Open houses are a great tool for realtors to sell homes, but sometimes, allowing strangers in can bring trouble.
Richardson Realtor Jona Thomas, "I was holding my normal open house, like I do every Saturday, every Sunday, and I had about 14 groups of people through That’s when Thomas said a man came to the door, claiming to be a potential homebuyer.
"I said, `Here`s a brochure, feel free to take a look around at the house. Which he did," Thomas said.
As she was checkingon other people, she saw the man run out the door.
She said, "And, then a few seconds later, someone else who had been in the house came over and said I think that fellow was just trying to steal.’"
He was caught going through the homeowner’s jewelry box. The same thing happened at a Dallas open house last weekend, where two rings and a necklace were stolen.
Police say the two crimes fit convicted criminal Steven Breed’s M.O.
Plano Police Officer David Tilley said, "He goes into the open houses. As a general rule, they pretty much let you in, let you wander around the house. He, at that point, removes items from the house, conceals them in his clothing and then leaves."
Breed has been charged with similar thefts in Highland park, Frisco and McKinney, and is suspected of having taken upwards of $20,000 in jewelry.
"Seems like he does some jail time and then gets out and gets started back up again," Tilley said.
Police encourage homeowners to lock or take all valuables when their home is being shown. They also have a warning for realtors.
Tilley said, "Anytime you’re dealing with a criminal act, there’s always the fear for potential of violence."
Thomas said she’s planning on taking self-defense classes, among other precautions.
"Definitely gonna start integrating some new systems into my open houses that are going to protect myself and also protect the clients that we work with," she said.
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