Open Houses - HUGE Liability & Risks Involved.

Burglar posing as potential homebuyer. Unless the house or property is vacant, the homeowner will have many valuable personal property items and possessions in their home. I am not a big fan AT ALL of doing Open Houses for my Seller clients as a listing agent. Rarely if ever does it actually serve to get the property under contract and serves more to appease the owner/seller that you, the listing agent, are actively marketing their home and trying to solicit offers from a bona fide and qualified buyer. More often than not, it just merely serves to allow all the nosy neighbors to stop in and check out their neighbors house inside, or just curious tire kickers who've got nothing better to do on a Saturday or Sunday and just freely walk into homes to check them out.

There have been many documented and publicized incidents of people showing up for an open house and ransacking medicine cabinets, vanities, or linen closets looking for prescription meds while the listing agent Realtor is engaged with another looker or party who stopped in. "Uhmm, excuse me, is it ok for me to use the bathroom?" [open house visitor] "Oh yea, sure go ahead" [listing agent].

Typically the owner(s) of the property are told politely by the listing agent to "get lost" while the Open House is being conducted so as not to hinder, hamper or interfere with prospective buyers showing up. This whole process of showing an owner's property creates an ENORMOUS liability and risk for not only property inside but for personal safety as well. There have also been well documented and publicized incidents of Realtors being alone in a house for an Open House and being assaulted, raped or even killed by a criminal perpetrator.

I always carry a firearm (legally and lawfully of course) whenever conducting real estate activities. I pack my .45 Cal Taurus and/or a .380 for personal protection. Although Realtors are cautioned about taking someone out to see properties; especially if it is in a secluded area and/or at a vacant property; you never know what could happen when you're heading down into that basement in a vacant or unoccupied house. I also have the "client" go first up the stairs when looking at upper levels zones of the house and to go first when heading down the stairs. As a man, and packing heat, I am not too concerned about it or if anything should ever happen but I know immediately and instinctively what to do; but I do caution female Realtors about this inherent danger and risk.

The thing about an open house is; that despite your best efforts to allow only one party in at a time, invariably you could easily find another Realtor showing up at the same time and either leaving the door open with their lockbox key or letting someone else in right behind them who said, "Yea I am a Realtor too, don't close that door please" Next thing you know you could have several people going in all directions in the house and you as one person conducting the Open House could find yourself easily loosing control over the situation.

Later that night or next day when the homeowner calls you and tells you certain valuables have been stolen or prescription meds taken; what are you going to do and how are you going to handle that one ?! Do you think that "Guest Registry" you had at the entrance is going to do you any good ? Half the time the people don't leave their real names, address or contact info anyway because they don't want to be followed up on by the Realtor or don't want to be put on a snail mailing list or e-mail list either. Do you think that sociopath "perp" is going to leave his/her real identification information for you ? Please... come on ! Get Real (pun intended LOL). What are you going to do have a Cop standing there and running a background check on everyone who stops by ?

On another related house showing note, as a buyer's agent when you are out showing a house and enter the home or property using your lockbox key, close and lock the door behind you. As you are leaving the property close and lock the door and place the key back into the lockbox shackle, even if another party is there standing outside waiting to get in. NEVER hand off the key to someone who says, "Oh, I am a Realtor too, no need to close the door just hand me the key please". The [GE Supra Key] lockbox system has an "audit trail" of everyone who electronically opens the door with one. Without being rude or arrogant, you could politely explain that to the next party and tell them you're sorry for the inconvenience but it is best if they open the door using their own lockbox key so their "signature" is on file as having shown the property. That way if anything does subsequently happen, it won't be on your "watch" or because you just handed the key off to someone you do not necessarily know is in fact a Realtor or not.