Open House: The Criminal Element in Desperate Times
Realtors hosting an open house on a clients property on any given weekend could lead to a burglary. Believe it or not the potential buyers walking through the house can create an opportunity for a future crime scene.
While walking through and casing the property the criminal will crack a window open or even unlock an exterior door. They will wait and let themselves in with no sign of forced entry and clean out the house literally!
Here is one example of a real-life situation that I have seen:
My client had her custom home up for sale and her Realtor was set to host an open house one weekend. After two days of showing the property to many people the Realtor shared that he was pleased with the amount of activity. The next week she left her home to go grocery shopping and did not set her alarm. The reason being
she would be back in an hour and half and felt safe because of living in a gated community.
To her surprise when she returned home her house was cleaned out.
The police said: “These are Professionals, they are fast and furious. No sign of forced entry!”
They had gotten in through the window they had cracked slightly during the open house. All the contents were covered with the policy but the gun collection and jewelry has limits. The policy coverage for guns is $3000 and jewelry is $5000 limits in coverage.
Realtors make sure to secure all windows and exterior doors after hosting an open house! If you are paying for an alarm use it at all times. Also check with your insurance agent about limitations in your homeowner’s insurance coverage.