Imagine bringing someone along to tour a house for sale—the place is nice, but your companion isn’t a fan of it, criticizing the maintenance and raising concerns about some water issues. They even declare that they wouldn’t take the house even if someone gave it to them for free. But despite their protestations, you decide to make an offer on the home anyway... only to be immediately rejected.
It turns out that the private chat you were having wasn’t so private after all. Because the homeowner had security cameras installed, they could hear every word. This is a scenario that Kori Sassower, a principal agent at Compass, is all too familiar with—because it happened when one of her clients brought their parents to a showing.
“A seller’s emotional attachment to their home can be just as powerful as their interest in the offer,” Sassower tells House Beautiful. “The parents thought they were having a private family discussion; the seller felt they were insulting a home they loved.”
In an age where Ring doorbells, Flock cameras, and general neighborhood surveillance are becoming the norm in cities and towns across the United States, this has become the reality of homebuying. Before even pulling into the driveway, real estate agents are warning their clients not to say anything about the house—not the good, bad, or ugly—until they all get back into the car in case someone’s listening or watching.
“The two sentences I never want a seller to hear are ‘This is the one’ and ‘We could go higher,’” explains luxury Palm Beach real estate advisor Greg Forest. “Those are the most expensive words in real estate, and the front step is exactly where they get said.”
While the act of home buying has always been methodical, Forest says you now have to treat it like a game of poker: Don’t ever talk about the negotiation strategy, don’t announce your maximum, and never wax poetic about a home. And if you do have something to say, write it down or text it to your realtor for later.
That’s what Denver-based licensed realtor Tamara Mattox-Kabat tells her clients to do.
“I treat every showing as though a camera could be present.” And she’s right to: over 60 percent of U.S. households have at least one security camera, according to SafeHome.org. This is up from 52 percent in 2024 and 42 percent in 2023. “A video doorbell is standard now. At the top of the market, a full system with its own room is the norm rather than the exception,” adds Forest.
As these devices become more common, real estate agents are having to adapt their practices. Sassower requires all buyers to sign an audio disclosure acknowledging the possibility that someone is likely listening, while Mattox-Kabat contacts the listing agent prior to the walkthrough to verify whether there are any recording devices or cameras present.
In certain states, though, a disclosure that someone’s being watched and listened to is legally required, such as in Florida where Forest and other luxury agent Allison Freeman are based.
“Florida requires consent from everyone in a private conversation before it is recorded, so a seller listening in is taking on real exposure,” Forest explains. “Every seller should ask their own attorney about their own setup.” For Freeman, who mostly shows vacation rentals, cameras aren’t allowed inside the home at all, but when she’s showing a primary or second home, she has to assume there are cameras watching.
“I was once showing a house and mentioned to my client that I'd spotted cameras. He loved the house, so I was surprised when he made a point of loudly announcing that it was overpriced, and by exactly how much,” Freeman says. “That number was really just what he hoped to get it for. I don't think that approach serves a buyer well.”
None of these professionals, however, are anti-camera, and they wouldn’t tell a client who’s selling a home to take them down or turn them off if they’re outside.
“If a home is vacant, I’m comfortable with sellers keeping security cameras on for protection. The key is transparency,” Mattox-Kabat explains. “Security is one thing; using surveillance as part of the negotiation is another.”
Once the cameras and audio devices are on the inside, though, that’s where they draw the line. Not only can a seller get their feelings hurt, which will likely affect negotiations, but it’s extremely invasive for the potential buyers and can hurt the pace of the sale.
“Buyers who feel watched move fast, and a buyer who rushes does not fall for a house,” Forest says.
It’s easy to feed into our innate curiosity, especially when the tools are in place, but in instances like these, these experts feel it really doesn’t do anyone any good.
