One of the most stressed tips from our meeting with APD was the importance of being able to trace stolen property. Of course, prevention is critical but unfortunately it's not always enough to stop a crime from occurring.
Most thieves just don’t stop until their caught. The problem APD often runs into with burglaries is that owners can’t possibly identify their property once a suspected thief is caught. Sometimes police try to trace possible stolen property to its owner and simply can’t locate them.
Getting the word out to homeowners – both buyers and sellers – on the importance of keeping a record of possession is a very valuable public service that REALTORS® can provide their clients.
As mentioned in our previous article, APD often uses LeadsOnline to trace pawned and stolen property. Homeowners – and renters – are strongly encouraged by APD to list their property with LeadsOnline’s free service called “ReportIt: Citizen Property Inventory System.” ReportIt allows citizens to record their property’s serial numbers and pictures online. When an event happens, whether it is a theft, fire, or other disaster, homeowners can print or email the list for the police or your insurance agent – even if they’re out of town.
Encourage your homeowner to include appliance serial numbers in their list. This is especially important if they’re no longer living at the property.
For items that don’t have serial numbers, homeowners can mark their property so only they know the mark is there. It could be as simple as a sticker or piece of colored tape on the underside of furniture or inside the property. Just recommend that they make sure it’s something that would be easily overlooked by thieves.
If your client is not using a secure online system like ReportIt, recommend that they keep an updated catalogue of their valuables either with them or offsite (like a family member’s house) in case the list is stolen or in the event of a fire.
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