Homeowners – Be Careful! Phoenix home seller victim of robbery / assault

by Jay Thompson on August 28, 2009 · 14 comments
Written by: Jay Thompson

in Phoenix Real Estate

I just received this email notice from the Arizona Regional Multiple Listing Service.

BE CAREFUL FOLKS!  There are criminals out there that will use every advantage they have. Never, ever, let a stranger into your home – no matter how bad you want it sold or how nice they seem…

The police are looking for suspects in a West side robbery/assault.

ARMLS has been asked to alert all agents to an assault and robbery that occurred at a listing near Old Town Glendale (vicinity of 43rd Ave. and Glendale Ave.) earlier this week.

The homeowner was watering his front lawn when he was approached by a passing couple who asked if they could see the house.  The homeowner did what agents teach homeowners to do and referred the inquiry to the listing agent.  The couple stayed and continued to talk to the homeowner and after some casual conversation the owner changed his mind and allowed the seemingly nice couple into the house.

Once inside, they asked about the neighborhood, then the female pointed to something on the floor and asked what it was.  When the homeowner bent over to inspect, the male visitor attacked him from behind and beat him severely. They robbed him of money and damaged his cell phone so he could not call police.

The assailants are described as white, late 30’s to early 40’s in age.  The man is 5′8" to 5′9" and the woman slightly smaller, both medium build.  The homeowner has been unable to provide more details.  They are driving a late model brown/dark gold 4-door Buick with a distinctive radio antenna –  it’s a coat hanger.  If you see such a couple in this car, you are urged to contact the local police department with a location and if possible a license plate number. 

ARMLS urges you to reconfirm with your sellers that access to the home should never be allowed to someone the owner does not know.  All inquiries should be referred to the listing agent, for the homeowner’s own protection.


 

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{ 2 trackbacks }

The Dangerous Side of Selling Your Home | Wallingford Wired
August 28, 2009 at 8:42 pm
Top 5 real estate posts of the day for 8/31/2009
August 31, 2009 at 9:43 am

{ 12 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Gainesville Real Estate August 28, 2009 at 10:43 pm

That's horrible! What a random act of violence. You can never be too careful these days. I'm tempted to get a concealed weapons permit, but I don't know how much that would help in this case.

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2 JoeColleen August 29, 2009 at 7:17 am

Yikes! This is another reason for a homeowner to use a real estate agent. I would imagine FSBOs have a greater chance of this type of behavior occurring.

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3 larryhotz August 29, 2009 at 10:14 am

Thanks for spreading the word about this awful crime. Of course, we tell our Sellers to funnel all showings though us. This is exactly why that makes sense. It is an inherent danger in some markets where showings can go though the Seller and not the Broker. That goes double for “By Owner” listings.

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4 ralphdbredahl August 29, 2009 at 11:49 am

Its downright scary. Even homeowners that know better fall victum because they want a sale. These folks had an agent but choose to ignore his advice.

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5 Jesse August 31, 2009 at 1:17 pm

Its unfortunate, but we hear similar issues arise in our area every so often. Home sellers need to be really careful when they open their doors to anyone interested. I have told people in the past, if you are not comfortable with someone, don't let them in.

Jesse
Real Estate License Direct

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6 guodan September 1, 2009 at 12:29 am
7 ogdenutahhomes September 16, 2009 at 7:42 am

We should be cautious these days because we won't know if when are these criminals will going to strike our home.

Criminals are criminals and they didn't chose their victims.

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8 JR of Sun City Real Estate September 17, 2009 at 11:27 pm

That is why a homeowner needs a real estate agent to prevent situations like this.

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9 JR of Sun City Real Estate September 18, 2009 at 1:27 am

That is why a homeowner needs a real estate agent to prevent situations like this.

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10 KarenHaney September 26, 2009 at 7:45 pm

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11 Kai Lo January 16, 2010 at 9:12 pm

I will always use a real estate agent to protect myself from victim of robbery. I hope this will never happen to me!

Kai
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Kai Lo´s last blog ..Keywords That Sell My ComLuv Profile

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12 Real Estate Living February 3, 2010 at 9:09 pm

Thanks for this advice. I will always hire a real estate agent. I hate things like this when happen. And I am very sorry about the news.

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