Brought to you from Ohio based home inspection company of Habitation Investigation. Information helpful to agents and buyers. Conversations with professionals and entrepreneurs regarding their stories and what makes their companies and themselves stand out and gain competitive advantages. Listen to stories from Ohio real estate agents and related businesses to help you know how to improve and who to consider using for yourself or friends. Created by the owners of a highly rated home inspection company in Ohio and the Winners of Best Home Inspection Company in the Midwest https://homeinspectionsinohio.com/
Security cameras feel like a smart upgrade until they start scaring off the very people you want to impress. We dig into a recent LendingTree study on home showings and surveillance, and the stats are more alarming than most sellers expect: many buyers worry they’re being watched or listened to, some stop talking strategy altogether, and a noticeable chunk simply walks out or never submits an offer.
We also unpack the messy reality behind recording laws, using Ohio’s one-party consent rules to explain why “it’s legal” can still turn into a negotiation and trust disaster. The bigger issue isn’t just legality, it’s leverage. If buyers think you can hear their budget, their repair concerns, or their offer plan, they don’t relax, they don’t imagine living there, and they don’t engage the way motivated buyers need to. That shift can cost you money, time, and clean negotiations.
You’ll hear practical, low-effort fixes that protect your home while protecting the deal: turning off audio, covering lenses on hardwired cameras, leaving a simple note to signal respect, and even where buyers should stand to talk so a doorbell camera can’t capture strategy. If you sell, buy, or work in real estate, this is the kind of modern showing etiquette that can decide whether an offer happens at all. Subscribe, share this with a friend who’s listing soon, and leave a review with your take: should cameras be off during showings and inspections?
Sure, they published a study. And it had some interesting information regarding uh security systems and cameras in the houses.
SPEAKER_03
And I will have to say, this actually really surprised me, given where everything is going in this day and age, that the the statistics came back like they did.
SPEAKER_01
Yeah. No, security cameras, they're common. They're everywhere. We got some here at our house, and actually I have more coming. Coming because I I want to keep track of stuff.
SPEAKER_03
Well, and part of ours though is we have to make sure that we don't have animals getting into the chickens. Like that's correct. I I've got cameras on my chickens.
SPEAKER_01
You got your chicken, we got a couple guineas. We want to make well, if something's going on, we want to know if there's is there's a raccoon.
SPEAKER_03
I mean there was for a while.
SPEAKER_01
There was. I may have to take out a raccoon. We won't see what's going on. But we have we've had nothing lately, so that's good. But still, security cameras against humans, whatever may be wandering up here. Not likely ever come up to where we're at.
But anyway, sellers. So Lindetry had came out of the study, and it the title was Could Your Security Cameras Be Costing You an Offer? And some of the stats they came up with was that 50%, 56% of recent sellers had recorded devices active in their house during their showings.
SPEAKER_03
Now, Ohio, let me let me clarify this for some people. Ohio is technically a one-party state in regards to recording. So as long as one person in that conversation knows that they are being recorded, it's legal. However, during a real estate transaction, that gives the side another, like a leg up, like they know what the offer is going to be or they know how to counter or they can plan. That is actually illegal. And there's a gray area with that. So maybe illegal, but definitely take into account the fact that if you've got people walking around your house and you're recording them, you are not part of the conversation. You're not part of being recorded. And so subsequently, that does not fall under the protection for the law for the state of Ohio for recording.
SPEAKER_01
Correct. So you so it depends on what state you're in. Check that out. Double check. You may be a record people, you may not be. Um, as long as one person who is in that conversation that you're recording, as long as they know there's a recording device active, you're if it's a one-party state, you're cool with that. If it's not, if you're the seller and you're maybe have cameras, but maybe no sound, I don't know. You would be okay because they're checking make sure there's nothing really crazy going on, but you're not eavesdropping on their conversation.
SPEAKER_03
And that I think is when it becomes the gray area when when they have the audio of it.
