I had an interesting question this morning, apparently this potential client caught the KTLA news blurb regarding  the mother-daughter burglars preying on Pasadena open houses.  Her home is not on the market, but she was appalled.

There are two types of open houses:

*Broker’s Caravan (or Broker’s Tour), primarily attended by Realtors.  The Broker’s open is typically held when the listing is new, during this open house there are often a lot of Realtors coming and going.  As a Realtor, we recognize suspicious behavior and I have never heard of problems during a broker's open house. 

*Open House to the Public, primarily attended by anyone who walks through the door.  I typically contain my public open houses to a two hour period.  This keeps the traffic fairly steady.  In larger or two story homes, I often have another Realtor “keep me company”.

Safety Tips:

*Obviously, you shouldn’t leave a jewelry box on the top of your dresser and a safety deposit box is an excellent idea.

*Remove or hide prescription drugs (don’t leave them on top of the night stand or in the medicine chest).

*Identity theft is on the rise, hide checkbooks, bank statements and anything with account numbers.  

The benefit of the open house to the home owner versus the benefit to the Realtor has been questioned for years and I will discuss that in another entry.  As the home owner, it is your decision whether or not your Realtor holds your home open. It's your home - you are the boss.