southernm Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 So we are sitting in our hs room working. The room is in our living room so I have full view of the street. I see a man in a suv speed in front of our house and take pictures of the street in front of him. He then turns and sticks the camera out the window and takes a picture of our house. He drives past our house, turns around (corner lot) and drives past our house again this time taking a picture of the house across from us. Then he speeds off in the direction he came. I wasn't paying attention to him the first time so I don't know if he was taking pictures of the houses down the road too. What on earth could this person be doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 (edited) My Dad has done something like that. When we were last on a long family trip (24 hour drive away from home). He drove up the the house we use to live in. Stuck the camera out of the car, took the picture of the house, did the same to the house of our old neighbor. Then drove off. We had not lived in that house for 20 years. Well a person was outside an saw him do it, and jumped in his car and followed us. After a couple minutes my Dad pulled over and so did that guy. He jumped out of his car and came up to my Dad and started questioning him. After explaining himself my Dad left, and the guy followed us to make sure we were in fact leaving town. He didn't follow to long. (We were on our way home so had 24 hours of driving ahead of us) Yes I found my Dad's desire to have a picture of the house we lived in 20 years ago. ETA: I felt creepy being in the car when my Dad did this. But I was not expecting it. The house was just a minute drive off the road we were driving on. It happened quickly, and I didn't know what to say. He would have looked just like the person mentioned by the OP. He just likes what I consider weird pictures. He has boxes full of photos such as , "The underside of the sink from 6 angles, taken during repair work" or a box of photos of places he had been to when a kid, .... This was pictures not taken as a kid, but 10 to 30 years later. Edited September 25, 2012 by Julie Smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Mungo Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I had this happen once. It did feel creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 My Dad has done something like that. When we were last on a long family trip (24 hour drive away from home). He drove up the the house we use to live in. Stuck the camera out of the car, took the picture of the house, did the same to the house of our old neighbor. Then drove off. We had not lived in that house for 20 years. Well a person was outside an saw him do it, and jumped in his car and followed us. After a couple minutes my Dad pulled over and so did that guy. He jumped out of his car and came up to my Dad and started questioning him. After explaining himself my Dad left, and the guy followed us to make sure we were in fact leaving town. He didn't follow to long. (We were on our way home so had 24 hours of driving ahead of us) Yes I found my Dad's desire to have a picture of the house we lived in 20 years ago. Hmmm I don't think that's it. There has only been one other owner in the house. Our neighborhood is less than 10 years old. There is a ton of new construction going on. My best guess is it's someone trying to decide on which house plan or landscaping but I'm still creeped out. I wish I had seen him coming. I was about to run outside and yell at him but he was really speeding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Sounds creepy and I wouldn't like it either, but it's probably something as innocuous as a real estate agent getting pictures of "like" homes to estimate Fair Market Value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 That same thing happened to us just a few months ago. Even if the reason is legit, like for insurance or appraisal value, I find it odd that they wouldn't knock and let us know what they were doing. As soon as I stepped foot outside, they burned rubber out of the driveway. Very strange and creepy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Hmmm I don't think that's it. There has only been one other owner in the house. Our neighborhood is less than 10 years old. There is a ton of new construction going on. My best guess is it's someone trying to decide on which house plan or landscaping but I'm still creeped out. I wish I had seen him coming. I was about to run outside and yell at him but he was really speeding. My Dad would also sometimes offer us photos taken in a similar creepy fashion. "I was in your old neighborhood so I drove past were your house use to be. I took these pictures so you can see what it was made into (a nice mini condo/house". So if you guys lived in Canada, you could blame my Dad for all the creepy photo taking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mama_Rana Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 My guess would be an appraiser getting pics of similar houses for "like value" homes, but don't they usually pick houses that have sold within the last 12 months? I have been known to take pics of houses where I like the landscaping to keep for my ideas file. And I did take a pic of the home I grew up in when I drove through that town a few years ago. But when the owners came out, I did explain to them why I was doing it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alicia64 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Sounds creepy and I wouldn't like it either, but it's probably something as innocuous as a real estate agent getting pictures of "like" homes to estimate Fair Market Value. I didn't think that this would be the way Realtors would get comparables. But maybe. . . I'd contact the police and ask them what they think. Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Sounds creepy and I wouldn't like it either, but it's probably something as innocuous as a real estate agent getting pictures of "like" homes to estimate Fair Market Value. I bet you are right!! I'm going to make myself think that! We also have lots of houses for sale. I'm going with that explanation lol. I'm still left with that creeped out feeling though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 My Dad would also sometimes offer us photos taken in a similar creepy fashion. "I was in your old neighborhood so I drove past were your house use to be. I took these pictures so you can see what it was made into (a nice mini condo/house". So if you guys lived in Canada, you could blame my Dad for all the creepy photo taking. We did just move here from Ontario! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Most likely a property appraiser. They don't waste time asking, they just shoot the pictures and leave. He was probably speeding to avoid being questioned or just speeding to get it done in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 We did just move here from Ontario! Where is "here". (I'm not trying to get details to take pictures of your house, province or state is detailed enough for my curiosity - or even country if you are hiding from creepy car picture taking people) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 Where is "here". (I'm not trying to get details to take pictures of your house, province or state is detailed enough for my curiosity - or even country if you are hiding from creepy car picture taking people) I live in SE Michigan, halfway between Ann Arbor and Detroit. We moved from Belleville. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I didn't think that this would be the way Realtors would get comparables. But maybe. . . I'd contact the police and ask them what they think. Alley We got a whole folder of area houses, with pictures, when we've gone through appraisals. They got the pictures somehow :001_smile:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I live in SE Michigan, halfway between Ann Arbor and Detroit. We moved from Belleville. Ha! We moved from Ann Arbor. I'm certain that's what was going on. *pat, pat* rest assured. