I had an exterior where the borrower was obsessing over the cleanliness of his car today. I had driven by once and waited a little while before coming back around as an off duty police officer was across the street. When I came back he was still cleaning the exterior. He was very meticulous in his cleaning. Just so happens there is a vacant REO on the street, three houses down across the street from the house I need to photograph.

So I go inside, check out the house and while on the second floor get all of the shots I need except the street from different bedrooms in the house. Normally I wouldn't go through such measures but it is a nicer area and with the off duty police officer around, I didn't want to attract any extra attention at all.

Any other stories of creativity in getting your photos?

How about telling him to get out of the way as you need pictures taken?
Done it many times, worked every time.

Nah. I don't create scenes anymore. Too many people with short fuses and I've had my share of encounters I don't care to repeat with occupants and law.

I have done like 2 times Realboots suggestions and have worked, yesterday I had a 24 rush and I jumped into the car, when I arrived to subject the owner or an occupant was out side, normal ahh just wait... that person was smoking and thats normal but what catch my attention was that this person on the front of the house was smoking so crazy that make me laugh, before the cigar ended he took another one from the box and lighted and so and so with like 7 I counted... crazy way to smoke ahhh.

I've done something similar a couple of times, I just tell them that I'm doing a market analysis of the neighborhood and would like to use their house too, they usually say ok, then, I ask them to please move to the side to get a picture of it. It works.

Tint your windows and shoot through the glass. As long at isn't dusk outside the pictures will turn out perfectly fine and nobody can see you. It's illegal to tint your front windows here but I do it anyway since it's a no point/fine violation if you pull it off in 14 days. I haven't been bothered in 4 years so I don't worry much about it.

I get off and knock at the property to ask permission before taking pictures. Do it with all my bpos.

Go early in the morning to have best chance of not seeing occupants, especially in the lower end area's where most of them sleep until noon.
Out of 1000's I have taken pictures of in past 4 years I bet I have had human issues about 4 times.

This is against the rules for some BPOs. You must not do too many cause asking permission would waste my entire day.

In some of my areas, this would not only be a waste of my time, but, would probably get me wasted......lol......but, to each their own.

LOL... ask permission... you are funny :-) I did that once and the say NO !!!! never again.... I just go early like REP Driven said...they are sleeping till around noon.

I swear that an announcement is sent to all homeowners of props I have BPOs on. If I go at 10am, 12 noon, 2 pm, 4pm...there seems to always be someone on the front porch or in the front yaad....it is really amazing..

and now with so many out of work and some many homeowners renting rooms out, there are times where they are all out at front chit chatting. stinks. however i get my complicated photos through clean tinted windows. i'll wait for some time if I know i'll get busted. but sorry, i will not get an angry homeowner on my tail, not worth it. These owners for some reason get upset and will litterally get in fights with you. I have been stopped by cops, chase by a kid once, harrased by an interior inspection even with permission from the attorney, i have been watched through windows and chased with a car once. I have learned creative photo taking in the past 6 years. Never have turned in a bad pic yet.

I don't like taking photos through closed windows, tinted or not. If there's any dirt on the glass, my camera focuses on that, and the background (subject) is blurry. I prefer to put the driver side window down (unfortunately the motor for the window has died, and it won't go back up! Hopefully will be replaced tomorrow. In questionable neighborhoods I find it best if it's raining. That way people aren't unusually hanging around outside. I took one once when the homeowner was snowblowing his driveway. The snow was so deep, the snowbank hid him from the camera, and hid me from him!

We rarely had any issues with drive-bys. The street scene gets taken from the end of the street, a few houses away an angle photo is taken. Let the camera recover...drive to the front of the house...snap and drive away. Keep the camera low using the LED as the view finder and keep the flash off. In and out in under 10 seconds.

A drive by is just that...DRIVE right BY. I'd never accept a drive-up, knock on the door...and ask permission BPO, or a drive up..get out of the car by BPO. Those could become known as "get an epic beating" BPOs