APD works with GAAR to reduce crime at homes “For Sale”

On June 25th, President Paul Wilson and GAAR staff met with APD Police Chief Gorden Eden to discuss the recent increase in lockbox thefts and related crimes.

There is always an increase in property theft in the summer. However, this year has shown a slight uptick in thefts related to lockboxes and for sale listings. GAAR is working with APD to provide additional information on homes where lockboxes are stolen or have had thefts after recent showings. Albuquerque Police Department is partnering with us to gather the information they need to help solve these crimes.

While the thieves typically target vacant homes, all homes for sale can be a target for crime due to increased public visibility and access.

At the meeting, procdures were recemmended to help ensure these crimes maintain a high priority and don’t slip through the cracks. APD also provided enhanced tips to help prevent crime and, if they do occur, help them recover property and catch criminals.

Crime Prevention Tips

  1. Record property: Encourage your homeowner and/or stager take photos of all property. Take down serial numbers for appliances and any other valuables. Click here to learn about storing valuable property data online for free.
     
  2. Meet the neighbors: When you list a property of a vacant home, make sure you introduce yourself to the neighbors – especially those that were friends with your seller. Give them your business card and let them know that the property will be shown to potential buyers. If the neighbors see anything unusual, they will know to call 911.
     
  3. Put the lockbox on the front of the house:  APD recommeds all lockboxes in the front of the house for your safety. Entering the back of a vacant property could potentially increase the safety risk to REALTORS® and potential buyers.
     
  4. Keep information secure: Make sure you follow proper MLS procedures – and use those same safety procedures everywhere you list the property. Do not include information about vacancy or the owner’s schedule in the public listing. This should only be entered LO/SO Remarks for other REALTORS® or their admins to see. Also, do not share your Flexmls login information with anyone. Everyone using Flexmls must be assigned their own access to the system.

Reporting Crime

  1. If your lockbox is missing: Call police and report the theft first. Then call your client. If they are in town, they will need to come to the property to see if anything is stolen and report the crime. If they are out of town, you will need to check the property for them (send them pictures to help them with their report).
     
  2. If your lockbox is missing and nothing is stolen: Call a locksmith to have the locks changed. It is crucial that the locks are changed quickly because the criminal is likely to come back with the key to the property.
     
  3. If there are signs of forced entry or the lockbox is missing and you notice property is stolen, call 911 immediately. Leave the house and stay safe until the police arrive. If you have the serial numbers and/or pictures of the property, provide it to the police in your report. Even though the property owner needs to file the official theft report, it will help police identify stolen property if it’s found quickly. After filing the initial report, have the owner of the property (either the homeowner or the stager) call file the stolen property report.
     
  4. After you call the police and secure the house, call GAAR Member Services to report the incident. Have your MLS number handy and let member services know whether or not property was stolen. In addition to deactivating the box with Supra, GAAR is providing APD with a list of incidents so nothing slips through the cracks.

Click here to see the more detailed list of recommendations from APD.

While REALTOR® Safety is always a high priority, September is the official REALTOR® Safety Month when GAAR will be offering more in-depth, personal and property safety training. Should you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Eva Medcroft, Manager of Communications and Outreach, by phone at 505-724 -3461 or by email at eva@gaar.com. 

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For more tips about REALTOR® safety, please visit the article on REALTOR.org here.

For more tips about vacant home protection, read our recent article.

Click here to download a ReportIt flyer for your clients. For the Spanish version, click here.