Someone taking pictures of my house

[Carly_Roach]

They didn't exactly lie... it could have been a misunderstanding, a wrong address, anything!

I actually had this happen to me a few months ago, and I posted a thread about it.

For two days, two different cars with two different people came and parked on the street and took pictures of our house. Well, actually, the second guy did a drive-by, and then sped off!

I never saw anyone again after that. Everyone on here told me they were probably taking pictures of my house because another house sold and we were a comp. Lo and behold, a few houses DID sell around that time, so I totally believe that is what it was.

As the wife of a police officer, I know I wouldn't have called the police unless they harrassed me, came on my property and wouldn't leave, or broke into my house. Because, what are they going to do? Both men were brown haired, taller, driving I couldn't even remember what kind of car... as for license plates? The police could do nothing since I had nothing to give them to work with.

I am still alive to tell you about it, too!

Most of the time people taking pictures of houses are likely to be insurance adjusters, banks/title companies or realtors looking for comps. And when asked these people usually identify themselves as such. Then you have people who might like the look of a house in a particular light and want to capture that image (that would be me).

What the OP was concerned about was that a neighbor reported to her that someone was taking pictures of her house and said "that" house (which I'm presuming to mean her house) is in foreclosure, which the OP knows to be not true. If the neighbor hadn't said anything to the OP and forgotten the incident, they might have remembered if the OP came home to a decimated interior with all her appliances, electronics and jewelry gone. To the neighbor, however, they had heard the house was in foreclosure and when the moving truck came up to the house it seemed normal.

My DH is ALSO a PO and it was from him that I learned of this particular tactic that theives use. Especially in Michigan where foreclosures and moving trucks are common. The OP did the right thing by alerting her PD.

Our police department asks that we report suspicious activity. If someone told one of my neighbors he was taking photos because my home was in foreclosure I would consider that suspicious.

I wouldn't call 911 but I would probably call the non-emergency number.

Exactly.

I guess I'm in the minority because I would not be the least bit alarmed. I'm stunned that people actually call the police over things like this

Probably because you have never heard of thieves using this ruse to rob people's homes while they are away. Now you know.

Photographer did not say "your home is in foreclosure." He said, "that home is in foreclosure." Which can be taken simply as an attempt to disengage or prevent a confrontation with someone who may be butting into photographer's business.

Ok, so now the police are aware. What does that do? No one did anything against any laws. There is nothing police can do about anything currently.

I'm only trying to show it in a different perspective. As a photographer, when I'm taking a photo of something (can be anything), I don't want the hassle of someone coming up to me and giving me a hard time because they are suspicious. If I say I'm photographing this house for whatever reason, there is a possibility of a confrontation that I don't want. If I tell them the house is being foreclosed, it is done with and I am left alone by some stranger that I don't know who came up to me not from the subject that I am looking at.

Again, just another perspective I'm putting out there.

So what you are doing is lying about someone you don't know in order to save yourself a little inconvenience. Now that neighbor can tell the rest of the neighborhood that whomever lives in that house is behind on their bills to the point of being in foreclosure and it's no wonder the way they live high on the hog and can afford to go to WDW every year because I guess they've declared bankruptcy.

And all along the innocent person in the house (the one YOU are photographing BTW) has no clue that your lie has just turned him or her into someone who may be ashamed to find out that their neighbors are gossiping about a non-existent foreclosure. There would be no way they could stop any rumors, even if they tried to put things right and not everyone in their neighborhood is going to believe that these people were NEVER in danger of foreclosure.

All because you, some stranger who wanted something - even if it was something as simple as a photograph - from this person you've never met, didn't want to be inconvenienced.

To me, that's appalling and shameful.

 

[mrodgers]

I was speaking generically. Personally, I don't agree with many of the photgraphy "first amendment rights" stuff, but was just giving an example of what could go on if said person was just photographing the house within his rights to photograph it. I would not and do not want my home and personal property photographed either, but there would be nothing I could do about it unless the person entered my property (tresspassing.) I read a lot about photographers being harrassed because they are utilizing that first amendment right and how much it annoys them when they get harrassed (some wacko running across or down the street to yell and harrass the photographer because he was standing in public photographing something.)

 

[Becky2005]

I guess I'm in the minority because I would not be the least bit alarmed. I'm stunned that people actually call the police over things like this

I'm not stunned they call. The stories I've heard from my DH since my FIL was an appraiser is one reason you couldn't pay me enough to do any of those types of jobs that need to be done. People would rather shoot first, ask questions later.

And in several of the cases, 1/2 the time the house that was being photographed was the one that were doing something that needed the appraisal in the first place (refinancing, getting prepared to sell, etc...).

 

[sbell111]

I would definately call the police because the person taking the picture lied!

Perhaps they lied. Perhaps Ms Kravitz simply got the story wrong when she reported it to the OP. Either way, neither taking a picture nor 'lying' is against the law. Lock your doors, communicate with your neighbors, and move on with your life.

Coincidentally, my wife and I took a drive around town checking out the flood damage yesterday evening. Our tour ended in a subdivision that Cathy has become enamoured with and she spotted the perfect house. It had lots of features that Cathy loved and only one downside. It wasn't on the market. She took a pic.

Regarding the 'lying' thing. 'Truth' can be situational. Often times, a person could be spending his/her day when someone out of the blue asks them a question that really is none of their business. Sometimes, a lie serves to most conveniently disengage from this type of individual. That being said, I'm not at all convinced that the photog in question did lie.

 

[Deb in IA]

I agree that neither taking a picture of your house nor lying about a foreclosure is a reportable offense.

A guy came to our door last weekend. He had some 16 x 24 inch aerial photos he had taken of our house and the adjoining acreage and ponds. He was trying to sell them to us - for $189!!!

I told him no. But I didn't call the police.

 

[Heidict]

So what you are doing is lying about someone you don't know in order to save yourself a little inconvenience. Now that neighbor can tell the rest of the neighborhood that whomever lives in that house is behind on their bills to the point of being in foreclosure and it's no wonder the way they live high on the hog and can afford to go to WDW every year because I guess they've declared bankruptcy.

And all along the innocent person in the house (the one YOU are photographing BTW) has no clue that your lie has just turned him or her into someone who may be ashamed to find out that their neighbors are gossiping about a non-existent foreclosure. There would be no way they could stop any rumors, even if they tried to put things right and not everyone in their neighborhood is going to believe that these people were NEVER in danger of foreclosure.

All because you, some stranger who wanted something - even if it was something as simple as a photograph - from this person you've never met, didn't want to be inconvenienced.

To me, that's appalling and shameful.

To me, what is sad and appalling is the fact that you have some horrible neighbors. I can't imagine living in a neighborhood like that. Nothing but a bunch of gossiping ninnys.

Photographer did not say "your home is in foreclosure." He said, "that home is in foreclosure." Which can be taken simply as an attempt to disengage or prevent a confrontation with someone who may be butting into photographer's business.

Ok, so now the police are aware. What does that do? No one did anything against any laws. There is nothing police can do about anything currently.

I'm only trying to show it in a different perspective. As a photographer, when I'm taking a photo of something (can be anything), I don't want the hassle of someone coming up to me and giving me a hard time because they are suspicious. If I say I'm photographing this house for whatever reason, there is a possibility of a confrontation that I don't want. If I tell them the house is being foreclosed, it is done with and I am left alone by some stranger that I don't know who came up to me not from the subject that I am looking at.

Again, just another perspective I'm putting out there.

mrodgers- Were you any where in the Charlotte, NC area this morning?

 

[dhcoffey]

There's a reason people are uncomfortable with strangers taking pictures of their home. Its rude. A vehicle taking pictures for assessment should be properly marked ditto those from the insurance company. Anyone else should knock on the door and ask.


My husband is an appraiser and he owns his own company and drives a personal vehicle for that job. It's not marked with anything saying his company name or what he does for a living. He's certainly not going to go around and knock on the doors of every house he's using as a comp, just doesn't have time. He never even gets out of his car, just stops in the street and snaps a picture. Nothing wrong with that.

Heather

 

[ginna74]

it isn't illegal to take pictures of houses or lying, it isn't nice, but not illegal.

 

[IluvKingLouis]

Well, I may soon be taking pictures of houses but that's because I'd like to find a paint combo that's OK with our HOA. If asked, I would gladly explain.

The only other thing I could think of, are the folks that take pictures for Googles street view. If I were doing that, I'd be afraid to admit it as most folks see it as an invasion of privacy. But I wouldn't make up a foreclosure story.

 

[klj27]

The reason to alert the authorities is not because it is illegal, but because it is suspicious. I would suspect that most enforcement would rather work towards crime prevention than crime investigation.

 

[ZachnElli]

I would call the police too. And much like the OP they appreciated the call, and told us they were glad for the call on such a small issue, so they could nip it in the bud quickly and easily before it grew into an expensive problem.

There's a reason people are uncomfortable with strangers taking pictures of their home. Its rude. A vehicle taking pictures for assessment should be properly marked ditto those from the insurance company. Anyone else should knock on the door and ask.



.

I worked for an insurance agent and when we wrote a new policy or an underwriter wanted a picture, I would go out and do it. I used my own car and it did not have anything marked on it. I got paid by the hour, they were NOT going to be marking my car!!

