Are sellers eavesdropping on homebuyers’ private conversations?

In the hustle and bustle of today’s real estate market, sellers are often absent during showings, and buyers are increasingly talkative when visiting their homes. However, the growing popularity of affordable home security devices should give buyers pause. In fact, the availability of surveillance equipment such as Wi-Fi enabled cameras and microphones means their conversations may not remain private.

Unexpected surveillance
Most people don’t expect to be under surveillance when visiting a house, but if the house is equipped with a surveillance system, owners can obtain sensitive information. For instance, a buyer may let slip that they’re willing to pay a lot more than asking price for the house.

A complicated issue
In most places, there’s no legal requirement to disclose the presence of a surveillance system. Nevertheless, in some states making an audio recording requires the consent of at least one of the recorded parties. Making a video recording, however, would be entirely legal in most cases. The best thing for buyers to do is to act as if the owner is present during all home showings.

Most reported cases of sellers obtaining information they can leverage have been accidental. While realtors report their customers didn’t use this knowledge to their advantage, there’s no way to know for sure.