This from Piedmont, California:
An unusual wave of burglaries has hit unoccupied houses for sale in this affluent 1.8-square-mile bedroom community in the hills east of Oakland, and it is testing the forced cheerfulness of real estate agents who are already reeling. Last weekend, two staged houses were burglarized in nearby Orinda, a wealthy suburb, robbed in the morning hours before planned afternoon open houses.
The burglars are even walking off with bed linens. Police suspect the thieves are casing the homes during Open Houses and unlocking windows for later access. Some even help themselves during the open house.
Katherine Cooper, an agent for the Grubb Company, said a $3.5 million owner-occupied house in Upper Piedmont, with ornate stucco scrollwork and freshly snipped hedges, was burglarized last month. “In the old days, there was an exclusivity getting into these houses,” Ms. Cooper lamented. “Now we’ve made it a Sunday afternoon sport.”
Model or spec homes are also high on the burglar hit list, since the crooks know they are well appointed with new furniture and appliances… and they are unoccupied.
SOLUTIONS?
Maybe real estate agents should have a sign saying the home is under surveillance, clearly visible as folks walk in. Should the lawn sign be removed for unoccupied homes? Should house showings be by appointment only. A house sitter? What is the solution?
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Technorati Tags: burglary, open houses, vacant homes for sale
