I wouldn't have an open house because an agent can't be with everyone touring the home at the same time. Good way to stakeout a house or have someone with sticky fingers. Otherwise individual showings the agent stays with the perspective buyers.

Before your house goes on the market, pack up anything valuable. Rent a safety deposit box or a storage locker for anything you treasure. You probably don’t have that many “important papers” that won’t fit in a locking file cabinet or desk drawer.

if you are moving from a grand estate with lots of valuable art, chances are any potential buyers will be prequalified before touring.

Prequalified buyers don't steal valuables? lol

They might be thieves but the agent would have more information about them then they would a walk in or call in buyer.

So the realtor having info on a buyer will prevent them stealing stuff - out of sight of the realtor, presumably? lol

Opaone, I think that’s a good idea. We have Lorex security systems ( bought from BJ’s online) for outdoors. They can be used inside too. It would sent out notifications when movements being detected. You can view all the cameras on your phone at the same time and you can also playback to check. The most important is to put away valuables. I have heard people lost their jewelry during house showing. If I remember it right you have a huge home (3 floors and over 8,000 sq ft). You‘d need a lot of cameras if you put one in every bedroom, it’s better to ask the realtor to walk through with viewers, and no open houses as others have already mentioned. For important paperwork and valuables, store them in bank’s lockbox for safety. Pack your expense clothes shoes in the cars. For fast selling bury St Joseph upside down in the front yard and back yard by the entrances. This selling tip worked for many my friends. It won’t hurt to give it a try. :-)

"For fast selling bury St Joseph upside down in the front yard and back yard by the entrances. This selling tip worked for many my friends. It won’t hurt to give it a try."

I had more luck by putting up a For Sale Sign.

Lol, yes Stax. A for sale sign for sure.

For fast selling bury St Joseph upside down in the front yard and back yard by the entrances. This selling tip worked for many my friends. It won’t hurt to give it a try. :-)

Why would that help anything?

Please google it for now, I am shopping...... :-)

Also be aware that you should put prescription meds away safely. We had a bottle of prescription painkiller disappear from our house during a showing for realtors. After this happened to several other people, police were able to figure out that there was only one realtor who had been to all the open houses, investigated, and arrested her.

Wow kudzu9. I never thought about prescription meds at all. Storing valuables off site, yes. But never crossed my mind about medication. Thanks for the tip. I'm sorry you had to experience it from a Realtor no less.

Put away valuables, I wouldn't remove artwork. Request your LA be at all showings.

I would be rich just on account of me having so many valuable prescription medicines If I decided to share them with public for price..

Definitely hide them so well takes too long to discover these, or take them with you, or both. (these in use go with you, these not in current use hidden all too well)

Legally, there could be issues with secretly recording (at least with audio).

And don't put any cameras in the bathrooms. That would definitely be illegal.

Ethically, listening in on the potential buyers about what they think of your house is definitely wrong. They may discuss with their realtor or spouses how much they'd be willing to pay. I know that's not why you are considering recording, but it could be used that way and it would be pretty hard to resist checking out the footage if you got an offer from someone.

But if you posted signs saying that there is video and audio recording, then it may not be an issue.

Buyers should probably assume they are being recorded in this day and age and not discuss their feelings or strategies until they are out of the house, but that doesn't make it okay to do.

Audio is illegal without notification. Video is probably the same. That is why public places or phone calls will notify you they are using video or audio.

Not sure that I agree that audio or video recordings would be illegal. A house is not public property, after all. It's perfectly legal to have security cameras outside, so I don't see why you'd have different rules inside. And while it's illegal for authorities to tap a telephone conversation without a warrant, in many places it's perfectly legal for one of the parties to that conversation to record it without telling the other.

That said, if you want the security of the recordings, it would make sense to tell potential buyers/miscreants that thet are in fact being surveilled.

In PA it is illegal to record any oral or telephone conversation without permission. It is considered a felony.

It is different state to state. I would check your state's laws.

And in 38 US states it's perfectly legal.

You guys are talking about "two party consent" vs "one party consent" and that varies state to state. But that only applies if you are a participant in the conversation.

