Recently I was hosting an Open House at a high end condo and noticed a very strange looking individual, he was dressed in a white linen suit and was wearing a Red Sox Baseball cap and wearing sunglasses, even while inside. He was of medium hieght and a slightly stocky build. He signed in on the register but it was illegible. He moved quickly through the house and then left without saying much to me. It was a busy Open House so I didn’t think much of it until later when I spoke with the Realtor holding an Open House just down the street from me. She told me he has been to 3 of her Open Houses in the last month and that the price ranges were from 250-800K. This is definitely not someone looking to buy a home.
A few weeks later at my office meeting another Realtor brought up the same man, white suit, baseball cap, lurking around her Open Houses again in different price ranges.
Here’s what we believe, there are people going to Open Houses in search of prescription drugs, or any personal information they can get. Credit cards, unopened mail, social security, even valuables.
If you are selling your home, always remove all valuables and prescription drugs for an open house. It’s not as important for regular showings as the Realtor will always be with the buyer, but for an open house, if there are more than 2 people in the house at the same time the Realtor may not be able to keep tabs on everyone.
If you are a Realtor, advise your sellers to take caution. And ALWAYS have your cell phone with you and make sure people know where you’re supposed to be and check in with someone when you leave.
