People stopping in front of my house, taking notes and then drive away. (Tempe: sale, real estate)

[Bender772]

I recently bought a home in Tempe. Almost every day, I see someone in a car stop in front of my house, take notes for a minute and then drive away. It's not the same car or person, always different people. Does anyone know what this is about?

[LBTRS]

Probably best to approach one of them and ask what they are doing. Is it only your house they are interested in or are they looking at other houses in your neighborhood?

Could there still be an active real estate listing somewhere and prospective buyers are doing a drive-by to look at the location/outside of the home before they call a Realtor?

[Burning Madolf]

You could ask the next person who does it, but I'm guessing comps or your house still shows up on outdated real estate sites as still on the market? Just a guess.

[Zippyman]

Most likely appraisers using your recent purchase as a comp.. they usually drive past real slow, roll down a window & snap a pic.. many people dont understand how the process works & sometimes people melt down on the appraiser, there are a couple big threads on it in the appraisers forum..

They will pretty much go away in 90 days..

[wit-nit]

It's not unusual for a real estate listing to be up and looking active for about 90 days after a closing.

[KurtAZ]

Realtor.com and Zillow lag the MLS by a LOT. Could be people using the mobile apps to look for homes or appraisers/Realtors pulling comps. I wouldn't worry about it too much although I am sure it is annoying.

[azjack]

That would be a little odd if it was daily or almost daily. Sure, appraisers for other houses or people following up on an expired MLS listing both make sense as explanations. Maybe you should confirm that the MLS listing for the house was updated as sold. It should disappear from the other sites and go off the appraisers' radar in a few months.

[StillLookingToo]

If they are taking pictures most likely appraisers using your recent sale as a comparable sale for someone else's purchase.

[aquamarin]

I had the same problem in my previous house. They were HOA (home owners association)people stopping by and making notes on weeds growing in front of the house....

[El_Waiboi]

Okay, maybe it's a realtor or some real-estate related entity. Personally I'm not that trusting though. I would leave a camera somewhere near a window/viewpoint; next time he/she comes through and stops in front of your house, you take a picture of him/her and try to get at least one identifiable face shot and a good shot of the license plate as they drive away.

After you have a few good photos with identifying information, call Tempe Police Department and voice your concerns to them and force them to take the plate number(s) and open an incident report on this and request the incident number and the name and badge number of officer you speak with.

My opinion is better safe than sorry, and if unidentified individuals are stopping and taking photographs of your private residence you are in your full legal right to have that investigated by law enforcement.

It may very well turn out to be realtors, but you have already prepaid Tempe Police Department (via your tax dollars), why not call them an enlist their help in a matter which may be criminal.