Topic: Robbed while Realtor was showing our house...

[flybox1]

Our house is for sale.  Has been for a few months now. 
We've had several Realtors come by the house, with and without potential buyers.
Yesterday i really strained my back. While i was lying on the floor in pain, under ice packs, my wife remembered she had some oxys left over (probably 30) from when she gave birth to out twins.
We have 4 kids, and are diligent about keeping harmful substances high up and out of reach of our kids.
The bottle these were in lock-top pill bottle my kids cant open, in a zip-loc bag with other prescriptions, and inside a lock top tupper ware, high up on a shelf. 
Anyway, she went looking for them, and they were gone.  A few minutes later, she found the bottle, empty, and on another shelf.  I know our kids didn't take them.  They aren't old enough to know.
With reasonable certainty, we can say that someone visiting our house as a realtor or buyer, robbed us.
Someone is getting high or making a few bucks, and i'm in pain.  A$$HATS!
My neighbor is a Sheriff Deputy, and i've told him.  Not because i want to pursue an investigation, but because they should know that an additional $1000 of oxys in now on the streets.  Probably small potatoes to them 
We've looked around to see if anything else has been taken, but we'll never really know until we go looking for something we need, and cant find it.  Thankfully, most of our valuables have been packaged and stored safely.
Whats done is done, and there is nothing i can really do about it now. 
I'm more concerned with keeping my wife from freaking out.  I'll have to make arrangements now to have our agent at the house during all showings to keep her happy....
Some people really suck.
Thanks for letting me vent. 

fb1

[Duke McDukiedook]

Sounds like a pretty good scheme for pill poppers out there, go to open houses and raid the medicine cabinet.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

My house was robbed back in 08. It wrecked my sence of security. I have ice packs at the ready for my back.

[Really?]

I really do not like anyone in my house.  Too many things came up missing in our house when I was a teen.  So, I have really been tainted since then.  The wife wants one of those maid people to come once or twice a month.  She has been asking for years.  I won't let it happen.  So far, I am still winning.

[Duke McDukiedook]

You go Charlie Sheen, keep winning you crazy warlock.

[FrankenFrankenstuff]

I really do not like anyone in my house.  Too many things came up missing in our house when I was a teen.  So, I have really been tainted since then.  The wife wants one of those maid people to come once or twice a month.  She has been asking for years.  I won't let it happen.  So far, I am still winning....

.....and by winning I mean doing all of the cleaning, dishes and making dinners.

[immortal]

My wife and I are Realtors here in South OC, California. I totally sympathise with you. I highly recommend a fire proof floor safe or a free standing bolt down safe. We have a safe like this that would be next to impossible to find and even if you could find it, opening it would be "extremely" difficult. We keep any and all medications in our safe along with important papers, passports, birth certificates, insurance policies etc etc. It's the only way to go!

As for our clients we tell every client we are selling a home for to remove any prescriptions, valuables or temptations of any kind before we allow other realtors or potential buyers to set foot on your property. If your agent had used the same procedure you may have thought to remove the medication.  Any one else on the forum please remember to do this as there are lots of people out there that steal from homes and often there will be a couple one for distraction while the other rifles though medicine cabinets or bedroom draws.
It is less likely a Realtor stealing medication and more likely his or her client they thought was interested in your home to buy not rob.

Lastly there are two types of lock boxes used. There are the 4 or 5 digit box that releases a key that gives access to all Realtors, inspections, appraisers etc. There is also another lock box that we use that is electronic
where upon the Buyers Realtor uses a remote called a Supra. This remote unlocks the box but sends an automatic message to your Realtor detailing the name and time of any Realtor entering your home. 

Unfortunately it sounds like you may not know the specific day the pills may have disappeared. But if you do have a good idea what day and you do have the electronic box you can have your agent tell you who entered the property.

Sadly I think it may be too late. The other problem is that unless you can whittle it down to the one Realtor it is is next to impossible to prove anything. Thank you for posting this so hopefully others on the forum can protect themselves from these types of people.

[Really?]

You go Charlie Sheen, keep winning you crazy warlock.

I really do not like anyone in my house.  Too many things came up missing in our house when I was a teen.  So, I have really been tainted since then.  The wife wants one of those maid people to come once or twice a month.  She has been asking for years.  I won't let it happen.  So far, I am still winning....

.....and by winning I mean doing all of the cleaning, dishes and making dinners.

Y'all are funny!

