A fellow Denver Realtor shared a dire warning with me today about holding open houses. Apparently, while holding an open house in an upper-middle class neighborhood in Highlands Ranch, it was discovered that an open house attendee emptied a full prescription bottle of medicine in his/her pocket.
The agent noted that all of the open house attendees on that day were clean- cut and well-presented. Of course, this means nothing as addicts come in all flavors from all walks of life.
Realtors do indeed warn home sellers to remove all valuables and pharmaceuticals prior to any showings or open houses. Sometimes the stress of selling a home gets in the way, and home sellers forget to adhere to these cautions. And yes, it is a sad commentary that these measures need to be taken.
What to do? While my intent is not to intrude on prospective buyers who are interested in seeing a home while I am holding an open house, my job is to shield the home owner to any extent that is possible.
I am seriously considering requiring potential home buyers attending my open houses to show me their Colorado Driver’s license and jotting down the ID # for safe measure. Simply requesting a Denver buyer to sign-in won’t work if their intentions are ill-devised.
Are these draconian measures? Maybe. Hopefully buyers attending Denver open houses will understand that this decision stems from a few miscreants ruining the process for everyone.
Michelle A. Potter
Denver Realtor
Re/Max Professionals