SPEAKER_01
But anyway, Lenin Tree found that 56% of sellers had a device active. 64% of the buyers worried that sellers were watching or listening.
SPEAKER_03
Which is a pretty high percentage.
SPEAKER_01
That is, that is, and then 22% of the buyers avoided discussing their budget or offer strategy because of those security cameras.
SPEAKER_03
Right. This is the one that I like. 19% of potential buyers of a house actually left the showing because of recording devices, and then 18% of clients skipped actually making an offer because of a recording device.
Yes. So look at it this way. There's what I look at. And I don't know they still do it anymore, but they used to tell the listing agent or and well, the listing agent will then tell their seller, hey, make some sugar, make some chocolate chip cookies, bake sugar cookies that way when the potential buyer gets there, it smells good, they got relaxed, comfortable feeling. I mean, who doesn't feel who doesn't feel like relaxed and comfortable when they when they smell chocolate chip cookies or ice cream, pie? I I feel better when there's pie around. Anyway, you know what is when the house is like.
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, cinnamon rolls.
SPEAKER_01
Fantastic. The house smell good. But so because you want people to have a nice, they feel relaxed in that house.
SPEAKER_03
Yeah, because if they're going in and they think that they're being watched and they think they're being listened to, they're not gonna be comfortable. If you want someone comfortable in that house because you want to sell it, that's the opposite of what you want to do.
SPEAKER_01
Yes, because some people again they they they don't feel relaxed because they're being watched. I wouldn't. And some people are very camera shy. I am so if they know there's a camera, even though they can't see a red light or anything on, they don't always have red light to tell that the recording or on. So that makes people not feel relaxed and comfortable in the house that would maybe potentially be their future home. Nobody wants to live in a house they don't feel comfortable in.
SPEAKER_02
Right.
SPEAKER_01
So that reduced the offers. I mean, look here we got 90 19% left the showing because the recording device there.
SPEAKER_03
Well, and I'm thinking, you know, 18% skipped making an offer. I think that's a different category with different people. So you're looking at 37% that walked because of a camera.
SPEAKER_01
Maybe those two stats could could overlap.
SPEAKER_03
They could be overlapping, but if they're not, that's pretty high.
SPEAKER_01
But what for well look at this? 64% were worried that the sub were watching or listening. All right, so 64% have a feeling of unease because they're being watched, because of the cameras, and you want your potential buyer to feel relaxed and good at the house.
Habitation investigation is the way to go for a home inspection in Ohio. Trusted licensed home inspectors for your needs. From radon to malt to warranty. For a great home inspection, you really can't go. Visit home inspections in Ohio.com.
SPEAKER_03
Well, and here's one of my questions, though. The seller knows they're selling their house. Why would you have cameras on during a real estate transaction during during like during the showing? Not not in the showing. I can see the showing, maybe, maybe. But not during the show.
SPEAKER_01
Let's talk about showing out during the show. Oh, that's show.
SPEAKER_03
I was thinking like the home inspection. You you wouldn't want to do that either because we've heard that and we've heard where sellers have listened and then made comments on things that they heard during the inspection.
SPEAKER_01
Well, I I heard one story where the seller was down the road listening to the conversations, and then when he heard something that he thought was incorrect, drove down to the house to correct something, supposedly.
SPEAKER_02
I'd have left.
SPEAKER_01
Proven that he's listening to the conversation. He's lucky to get sued.
SPEAKER_02
I I I would if I were those buyers, I would have left.
SPEAKER_01
If you're the seller and you hear something wrong on your recording device, shut the up. You just yeah, it's shut the fuck up Friday, dude, because listen, you're gonna get in trouble just for listening. So don't don't do that. And here's what I understand for people, all right. We gotta shut up, we gotta home inspection. All right, do you
really want to take down the camera? Because some of them are hardwired in. There's effort getting involved with that.
SPEAKER_03
Well, if they're hardwired in, are they staying with the house? And if that's the case, then you just turn it off and you say, Okay, they've been turned off for this.