Nobody who is participating in a 'secret audio recording' in your house is consenting to the recording. You aren't part of the conversation. I'd guess that there are more stringent restrictions on that.

This may be your house and not a public space, but you invited these people into your house therefore they may have a right to a reasonable level of privacy.

I'd really suggest researching the law in your state before recording audio.

(I have a feeling that video is fine other than a bathroom, but audio is the questionable part)

If the realtor showing the house consents, I'd imagine that's sufficient. In any case you're overthinking this. Put up a notice at the front door that there is video and audio surveillance. That's good security in and of itself. If you want the belt and suspenders approach, have viewers sign a waiver when they provide their contact details to the realtor. It's not a big deal.

I agree with jmm. put up a sign.

Just in time for this discussion about privacy, here is an article in today's Washington Post about how video surveillance is becoming normalized, for better and for worse: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/02/18/ring-nest-surveillance-doorbell-camera/#comments-wrapper

I think the most stolen goods ( jewelry & clothes) during a house viewing were from bedrooms. I am wondering if portable trail cameras would be easier to use. Put out a security camera sign by the front entrance. You can purchase one on Amazon.

"If the realtor showing the house consents, I'd imagine that's sufficient."

Not here in my State - Maryland. Ask Monica Lewinski's friend, Linda Tripp.

Now in Florida it is required to obtain consent from our buyers when it is audio and prudent to get it when it is just video and not audio. Here is a sample disclosure where the buyer must sign it. Verbal consent is okay but not encouraged by our Realtor boards. http://www.daytonarealtors.com/rportal/membermenu/resources/Audio-Video%20Surveillance%20Disclosure.pdf

mdln-

Maybe they can't read the sign notifying them of video surveillance... ;-)

I'm surprised by how many people will stand at the front door and chat ... pretty much everyone has ring doorbells in my area, so a fair amount of the conversations get recorded.

In my area of CA you just have to disclose that there are cameras on the property. If a buyer doesn't read the paperwork and doesn't see the very obvious cameras, then that is on them.

I pretty much assume that the majority of properties in my area have cameras and act accordingly ... it does make it a bit harder to stop and stare at a house that has a color or material that you like!

chispa-

You could always carry a balaclava ski mask with you to preserve your privacy, and hope you don't get shot while looking... ;-)

The thing is you sure can capture the moments in cameras, but can you really get your stuff back after being stolen? That’s something to think about it. I couldn’t get my stolen clothes and shoes back from a contractor’s girlfriend.

Entrance and each floor’s hallway might need cameras. When the realtor is showing the house, someone else might sneak in, that‘s a huge house, it would be easy to hide......... I think we need a cop here. :-)

I had a realtor take the key from my backdoor and put it in the front door lockbox, took my front door key that was initially in the lockbox with her when she left, and didn’t relock the front door, or even shut it all the way. When my agent called her to ask where the key was she said she never came to show my house, then a few hours later she said she did show it but didn’t move or take any keys. From then on, after spending a couple hundred dollars changing the locks, I removed the lockbox and was present at every showing. Had cameras been readily available, I would have put up several.

summersrhythm, some times it takes several robberies for the police to catch them and the camera evidence is very helpful to make a case and ID the criminals, so still worth it, even if you don't get your stuff back.

There will be no lock box at our house when we sell. Our realtor, or a member of the team, are easily available. Also anyone trying to come in would set off the alarms and have police show up soon after. We've had robberies in the area, so no way am I leaving the house without the alarms set. I also have dogs that would be very irritated with strangers in the house.

I think the main advantage of the cameras is to discourage theft in the first place.

When we sold our last house we gave the realtor a key (there's no multiple listings in these parts, so no lock boxes). We always left before she arrived, took the dog for a walk, and didn't return until she'd left. Last thing she needed was homeowners interfering with her sales pitch.

jmm, you would think the cameras would discourage crime! The crooks simply wear a bandana over their face and pull the hoodie forward, then look straight into the camera. That was one group that eventually got caught. The crazy part is that I live in what is considered a very safe area, but attractive for break-ins.

chispa - I was thinking more of the specific situation of real estate showings, but I agree they're not as big a deterrent generally. For thst, a big dog is a better fix.