[Duanob]

Fly that happens a heck of a lot more than you know. I just had a real close friend admit to me the other day that he used to steal pain killers at just about every job (he's an HVAC guy) and house he went into to. Even ours! This spanned about 7 years total. He's been clean and sober for 2 years now but he lost his house, his wife, custody of his kid, his job, his credit history, everything. Considering this I wasn't harsh on him. Nobody knew he was an addict until it was way too late he'd lost everything by then anyway. He'd been to many rehabs and finally he can call himself clean and sober. Would've never thought it would happen to a guy like him but it did.

But yeah when you're in pain and you find an empty pill bottle that sucks! At least you didn't lose the furniture or anything else of value, that happens a lot too. Can't trust anybody these days.

[Magpie]

I'm an agent with RE/MAX. Your listing agent should have a list of all the agents that showed the house and if he used an electronic lockbox, there will be a record of which agent used it and when. I know nothing about these pills but if they are worth that much on the street perhaps the police should be informed and handed the list of agents that were in the house. It sounds like a good way for a dealer to build an inventory.
i've never had anything taken, except a towel, from a house and this is a good reminder to ask my sellers to lock their prescriptions up.
Good luck with that.
Cliff.

[ekpent]

My wife has a good friend who is pretty much housebound now and on heavy narcotics to control her pain due to her afflictions.  Can you believe that she had her meds ripped off before by her low life caregivers who are actually paid to come over and 'help' her.  What a bunch of Fricken low lifes-----

[flybox1]

our house has the bare-bones minimum we need to be comfortable while its on the market.  this also makes it really easy to tidy before we have a showing.  all of our valuables are nicely stored/locked away.  we just overlooked the meds issue.  our agent, and a really good friend of mine, never mentioned it.  i don't blame him at all.  we do know which agents came to preview/show our home. 
 our agent sent out an email to all of them basically detailing what happened, and that we are upset.  i wanted to tell each of them to ufk off.  its a double edged sword though.  we need them to know we are pissed they, or their clients did this, but we also need them (to bring clients) to help our house sell.
yes, it is highly unlikely that we'll ever find out who did it.
thanks fellas...

[Duanob]

As I mentioned about my good friend, karma is a beyotch! The perpetrator will probably someday lose the house they buy from you if it was a client, or the agent will lose his job and so much more in the end. Unfortunately they won't see it coming until it is way too late.

[74cb750]

Lately I have been fixing houses for sellers.

Noticed that some realtors allow other realtors to pre-screen a house for a buyer without the
other realtor being present based on a telephone call. Seemed kinda fishy to me as anyone
could claim to be a realtor and look at some houses to case them out.

A few weeks back a couple of sleazy looking realtors came to look at a house while I was painting outside.
They tried to ignore me, like I did not exist. Not knowing them I asked for identification before I
allowed them in the house and they were insulted and refused, so I told them to leave before I called the cops.

Eventually the owner came by and tried to talk to them, as he had not been informed they were going
to show up. They left without identifying themselves or their company. The owner was so upset he immediately called
his agent and #$%*ed her our for sending such jerks over without her being present.

The owners' realtor apologized for sending these people over, whom she had Never even met.
Seems they were part of a large corporation that buys and resells distressed homes,
always offering less than market value.



The house sold the following week to a nice couple.

[johnny]

I'm a licensed Realtor in Illinois. Any reputable agent should ALWAYS be present (or, at the very least, have someone on their behalf) at any showings. To do otherwise is simply lazy. I can't tell you how many times I've been working with buyers and inquired about a property - only to have the other agent say, "Sure, go look at it any time. There's a lock box. The combination is XXX."

[Magpie]

Sounds like things are pretty loosey-goosey down there. If I gave my lockbox key to a buyer here I would be out of the business quick and heavily fined too, just showing up at the house without a call to the listing agent first - not a chance, and just sending the buyers around, again not a chance.
I do pre-view homes for out of town buyers but call the agent first to set up a time to go look, leave a business card in the house and make sure it's locked up tight when I leave.
Insulted by being asked for ID, call the police RFN.
Part of our job is to screen buyers and protect the sellers interests and property. Seems like it may not be part of some agents jobs there.
There's 1000's of agents, unfortunately, like motorcyclists, there's many many good and a few bad. You always hear about the bad, few talk about the good.
www.cliffhalayko.com  Yes, it's a old picture of me.

[dave500]

Yes, it's a old picture of me.

has your tie vomited?

[Magpie]

No, it was just gas. Cliff.