Tips for a Safe Open House
Worried about people stealing during your open house? Some tips to avoid theft.
Nov. 28, 2007 — -- It's one of life's most intrusive events. Groups of strangers traipse through your home, looking inside closets, flushing your toilet and inspecting every corner of your living space.
And now word comes that two New York women went on a monthlong crime spree, stealing goods from open houses at upscale Manhattan apartments.
(Police allege that Jessica Joyner, 39, and Jennifer Jones, 33, made off with diamond rings, a fur coat, a Coach bag, a Tiffany clock and even a bottle of champagne.)
So what is a homeowner looking to sell to do? You want to show your house so people will buy it, but how do you protect your property from pilferers?
ABC News asked a real estate expert for some front-line advice on how to protect owners and their assets during open houses.
The first tip from Brian Lewis, a senior vice president at New York's Halstead Property, is don't worry too much -- thefts are very rare.
"You have as just much chance as getting hit by a bus than to have some weird incident happen at an open house," Lewis said. After nearly nine years as an agent, he said he has never had an incident at an open house. "I think most people will tell you the same story."
But there are steps you and brokers can take to protect your valuables.
The first one: If you have something very expensive -- think jewelry -- around the house, hide it. There is no good reason to leave valuables in an accessible location.
Lewis said it's important for the broker or his or her assistant to watch everybody without being intrusive. He said that brokers like himself have experience watching people at open houses and know what is normal and what is strange.
"The first thing you have to realize, when you work for a seller you have a legal responsibility to protect them. You are their fiduciary," Lewis said. "When you are working for them in their home you have to create an environment that is welcoming and open and attractive and easy -- like a good-feeling place, because people buy feelings."
When prospects walk in the door, however, he said it is very important that somebody literally register with them, eye-to-eye. Lewis said a broker must introduce himself to visitors.