We signed a waiver in NC that said we might be on video when in a house but that audio is illegal without our consent (which of course we did not give). We clearly saw "nanny cameras" in several homes.

"The general rule in North Carolina is that an individual who has the consent of one of the parties to either an in-person conversation or electronic communication can lawfully record it or disclose its contents. This assumes that both parties to the conversation are in North Carolina at the time of the recording."

Not the case here in MD! The surreptitious recording at an Open House would be illegal here!

mdln, who are all these naive people who didn't realize they have cameras at drive-throughs? The issue is that an employee is getting access to those videos and posting them on social media, otherwise those videos should only be used for security reasons.

Stax, but it isn't surreptitious when the listing states/warns that there is a camera system in the house. If someone chooses to look at a house with a disclosed security system, they shouldn't expect any privacy in a private residential property that they chose to visit.

Many towns now have cameras that read license plates, so you can't even sneak around town without someone knowing where you have been!

In fact it is illegal here in MD... it requires the specific approval of the two parties to record a conversation here.

Again ask Linda Tripp and Monica Lewinsky.

Stax-

Tripp was secretly recording phone calls she had with Lewinsky. I think we're in a much different situation with video recordings. In fact, the Greater Baltimore Board of Realtors has this position:

"It is legal in Maryland to record surveillance video with a camera in your home, including the front porch, without the consent of the person(s) you are recording."

Is It Legal to Record Audio or Video in Maryland without Consent?

Stax, I doubt that Ring doorbell is selling an illegal product. And wouldn't that be convenient for the porch pirates to declare the video (w/audio) evidence as illegal. Really!

Also as a seller, if I have disclosed in the listing that I have video w/audio and buyers still choose to come onto the private property, one would assume that it would imply approval/consent by any buyers to be filmed/recorded. They don't have to visit the property and no one is forcing them to, they freely chose that option.

We toured a home with both external and internal cameras last week (the owner had what looked like a million dollars in signed sports memorabilia in the house, so no wonder). While the disclosures we signed with our agent said video is legal and audio is not, and there was no notice in the listing or at the house of audio recording, my husband assumed they could hear us.

In Massachusetts surveillance must be disclosed. Particularly audio.

I believe you can “look, but not listen” without permission

We didn’t have cameras. As far as jewelry and valuables, I put all my good jewelry and medications in a small carryon luggage. When we got a text for a showing, I put the luggage in the car to take with me.

"Obviously, one party to the conversation is doing the recording most of the time. This makes it perfectly legal for you to tape someone else's phone call in these other states, and under the basic federal law. But not in Maryland! Maryland is an all-party consent state"

As i said, ask Monica Lewinsky or Linda Tripp.

As i said, ask Monica Lewinsky or Linda Tripp.

You are largely ignoring the question of expectation of privacy. There is a reasonable expectation privacy in your home, car and other possessions. There is also some expectation of privacy in personal communications. So it is widely held that there is a reasonable expectation of privacy for phone calls (a personal communication). Some states only require a single participant to wave privacy in phone calls, while others require all parties to wave privacy.

However, you generally don't have a reasonable expectation of privacy in someone else's home in which you are not a tenant, unless, of course, you are using the restroom or some other private space.

Things get interesting at the intersection of your personal conversation in my property. At what point your reasonable expectation of privacy in your conversations supersedes my right to protect my property is a gray area which will probably not be answered here today. Video-only tends to be acceptable when you are having a private conversation in a place where you have no expectation of privacy, as it doesn't intrude on the privacy of your personal conversation. However, that doesn't mean that is all that is allowed, or that it is even allowed. There is lots of nuance and complexity in this.

Personally, I remove cameras from a house when I sell it. I would feel uncomfortable not telling people I was recording them and I am afraid they will not be comfortable if they are aware they are being recorded. I guess it is a non-physics version of the observer effect.

In spite of what your thoughts may be, and your willingness to "share" them, Maryland Law does not make a distinction.

If this is important to you, I'll just move on.