Spies Like Us [Friday LOL]

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by Osman Parvez
Last week, I took clients to see a house in the mid 400's.    They liked the place well enough, and were contemplating writing an offer.   

...until they saw this:

Oh Look Honey, We're Being Spied On

Facepalm!  You're looking at a wireless webcam, placed above eye-level inside the entry way, directly facing the front door.   Yes, the camera is INSIDE the house and appears to be operating.   

 Guess how it made my buyers feel?

One word:  Icky. 

Instead of imagining the joy of raising their children in this house, they're now wondering if the seller is paranoid or if the crime rate is high in this neighborhood.    Because we've been discussing valuation of the property, they also wonder if they seller has just recorded everything we've been discussing, potentially compromising their negotiation.    Trust just flew out the window and like last time, nothing good is coming from a seller spying on showings.  

Make no mistake, how potential buyers FEEL inside your home matters.   And this seller just blew it.   I can't believe their Realtor hasn't advised them to remove the camera.  

Are you surprised that this house has been on the market for a while?    In addition to calculating the cost of fixing accumulated deferred maintenance (ballpark $50K), my buyers weren't feeling good about this house any longer.      When buyers don't feel good, they're not going to write an offer.   It's that simple. 

Home buying isn't just about dollars and cents, it has to feel right.     Nothing feels right about being spied on.

Game Over. 

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