Taking photos at house viewing?

mk_78

I'm going to be viewing a property soon, it's a resale shared ownership property and there are no photos or even room sizes on the HA website! By using streetview I've found what looks to be an identical house a few doors down and found an old rightmove ad for the identical property with photos so am fairly certain that the room sizes/layout is what I'm looking for, I know the area is good.

Is it rude to ask the vendor if I can take photos (just on my phone) as I'm viewing so that I can get opinions on whether I should go for this particular house as I'll be going to the viewing on my own. I realise that it's their home so not sure if it's rude/weird to ask to take photos?!

yoyoegg

I have asked for a flat I was buying. They were OK about it.

dotdash79

Ask beforehand but it shouldn't be a problem, just ask beforehand.

Just say that you are looking at a number of places and that you don't want to mix there loverly home with someone else's house that isn't as nice.

mk_78

Thanks, I would definitely ask - I wouldn't have just whipped my phone out and started snapping away! I just didn't know if it was something that was a no-no to even ask about for etiquette reasons

Lokolo

I asked when I was looking and the EA was reluctant unless they could see what I was photographing. Only because they didn't want me taking pictures of the vendor's underwear draw etc.

Davesnave

I asked if I could take a few photos if I was seriously interested. No one ever refused.

Indoors I'd just take wide angle shots, rather than go up close to things, which I think is the right etiquette if they've said "Yes." With a good lense, it doesn't matter!;)

I was looking at fairly large properties a good distance from where I was living, and I found it remarkable how many further questions the pictures raised. It really helped with focusing any second viewings.

jimbog

Taking a 'walk through' with a video helped me more

V_Chic_Chick

I've taken photos before on house viewings, and no one has ever objected when I asked.

However, I had a house viewing today (prospective tenants viewing my house) and they asked the letting agent if they could take photos, not me, despite the fact that I was stood right there?!

moneyistooshorttomention

I don't really get the point of photos personally. I'm just planning to view houses with a notebook and biro with me - and will be writing down points as I go, eg "sitting room - artex ceiling!" "dining room - patterned carpet" etc to then go back and mentally price up how much I would have to spend on the house to get it the way I want.

In reverse - I'm probably not the only vendor who would wonder why someone wanted to take a photo of their home and feel a bit "privacy invaded" about it. The estate agent will be doing all my viewings for me anyway (with instructions to tell me if any of the viewers whip out a camera - all the better to judge them as people by...:rotfl:). If I were there and they asked me - my feeling is that they wouldnt even try to notice the fact that my "agreement" to photos had been said through gritted "Don't they have any manners? One black mark against their name as a potential...". So - they'd have my "agreement" - but they'd still get that black mark against them (may not matter to them - but if I landed up getting two exactly equal potential buyers and one had "asked" for photos and one hadnt - I would accept the one who hadnt asked). I might be wrong in thinking they would possibly be the more considerate/better-mannered one - but I'll be searching for every little indicator to see who might be a decent/honourable buyer and who wouldnt and you take what "evidence" you can get to work that out if it comes to a choice...

Thinks - vision of a little tickbox list as to how to choose which buyer to take:

- asked for photos or no
- wiped feet on entering or, better still, asked if I wanted them to take their shoes off (yep....THEY would definitely get high priority buyer status if they asked that....)
- asked if they could open a kitchen cupboard, rather than just grabbing for the handle and doing so

Lolzicles

Yeah i took photos of the ones i was serious about. I still have them on my computer and sometimes look at the ones i nearly ended up with! Having also recently sold... i wouldnt have had a problem with it... then again in this climate if they'd have asked me to lend them £100 i would have if it meant they bought my damn house!

SternMusik

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

I don't really get the point of photos personally. I'm just planning to view houses with a notebook and biro with me - and will be writing down points as I go, eg "sitting room - artex ceiling!" "dining room - patterned carpet" etc to then go back and mentally price up how much I would have to spend on the house to get it the way I want.

In reverse - I'm probably not the only vendor who would wonder why someone wanted to take a photo of their home and feel a bit "privacy invaded" about it. The estate agent will be doing all my viewings for me anyway (with instructions to tell me if any of the viewers whip out a camera - all the better to judge them as people by...:rotfl:). If I were there and they asked me - my feeling is that they wouldnt even try to notice the fact that my "agreement" to photos had been said through gritted "Don't they have any manners? One black mark against their name as a potential...". So - they'd have my "agreement" - but they'd still get that black mark against them (may not matter to them - but if I landed up getting two exactly equal potential buyers and one had "asked" for photos and one hadnt - I would accept the one who hadnt asked). I might be wrong in thinking they would possibly be the more considerate/better-mannered one - but I'll be searching for every little indicator to see who might be a decent/honourable buyer and who wouldnt and you take what "evidence" you can get to work that out if it comes to a choice...

Thinks - vision of a little tickbox list as to how to choose which buyer to take:

- asked for photos or no
- wiped feet on entering or, better still, asked if I wanted them to take their shoes off (yep....THEY would definitely get high priority buyer status if they asked that....)
- asked if they could open a kitchen cupboard, rather than just grabbing for the handle and doing so

With all due respect but I find this attitude a little bit over-sensitive. Weed out buyers according to whether they want to take pictures or not? I think it is foolish to even consider spending several houndreds of thousands of pounds without having some visual reminders (i.e. photos) of the house to mull over. I viewed many houses when I was looking, and every house that I considered to be a contender I took photos of (after asking for permission obviously). I also took measurements at almost every viewing. To me these things are essential when comparing houses with each other, and with my list of requirements/nice-to-haves. I would like to think that I was a dream buyer for my vendor - well organised, finances in place, proceeding quickly.

When you sell your house your privacy is invaded anyway, so I don't see how that makes a big difference.