 

[Colleen27]

If you just moved into your house in January, it probably was a comp picture. A recently purchased house is exactly what they would be looking for for a comp to support somone else's refinancing/purchase on a similar property. The lying piece doesn't make sense, though.

The lying piece could just be second- or third-hand information at work, though. There was a man pictures of our home a few months ago and when I asked he said it has something to do with a foreclosure. No more information than that, and he wasn't really interested in chatting, but from watching which homes he photographed I gathered who he was. A neighbor was negotiating a short sale of her home, and he was taking pictures of the two similar homes in the neighborhood that sold recently (ours included) and her house, probably so the bank could evaluate whether the offer was reasonable.

I've known people who do that kind of work, they'll get a laundry list of homes to take exterior pictures of with little/no details about which are foreclosures, which are comps, which are short sales, etc. It is all farmed out to freelancers/independent contractors who telecommute, and often the communication is minimal beyond the bank/property management company e-mailing a list of addresses and the photographer e-mailing back the requested pictures.

Vigilance is good and it can't hurt to report something suspicious, but odds are you have nothing to worry about.

 

[kimmar067]

To me, what is sad and appalling is the fact that you have some horrible neighbors. I can't imagine living in a neighborhood like that. Nothing but a bunch of gossiping ninnys....

...they must be related to MY neighbors...

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Our police department asks that we report suspicious activity. If someone told one of my neighbors he was taking photos because my home was in foreclosure I would consider that suspicious. We have had people take photos from our insurance company. We have had the creepy Cook County Digital Photography Project van roll down our street. Both those made sense. I would be wary of someone who either lied to my neighbor or was taking photos of the wrong house. I wouldn't call 911 but I would probably call the non-emergency number.

You are right - if I lived in xxxxxxxxxx too (with their racial problems and crime issues) I might have to report it.

 

[freckles and boo]

You are right - if I lived in ______________ too (with their racial problems and crime issues) I might have to report it.

Seriously? How much time have you spent here?

ETA -

If I wanted my village noted I would have listed it myself. I don't know the 200,000 plus people on the Dis personally but I do know my neighbors. The only trouble I have EVER had here in 13 years was with the old white guy on the corner who has a problem with booze.

 

[Colleen27]

Coincidentally, my wife and I took a drive around town checking out the flood damage yesterday evening. Our tour ended in a subdivision that Cathy has become enamoured with and she spotted the perfect house. It had lots of features that Cathy loved and only one downside. It wasn't on the market. She took a pic.

I do that all the time. Last year, we bought an old Folk Victorian style home that is in good shape but has unfortunately been "modernized" on the exterior (sometime in the 70s, with aluminum siding and those cheesy metal railings). When we're walking around our town or driving around a neighboring community that has many similar homes, I often take pictures of a porch or gingerbread or color scheme I want to show DH. But I'm more than happy to tell people why I'm taking pictures and I've found that in return most people are more than happy to tell me all about their own restoration/upkeep projects on their historic homes.

I have a whole binder full of porches and railings and arbors and house numbers and gardens and fences and other Victorian details that caught my eye, and many of them are accompanied by things the owner mentioned, like a particular store or brand that has the right style items.

 

[chicagodisneyfan]

Seriously? How much time have you spent here?

Quite a lot actually and enough to know I would never live there.

 

[freckles and boo]

Quite a lot actually and enough to know I would never live there.

Interesting.

 

[Aisling]

.

Ok, so now the police are aware. What does that do? No one did anything against any laws. There is nothing police can do about anything currently.


Again, just another perspective I'm putting out there.

I understand and appreciate your perspective as a photographer. The way I see it, even though the police can't do anything about it, their job is to keep records of suspicious.unusual activity in the area they pastrol which may be useful down the line in the future if something scaamful does arise. Just having it in their files is enough for me.

I guess I'm in the minority because I would not be the least bit alarmed. I'm stunned that people actually call the police over things like this

Did the person call the 911 emergency number or the local precinct? We can't be naive and believe that every suspicious action not usual to a neighborhood is benign. That's part of their job...not just to go arresting criminals, but to keep tabs on the neighborhood for the betterment of the community. It was probably nothing, but I like to be cooperative with the police when it comes to where i live and raise my family. I wouldn't lose sleep over it, but I'd feel better that the police knew about it, that's all.

 

[santa's surpriz]

I usually don't post much on the community board, but this caught my eye. It may possible that another house is in foreclosure and not the OP and they are getting pics to establish comps. I work in banking and when I review appraisals, there are comps inlcuding value, descriptions and pics.

On another note I have a friend that has a growing insurance company and when he bought a retiring agent's book of business he hired a photographer to takes pics for the homeowners policies.

I would file a police report and have the neighbor include a statement bc if it were someone casing your home and you did have vandalism or a break in, it would be helpful.