Today was a "Good God Day" as my friend "The Lovely Wife"...Broker Bryant's...Wife! would say. I got to spend time with family and friends at Church, but most importantly the opportunity to give thanks for the many ways I have been blessed. I also got to help out a Realtor friend who was in a jam at her Open House. Another Realtor was suppose to help her at the Open House and had to back out on 
Friday, so she asked me if I would help her with it, and I did. It was a beautiful house that I am going to be very surprised if it stays on the market very long, even though the price is $527,500. The Seller had done a great job in preparing the house for the showing. It was not over decorated, but what he had was very nice and tasteful.
But as I was helping her welcome with prospective Buyers as they arrived, I could not help but to wonder with all the nice things around, do people every steal things as they go through Open Houses. In this case today, the people were coming spaced out enough that it was easy for me or the Realtor to be with them. But I have been at Open Houses where there is no way the Realtor can keep on eye an all of them.
So the question is have you experience things being stolen at Open Houses you have done? And were you liable for that?
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I have never heard of any thefts at open houses in Eastern CT. I do usually recommend that sellers put away any valuables even for showings.
I'm with Linda, I've never had a problem but have always advised sellers that if it's small enough to vanish quickly into a pocket, get it out of sight.
I would like to think that it does not happen, but today a couple of the families had young kids, and the kids were not always by their side. Little people sometimes have sticky fingers.
But it is encouraging to hear that you have not heard of this being a problem. Hopefully honesty is the norm and not the exception.
I have never had it happen to me but I remember a speaker at a conference I went to told us that during her open house, someone had stole the seller's expensive diamond earrings and she ended up having to pay the seller for what was taken. yikes!
The worst open-house stories I've heard are of people going into medicine cabinets looking for prescription drugs. Fortunately it has never happened with anyone on our team.
Lisa, I am glad that non of the Realtors that I work with have every mentioned something that expensive stolen on them. But I have heard many of them mention the same type of advice as you were given by that speaker.
John, I had not heard of that one, but when you stop and think about it, it would be easy to do.......scary what could happen.
Dan thank you for the comment, but it isn't a race. I enjoy the comments and the info I get from a lot of the blogs, Linda's being one of the blogs I enjoy reading.
Sadly, it did happen to us a couple of years ago - our Sellers prescription drugs were stolen during an open house.
They should have nothing valuable in sight or accessible.
Why was the seller at the Open.
Is that customary in your area?
The seller was not at the Open House, his Realtor was, that is who I was helping. The seller left before people started to arrive.
An agent here in Las Vegas had her electronic key with pin stolen at an open house a while ago. We were all put on alert, because whoever stole it, could now access any house with a lockbox on it. Scary! It was recovered a few weeks later, not sure how.
Good point, I never thought of that. I had been thinking more like contents in the house, but your right that is scary.
Cheryl, I don't understand it either, and in the case of the Realtor you know, who ever took those pills could be putting themselves in danger.