Why Are People Taking Pictures of Our House?
Ok, so this is the second time I have seen people taking pictures of our house. Who knows if there are more than that when I’m not home or not looking? The first time I witnessed this was about a month ago. A silver Impala drove past the driveway a little bit, stopped and the passenger stuck a camera out the window and took a picture of the house. Then today, not ten minutes ago, a green Murcury Sable (had to be from the early 90’s) did the same thing except that it was the driver and he was talking on his cell phone while he did it. They are definitely aiming at the house, not the fields around us and then they drive off like nothing.
Should I be concerned about this? Are we being “cased”? I mean seriously, what the hell? The house is not for sale and we haven’t done anything interesting to the outside yet. We’ve only been here 7 months!!! But two people within two months? That’s kinda odd, right? How many times does anyone else drive by someone’s home and take a picture? Is our house just that interesting to look at? I didn’t think it was THAT unique! PLUS, they are not taking pictures of all the houses on the street, they never stop for the one across the street from us.
Noone that I know of ever took a picture of our house on Alsace!
April 22nd, 2008 at 1:32 pm
It could be appraisers doing Comps for other homes for sale in the area… our appraisal included snapshots of 3 other houses. You’d think they could use the original listing photos or something, but maybe they aren’t easy to find after the house sells or maybe the appraisers probably need to do SOME verification themselves.
Could be something totally different, but I can’t think what.
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:11 pm
Actually, the first thing that came through my mind is the people who might have lived in the house before are suddenly nostalgic. I know I drive by my old house where I grew up especially slowly when showing someone like Mark, etc….maybe that’s it????
I admit, it’s odd. I would probably go up to them and say “can I help you?” But of course, this is what I would want the people who own my old house to do when I drive by.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:33 pm
Well, since there are only a half-dozen or so homes in the town of Holland (I should know, I grew up there) perhaps the uniqueness of a house amidst the farmland is something those passing by want to capture for themselves!
Are you SURE they weren’t photographing the cow grazing next door?
BBD
April 23rd, 2008 at 6:50 am
@BBD - No cows as neighbors, just pigs.
@Jennifer - We drive by our previous house occasionally too.
@Sara - This is probably a likely explanation. As BBD said, there’s not a lot of houses in our area, and the selling season is starting to kick into gear. Amanda found the same explanation on another site as well.
April 23rd, 2008 at 3:55 pm
The people taking photos of your house are almost certainly doing appraisals on nearby homes, using your home as a comparable sale. I know this because I run Appraisal Services of WNY, a residential real estate appraisal business. I’m also a Real Estate Broker.
If you’re in the t/o Wales, Holland, or Sardinia there are probably very few recent transfers of homes similar to yours, particularly if it is something other than a ranch-style residence. Appraisers must inspect the subject property and take current photos of comparable sales (sort of proves you actually drove the properties). While the MLS photo might often be an accurate representation of the property at the time of sale, there are many things you can’t determine from an MLS photo or the Listing agent’s comments.
When you buy a house, you should be aware that there will likely be appraisers taking photos of it for up to a year. I always let people know what I’m doing when they see me taking photos of their home, particularly if there are kids out in the yard.
While you may think 7 months or a year is a long time, I’ll bet that the value of property you bought hasn’t changed measurably since last fall - so it is probably still a reliable indicator of value (”comparable sale”) for nearby homes of similar size, age, condition, style and appeal. Lets face it, there just ain’t that many “comps” of any kind in the t/o Wales, or Holland or wherever you are.
So many types of appraisals require comp photos (refi’s, Purchase Mortgages, home equity loans, appraisal reviews, assesment challenges, matrimonial issues, estate valuation, etc). While there are lots of appraisals being conducted all the time, there are a limited number of comps. So Rest assurred, it is appraisers taking photos.
April 23rd, 2008 at 5:10 pm
This does make me feel better! It would have been a nice thing to know from our Realtors. I really don’t mind if people take pics, I just wanted to know why! New Mother paranoia kicking in, I guess!
Thanks, everyone for alleviating some of my fears! Now what can you tell me about Epidurals or C-Sections?