have copies of the tapes when I was in the property. She could not answer back. And our conversation was recorded on the sellers cameras. Then Nicole came in to the realtor and the seller said they didn’t mind if I had a body cam and they asked to talk to me and then I got their inspection when they bought their house. Oh and by the way they did not use the realtor that they had listing their house. So all came out just fine but get ready for that type of situation

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I have had some buyer agents wanting to do the walk through talking outside, instead of the house because of cameras.

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I always assume I’m being recorded anyway…it doesn’t change anything…God’s watching me anyway…however…recording the buyers conversation with the inspector or real estate agent without them knowing is likely illegal or at least unethical. I know of one case where the buyers found out they were being secretly recorded and balked on the deal.

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We had a car dealership here back in the day would record the husband and wife when the salesman went to “talk to his manager.” They got sued and lost.

You should be careful what you say during a home inspection anyway.

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I live and work in area that has many out of state owners, second or vacations if you will. Many of the homes I inspect have cameras inside and out and are Smart connected. I have no problem with them at all. If my client is present, I just let them know that “we” are more than likely under visual/audio surveillance. Whenever I spot one, I give a friendly wave and a thumbs up sign.

On two inspections the cameras and surveillance have come in quite handy for me. One was me doing the inspection alone, out of state seller and neither agent was “available”, but I was given the automatic door lock code. When I arrived, I noticed the exterior cameras and tried the door code, a few times, and it did not work. Standing on the front stoop, I tried to call the client’s RE agent about the code, but it went into voicemail. I had not even hung up the call when a voice came over a speaker; “Tom, I’ve unlocked the door for you!” It was the owner who already had a watch on me. I waved at the camera, said “thanks!” and went on about the inspection.

On another one, same situation, seller out on state, agent not available blah blah. Cameras all around. Went in and noticed the water wasn’t own. Had no cell service, so talking out loud to my self about the situation and trying to text the agent to see if they could get in touch owner, the landline phone rang. Thinking it may be the agent, I answered it. It was the owner, who of course had seen the situation via camera, and he walked me through seeing that everything was on and operational. Even went beyond explaining things throughout the house. Super nice guy and very helpful.

So, sometimes these cameras can work in our benefit.

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Last year an agent let me into a home where the seller refused to allow a lockbox. She is an agent that the two of us have never really seen eye to eye. As she was unlocking the door, she started going off about the seller. It started off about how big of a pain in the ass they have been to work with, and it escalated from there. It got into how they were sleeping around and how trashy their kids were. I did not respond to anything she was saying. After a couple of minutes, I notice that there is a Ring doorbell. I finally told her that she might want to watch what she said, and I pointed it out to her. Sure as $***, the sellers listened to and watched the video. It then turned into that I baited her off camera and she was responding to what I had said. Only problem is, I wear a body camera. The sale fell through (I am a deal killer) and the seller pulled their listing from her.

Always watch what you say.

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Since we’re both in MN. Realtors and I recall seeing this somewhere, video is fine, audio is a nogo. Personally for the OP, I don’t care either way, although I do inform the realtor and buyer before leaving that there are cameras so they don’t discuss “strategies” for negotiation while on the premises.

I have found now 2 spy cameras in bathrooms though. I’ve always taken them out and set them in plain view on the kitchen countertops.

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It’s a grey area for sure. I remove the grey by informing anyone around me that I am recording. I haven’t had anyone protest yet, but may have to cross that bridge someday I suppose.

Here is the grey area…

Minnesota recording law stipulates that it is a one-party consent state. In Minnesota, it is a criminal offense to use any device to record, obtain, share or use communications, whether they are wire, oral or electronic, without the consent of at least one person taking part in the communication. This means that in Minnesota, you are legally allowed to record a conversation if you are a contributor, or with prior consent from one of the involved parties, barring any criminal intent. Minn. Stat. § 626A.02.

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I imagine that is what the realtors are talking about, as by agreeing to showings, etc. they’re probably listing that somewhere (just not audio)

Appreciate you sharing!

You actually did that?
I better start looking closer. That’s something I haven’t seen. Or maybe in your case they didn’t do too good of a job hiding them.
Not sure if I would remove them or not, since it’s not my home. I would definitely report it one way or another though.

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Yup, they both were obvious (imho), and battery powered. Had they been more elaborate I simply would have informed people using the bathroom… Had they been anywhere else I would have left them. The bathroom… I didn’t feel bad removing them. I questioned informing authorities if I’m being honest.

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Thanks for the reply. Crazy world we now live in with a lot of stupid people. I’m sure the new buyers were glad you found it

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The poor detective that has to watch me on video using the facilities, lol. They don’t pay those guys enough.

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