LEHI, Utah (ABC 4 News) - The knock at the door of a Lehi home that’s up for sale came at 7:30 in the morning. Few people or houses are at their best at that hour. But there he was, claiming to be the realtor who had missed an appointment to see the house the night before.
He gave a false name and someone else’s business card. Nevertheless, he worked his way in, looked the house over and then left. When the family realized they’d been had, they called police. But as yet no one knows what the man was up to. The family told investigators nothing was missing. The only thing that’s clear is that he was not who he said he was.
The Utah Association of Realtors is warning home sellers to be ready for similar scams. Here are tips to protect your family while your house is on the market:
1- Always put away valuables before showing your home.
2- Do not accept “walk-ups”. Always have prospective buyers and agents go through your agent for an appointment. Your realtor should also be there for those appointments.
3- Keep your guard up during open houses. Make sure you have enough people to keep an eye on your entire house. Groups of thieves will try to distract agents and homeowners while their accomplices look for things to steal.
4- Have your realtor secure your house with a Risco lockbox on the front door. Most now use them. It is the same concept as the old combination boxes that allowed authorized agents to show a house even when the owner wasn’t home, only it is more secure and the electronic key that’s used to open it also keeps a detailed record of who entered your house and when. At any time, your agent can call up an online report showing who has used the box to enter your home.
The Lehi family has a Risco box on their front door. If they had simply asked the phony realtor to “clock in” with his electronic key, he probably would have been scared off.
But then again, who thinks fast on their feet when caught off-guard at 7:30 in the morning?
