🎵 I always feel like somebody’s watching me… 🎵
After spending A LOT of time walking through homes with buyers, I’ve developed a bit of a sixth sense for cameras.
Doorbell? Yep.
Camera in the corner? Yep.
Random little device that makes me wonder? Assume yes. 😂
I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting the cameras—and reminding my buyers that for all the ones we can see, there may be others we can’t.
And honestly, it’s become one of those little things I talk about with buyers before we even start looking at the house.
Are sellers really listening during showings?
Quite often, yes.
Smart cameras, video doorbells, security systems and other recording devices have become a pretty normal part of the home-showing experience. Many homeowners have them for perfectly legitimate reasons, especially security.
But cameras can do more than watch the front door.
A recent LendingTree survey found that 72% of recent buyers said they had seen or suspected recording devices during a home tour, while 56% of sellers said they had them active. The survey also found that some sellers reported listening to showing conversations to learn what buyers liked, disliked or how interested they were.
That creates an interesting dynamic in a real estate transaction.
Why does it matter what buyers say?
Buyers and their agents need a place to have candid conversations.
A buyer can love a house and still say:
“I’m not crazy about that paint.”
“The kitchen layout is a little awkward.”
“I would like to offer $35,000 less than list price.”
Those are completely normal conversations. In fact, they're part of the process of evaluating a property, figuring out whether it works for the buyer, and determining what they may ultimately want to offer.
But those same comments can sound very different when they're overheard by a seller who is understandably emotionally attached to their home.
And from a negotiation standpoint, buyers generally don't want to accidentally reveal their budget, motivation, offer strategy or just how much they love the property before they’ve even left the driveway.
There’s also a human element.
A seller may hear a buyer criticizing the paint color, dated bathroom or weird room layout and take it personally, even though the buyer may still be 100% ready to purchase the home.
A buyer can love the house while simultaneously thinking the wallpaper needs to go. Both things can be true.
What I tell my buyers
I make a point of talking to buyers about cameras before we start a showing.
If I see a camera, I point it out.
I remind them that doorbell cameras can be recording, too.
And we talk about the kinds of conversations that are better saved for somewhere private, especially anything involving:
- Budget
- Offer price or strategy
- Negotiating position
- Motivation
- How much they love the property
- Whether they would be willing to pay more
Sometimes that means waiting until we're back in the car, or over the phone after we leave.
And sometimes it simply means enjoying the showing, taking notes and saving the real conversations for later.
It may seem like a small thing, but protecting a buyer’s ability to negotiate is part of my job.
What about sellers?
If you’re selling a home, I completely understand why you may want security cameras.
Your home is still your home while it’s on the market, and wanting to know who is coming through the door is understandable.
But there can be a tradeoff.
If your goal is to have buyers feel comfortable enough to explore the property, ask questions, talk honestly with their agent and ultimately decide they want to make an offer, constant monitoring can sometimes work against that goal.
Buyers may be less inclined to linger, discuss what they’re seeing or talk openly with their agent if they believe every conversation is being recorded.
And that's valuable information to consider when preparing a home for sale.
The goal of a showing isn't just to get someone through the front door. It's to give them enough space to decide whether the house feels like home.
The bottom line
Cameras are not going away.
But whether you're buying or selling, it helps to understand how they can affect the showing experience.
For buyers: assume you may be recorded and save the negotiating conversation for somewhere private.
For sellers: think about what you want buyers to feel, and whether monitoring every word helps create that experience.
As for the buyers I work with ~ My showing rule is simple: tour the house, save the commentary for the car.
Because in today's smart-home world, it's worth assuming that somebody's watching.