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Most likely a property appraiser. They don't waste time asking, they just shoot the pictures and leave. He was probably speeding to avoid being questioned or just speeding to get it done in a hurry. Yep. This happened to us once and I confronted the person. He was an appraiser. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SwallowTail Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Can also be something like google maps taking pictures of properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DianeW88 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Sounds creepy and I wouldn't like it either, but it's probably something as innocuous as a real estate agent getting pictures of "like" homes to estimate Fair Market Value. :iagree: Happens all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sneezyone Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 maybe it was google streetmapping. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2scouts Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Most likely a property appraiser. They don't waste time asking, they just shoot the pictures and leave. He was probably speeding to avoid being questioned or just speeding to get it done in a hurry. :iagree:Property appraisers do this all the time and they don't feel any need to ask the homeowner. Also, my dh is an architect and he takes pictures of houses he likes or houses with good (or really bad) architectural elements. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 When we were house hunting, we took pictures of houses we were interested and pictures of the neighborhoods so we could keep everything straight. We did this without the real estate agent since we wanted to quickly rule in or out certain houses or neighborhoods before going around with an agent for closer looks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FeFe Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 maybe it was google streetmapping. Usually their vehicle is very recognizable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissad2 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 Can also be something like google maps taking pictures of properties. That's what I first imagined :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie75 Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I took photos of a few random houses that I liked when we were planning our front landscaping. My DH is very visual, so I had to show him exactly what I liked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myeightkiddies Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I've seen this before when I lived in Florida. It's really an odd sight to see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southernm Posted September 25, 2012 Author Share Posted September 25, 2012 I didn't get the house hunting or google vibe. This guy was alone and in very much a hurry. He was using a small point and shoot camera. If I thought it was google I would have run outside and waved!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 The google stuff creeps me out to be honest. One of the images has my child in it. Another is so recent it shows changes made to the house and property this summer. Our tax assessors regularly take pictures of properties for their purposes. Sometimes it is every house, sometimes just one or 2 if someone has asked for their property to be reassessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 maybe it was google streetmapping. Google's cars have car-mounted cameras, like this one. It's not some guy sticking his head out the window. (Edited to delete image) I don't think it's creepy to take a picture of the house you grew up in. If I did it, though, I'd knock on the door first and chat with the current owners. I'd ask them as a courtesy if they minded my taking a picture. If nobody was home, though, I'd snap away. I've had people do the same at two houses I've lived in and once in California my whole extended family visited the old family home. They invited us in for a tour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmos Posted September 25, 2012 Share Posted September 25, 2012 I took photos of a few random houses that I liked when we were planning our front landscaping. My DH is very visual, so I had to show him exactly what I liked. Someone took a picture of our garden once. I couldn't believe it, as I'm a terrible gardener. But we did have a huge vegetable patch in our front yard in the middle of the city, and that's unusual, I guess. I just wish it had been better weeded that day! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Serenade Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 I drove around our neighborhood once taking pictures. It was while we were building out house, and we were, um, having issues with the homeowner's review board. So we took pictures to prove a certain point. I'm sure people thought we were weird, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Maybe Apple got tired of the complaints that their iOS6 mapping app doesn't have a street view, and are trying to do a quick and cheap patch. Point-and-shoot camera sounds about right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Most likely a property appraiser. They don't waste time asking, they just shoot the pictures and leave. He was probably speeding to avoid being questioned or just speeding to get it done in a hurry. This. Chatting with every homeowner he used for a comp would seriously cut down what he could accomplish in a day. Then they stood in the driveway and took a pic of themselves. These were not appraisers. There cannot be ANY people in the photos they send in with the report. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redsquirrel Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 There was a woman doing the same thing in my neighborhood and I ran out of the house and asked her what she was doing. She told me she worked for the city and was taking pictures for tax assessment purposes. To be honest, I don't live in a particularly nice neighborhood. It isn't dangerous, just sort of run down. I noticed she was taking pictures of cruddy roofs and broken gutters. She was very nice about it when I asked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 happened on our street a few years ago. I actually walked up to the car and asked whether i could help. It was real estate people, taking pics of the neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Can also be something like google maps taking pictures of properties. maybe it was google streetmapping. That's what I thought, but if you just moved, it could be appraisers also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Google's cars have car-mounted cameras, like this one. It's not some guy sticking his head out the window. Then I'd go with the appraiser. Seems more likely to do a quick pic and run. Google maps gets more photos of the street, anyway. Wondered how they got those shots--the camera on the car makes sense. Probably swivels around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shellers Posted September 26, 2012 Share Posted September 26, 2012 Two older women did this to me at our house before. The actually pulled into our driveway and were taking pictures. I went out to ask them what was going on (we live in the country). They told me their father had built our house and then they commented on how much work we had done to the place. We doubled the size of the house, and have planted lots of trees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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