56% of Recent Home Sellers Used Recording Devices During Showings

Written by  Maggie Davis

Edited by  Dan Shepard

+ 1 More

Updated Jul 27, 2026

Buying a home (especially for the first time) has always felt high-stakes, but a LendingTree survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers suggests buyers may feel additional pressure as home surveillance becomes more common. 

A significant 56% of recent home sellers say recording devices were active during their most recent home sale or listing, and buyers are noticing. However, that awareness appears to influence buyer behavior, potentially adding another layer of stress to an already high-pressure process. 

Here’s a closer look.

Recording devices are common during home showings

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of Americans who’ve bought a home in the past five years say they’ve seen or suspected cameras, microphones or recording devices during a home tour. Among Americans who’ve sold a home in the past five years, 56% say recording devices were active during their most recent home sale or listing.

Many recent buyers have had some advance notice, with 69% saying they were warned that recording devices might be present.

Matt Schulz, LendingTree chief consumer finance analyst and author of “Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How to Take Control of Your Financial Life,” says cameras are something buyers should expect.

“Assume you’re on camera the moment you walk through the front door,” he says. “Whether you like it or not, that’s the safest assumption. With that in mind, it makes sense to wait until after you’ve left the property to have any conversations that you wouldn’t want heard by the seller. You don’t want to accidentally weaken your negotiating position. Legally, it gets complicated because recording laws vary by state, especially when audio is involved. Sellers should make sure they’re following state law, and buyers should know they may have fewer privacy expectations in someone else’s home than they might assume.”

Many would use devices themselves, but buyers have concerns

There’s a notable tension between how buyers feel about being recorded and what they say they’d do if the tables were turned. Nearly two-thirds of Americans (62%) say they’d be likely to keep recording devices active during showings if they were selling a home.

Parents and high earners are especially likely to say so, with 79% of those with children younger than 18 and 72% of six-figure earners saying they’d keep recording devices active as sellers. Younger adults are also more likely to say so, including 70% among Gen Zers ages 18 to 29 and 66% among millennials ages 30 to 45. 

Yet 64% of recent buyers say they’re at least somewhat concerned about sellers watching, listening to or recording them during home tours.

Schulz says the contrast isn’t surprising. “It’s all about perspective,” he says. “When you’re the seller, cameras feel like security. When you’re the buyer, they can feel like surveillance. Many sellers are thinking about protecting their home and belongings. Most buyers are wondering, ‘Is every word I say being used against me?’ Those are both understandable reactions.”

Possible recordings change buyer behavior

Cameras alter what buyers say and do inside homes. More than 1 in 5 recent buyers avoided discussing their budget or offer strategy (22%), hid their excitement about a home (22%) or avoided saying what they disliked (21%) because of concerns about being recorded.

Schulz says buyers are right to be concerned. “That’s because even small amounts of extra information can affect negotiations, and that’s not what any buyer wants,” he says. “The best and simplest solution is to just keep quiet while you’re in the house. During the showing, focus on evaluating the home. After the showing, discuss what it’s worth to you and how you want to negotiate, but do it well away from any recording devices.”

Cameras may change seller behavior, too

Cameras are often used for security, but buyers may have reason to be cautious because many sellers use the recordings to shape how they sell. Among the 89 recent sellers surveyed who had recording devices active during their most recent home sale or listing, the top reasons for using them were monitoring vacant property (61%), protecting the home or valuables (43%) and knowing who entered the home (42%). They also cited the following reasons:

Among those 89 sellers, 82% reviewed recordings after showings, and nearly half say what they saw influenced negotiations (45%), repairs or staging (43%) or pricing (35%).

Most sellers also say buyers were made aware of the recording devices. Among those 89 sellers, 85% say buyers were told recording devices might be active, and 82% say the cameras were very or somewhat obvious during showings.

For some recent buyers, cameras are a deal-breaker

Recording devices have prompted some recent buyers to end the homebuying process. Nearly 1 in 5 (19%) say they’ve left a showing because of recording devices, and 18% say they decided not to make an offer. More broadly, 34% of Americans say knowing recording equipment was used during a showing would make them less likely to submit an offer.

However, in a hypothetical where they found out they’d been secretly recorded during a home showing, 24% of Americans would still consider buying the home with no change — and 17% would still consider it but would trust the seller less. 

Schulz believes cameras matter, but they aren’t necessarily a reason to walk away. 

“If you’re uncomfortable about them, keep the tour brief and largely quiet and then share your thoughts and strategize elsewhere,” he says. “If the home is otherwise a great fit, I don’t think it makes sense to walk away over something that’s relatively easy to manage. However, if the presence of recording devices genuinely makes you uneasy, it’s OK to move on. Buying a home is a huge financial commitment, and you shouldn’t feel pressured into a situation that makes you uncomfortable.”

Staying financially focused during the buying process in the age of surveillance

When touring homes, it’s easy to get distracted by unexpected factors like security cameras or smart home devices. While those may make a showing feel uncomfortable, buyers should remember that the ultimate goal is finding a home that fits their budget, lifestyle and long-term financial plans. Consider these tips: 

Methodology

LendingTree commissioned QuestionPro to conduct an online survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers ages 18 to 80 from June 2 to 11, 2026. The survey was administered using a nonprobability-based sample, and quotas were used to help ensure the sample reflected the overall population. Researchers reviewed all responses for quality control.

We defined generations as the following ages in 2026: