Safety Alert: Suspicious Behavior at an Open House

A member notified us of an incident that occurred this past Sunday at an open house in the Columbia Village area and asked us to share this alert…

There were two men (estimated ages between 25-35) who appeared in the back yard of the property during the open house, and at least one seemed to be under the influence. They were examining neighboring yards and did not show an interest in seeing the inside of the home. When pressed, they had conflicting stories about why they were at the open house and their real estate goals. One eventually briefly viewed the inside of the home but left abruptly. They did not seem to have a vehicle or bikes but were on foot and one had a large brown backpack.

In this case, no property was lost or damaged, and no one was harmed, but it’s a good reminder for listing agents to be hyper vigilant and to encourage sellers to take precautions to protect their home and valuables. Here are some tips for doing just that:

1. Stowaway valuables: Remind clients that you can’t be responsible for thefts. Valuables include everything from the mail left on countertops (which may contain personal information and bank statements) to jewelry, artwork, cellphones, and gaming systems. Remind sellers that agents can’t protect valuables and that as a seller’s agent you won’t often be present at home showings, and if you are, you likely won’t be following prospective buyers all around the house, especially during a busy open house. Remind sellers that before they leave the house for a showing, they are responsible for walking through the house and making sure everything of value is out of sight.
2. Remove or lock up prescription medications prior to showings. Similar to asking our clients to remove clutter and valuables, this is another key item to protect, plus, it’s a safety issue as we don’t want to be confronting someone taking this in a home.
3. Remove family photos: It’s for your clients’ safety. Many real estate professionals advise sellers to remove family photos from their home as part of the staging process, but it’s also for the privacy and safety of their family.
4. Make a house safe for buyers and agents. Turn on the lights prior to showings — whether it’s daytime or evening — so that agents and buyers can move safely through the home. It’s important to tell sellers to remove not only weapons (like guns) before showings but also not-so-obvious weapons. For example, homeowners may have a block of knives on their kitchen counter which should be removed for everyone’s safety.
5. Keep the house locked and consider extra security systems. Doors need to be kept locked at all times. Talk to your sellers about deadbolt locks, securing sliding glass doors with bars and extra locks, installing motion-sensor lights for outdoor areas, and check that all windows are locked securely. Some real estate professionals recommend the extra step of installing a wireless security system, and maybe one that alerts sellers if motion is detected, especially for vacant properties.
6. Beware of unexpected visitors coming to your doorstep. Forewarn your clients that should they get unexpected visitors and they weren’t expecting any showings, they do not have to let them in. Remind them that only real estate professionals who have made an appointment and use the lockbox should gain access to their home.

For more information on safety best practices, visit nar.realtor/safety or boirealtors.com/realtor-safety-resources. If you have a safety concern to share, please email me directly or call us at 208-376-0363. To receive text message alerts from BRR, including safety alerts, please opt-in to text messages here.

Thank you and take care.

NOTE: Please understand the association cannot file a police report on someone’s behalf, cannot run background checks on individuals, nor can we share information about any individual with others, per the advice of legal counsel. We do encourage members to report any suspicious or criminal behavior to local authorities immediately, and to use these alerts as a reminder to assess your personal safety habits and practices.