Picture this: A young couple hoping to buy their first place together walk through the very first home of their search and immediately fall in love with the hardwood floors, backyard deck and spa tub in the master bath. During their visit they share with their agent how much they want this place – no matter what!
Not a pretty picture.
Amid a wave of new monitoring and recording technology, some home sellers are outsmarting buyers by capturing visual and verbal cues that take place while visiting the home. It’s a high-tech “buyer beware.”
Buyers, this is important: Hold your exuberance when viewing properties. When sellers use smart-home security devices or more traditional audio/video-recording equipment as an information-gathering technique, they can often glean insights to outsmart buyers in contract negotiations.
Technically it is unlawful in Washington state to record someone without first obtaining the consent of all parties, however buyers must understand that they are in someone else’s home and may indeed be recorded. Unfortunately, buyers can often lose out on a home for unknowingly showing their cards when viewing the property.
A good buyer’s agent will set up a home-showing and -reviewing process whereby anyone seeing properties with you agree to look first, take written notes and photos of important features or issues, and recap later – usually in the car while driving to the next destination.
Now, that’s a picture-perfect strategy.
When physically on the property, assume you’re being monitored.
That also means to remember basic etiquette when in another person’s home. Refrain from having “a closer look” at the bedroom drawers, medicine cabinet and storage bins. I know that’s stating the obvious, but there have been reports across the country of people taking prescription drugs and valuables from homes.
Sellers are advised to lock up all jewelry, passports, medications and any other important documents or personal items. Sometimes they forget but that doesn’t mean buyers or their agents can “have a look around.”
Did you know jewelry, pill bottles and other valuables can contain a Global Positioning Systems device – or even an audio recorder – tracked via an app? Once the object is moved, the app alerts owners on their phone about suspicious activity and traces the item to its current location. Buyers need to think long and hard before taking a chance that could result in a life-altering moment.
You get the picture.
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