SPEAKER_01
Maybe, maybe, or here's what I would do put a piece of paper over the camera. Okay, and put a little note on it that says, hey, the camera's off for the time of your inspection.
SPEAKER_02
Right.
SPEAKER_01
And just perfect. To me, that is the seller showing consideration for you. And uh and when when the showing's over, whatever, the inspection they just they just take the paper off. I mean, they can keep the camera on, but they cover the lens. Say the lens is covered, or or just write it wherever you want on the note. Yeah. Just tell them, hey, the sound is off, he's turned off during the inspection time. Whatever. You want the people to be comfortable. That's the main goal of that. So you could do that and not be too worried about uh you know, making people feel uncomfortable to the point where they're not gonna want your house because they they're in this house and they feel creepy.
unknown
Yeah.
SPEAKER_01
Well, Mary, there's that one house above fountain, the one that has it was haunted. I am serious.
SPEAKER_03
They actually called me during that inspection.
SPEAKER_01
There was like there was a shadow creature, shallow man. There was something something. You creeped out. I was there by myself, and every time I looked, there's something just outside my peripheral vision on the side that it was the size of a human, it was weird. I heard him got out of there.
SPEAKER_04
Yes, you did. That was probably the fastest inspection you did.
SPEAKER_01
No, I was there easy two hours. The the buyer came, then she left. I was there all alone again. Like, all right, that was good.
SPEAKER_04
I kind of finish this up.
SPEAKER_01
But listen, if a person feels uncomfortable in that house, they're not gonna make an offer. No, because then they can't see themselves wanting to live someplace where they're not gonna be uh relaxed.
SPEAKER_03
You want them to be able to come in and go, oh, Aunt Betsy's uh Bureau would go perfectly there, or Mary's hutch would go great there. You want them to envision their belongings in the house so that they want to buy it and that they're willing to work with you on that. And if they're uncomfortable, if they're not happy, if they think you're eavesdropping or trying to take advantage of them, they're gone.
SPEAKER_01
So for sellers and listing agents, remove the cameras if you if you can do that easily. If not, put a piece of paper covering up the lens, yeah, and maybe a note saying, hey, we're cameras off during the during for for your time here during the inspection. You're something like you know, whatever you want to make the buyer feel comfortable being there. Now, if you're lying about it, they will probably never know, to be honest, unless you start to talk about their conversations. Now you're busted. Now you're busted.
SPEAKER_02
You're in trouble.
SPEAKER_01
Yes. So, but I I would I would cover up the cameras and have a little note and say, hey, cameras are off for your during your inspection time. Do something like that.
SPEAKER_03
I think that'd be quite leave a plate of cookies for the inspector and the clients.
SPEAKER_01
Yes, yes, that's not that's not bribery, that's making sure we have energy to keep a uh straight mind because brain takes a lot of glucose to operate, it really does.
SPEAKER_03
Especially when it's used to running on cookies and pie.
SPEAKER_01
Yes. So, all right, so I think that's it on this one. But your cameras, I get it. Um security cameras are important nowadays and they're everywhere, so people should be getting a little bit more used to it. But man, when they're touring your house, you want them to be relaxed, feel comfortable, feel like they can have private conversations, so shut the cameras off or cover them.
SPEAKER_03
Make sure people know, make make sure that they know that they're welcome in your home. That's the that that's what it is. They're welcome
Yes. So I start to say listen agent and sellers, cover those up. If you are the buyer or the buyer's agent, you know, be aware they they could be listening in on you. So I I would have your discussions outside away from cameras, not in front of the ring doorbell, because they can still hear that stuff as well.
SPEAKER_04
That could also be recorded, not just heard, but recorded.
SPEAKER_01
Yes, yes, so just just be careful. But uh, yeah, you gotta it's it's out, it's out nowadays. There's always all kind of weird stuff that people can see that back in the 80s, no, that never happened. It wasn't gonna happen. You only you only had security cameras in uh high-end stores. So, all right, that's it on this one. Thank you, everybody. Bye bye.
