Are Strangers taking Photos of your Home
If strangers are taking pictures of your property it is not a normal incident if you are current with your mortgage payments. Servicing and mortgage companies will hire professionals in the mortgage industry to take photos of your home for different reasons. A servicing or mortgage company will have recent photos of your home on file whether you know it or not, especially if you are staying past due on your mortgage payment. Your home is an asset for your lender and for you which they keep an eye on regularly. Your lender wants to kept up to date photos of your property, just like there are court records showing that your property exists, there are photos too. Have you ever had a conversation with someone from the bank , your lending company, or your mortgage company and an employee there says something rather strange such as: your home is beautiful, nice garage, beautiful plants, or what a big house you have, and you think to yourself how strange for someone from the bank knows such things about your home. Well believe it or not, there are photos of your home on file that is available to anyone in the company that owns or services your mortgage account; this is necessary.
Borrowers can get freaked out at the sight of a stranger parking in front of their home, getting out of their vehicle and snapping photos of their home and taking off; they could even walk around the side and back of the property to take pictures. Do not be alarmed, chances are they were contracted mortgage professionals that were hired to take quick photos of your home to send them back to your lender to show that your property still exists and it is not abandoned or vandalized, and these photos will be dated and recorded as proof with your lender. In fact, in your mortgage contract it states your property may be photographed and recorded to show it’s existence, especially if your are past due with your mortgage payments it can be photographed more regularly that if you are up to date with your payments. When you are behind with your mortgage payments your lender wants to take extra steps to make sure the property is safe and not vacant, and an easy target for vandals.
If you feel unsure or get a weird feeling with the thought of a complete stranger walking onto your property taking picture, you should not hesitate to call your local authorities if that occurs, or contact your mortgage company to get some assurance to make sure it is not something more sinister taking place. We are mortgage professionals and work closely with other mortgage professionals and mortgage companies and know that is a regular occurrence in the mortgage world, but we understand you can never be too careful.
