A TV station in Omaha paid $266,500 for Roy Rogers' stuffed horse Trigger but how much can you get for a used dishwasher? $50, maybe? Burglars recently swiped a lockbox from one of my short sale listings in Natomas and made off with the sellers' appliances. They removed the gas range and oven, dishwasher and built-in microwave. So much for putting the lockbox on the gas meter. The thugs must have cut it off.
You'd think a neighbor would have noticed somebody out there with a reciprocating saw. It takes a long time to cut off a lockbox. I know this because when I bought my home, the agent left his lockbox on the railing and never came back for it. So I whipped out my saw, attached a metal cutting blade and went to work on the lockbox. It took me a good 15 minutes or so to cut through the steel. My hands vibrated for 5 minutes afterward.
I found out my lockbox was missing yesterday when a buyer's agent called me to ask its location. I told him it was on the gas meter. Nope. Wasn't there. Crap. The seller called a neighbor who peeked in the window and sure enough, the appliances were gone. The sellers were out of town, too. I suggested they call a locksmith and the police, and then their insurance agent.
I met the seller's mom at the property, handed my business card to the police officer, we changed out the locks and attached a new lockbox to the front door, in full view of the neighbor's. Of course now there's nothing left to swipe but the copper.
If your home is vacant and on the market, you might want to talk to the neighbors and ask them to keep an eye on the house. Suggest that if they see any unusual activity or a truck parked in front to call the police. Better safe than sorry.
Photo: Big Stock Photo
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Certified HAFA Specialist
My Sacramento Real Estate Listings
Elizabeth Weintraub is an author, home buying columnist for The New York Times-owned About.com, a Land Park resident, and a Land Park real estate agent who specializes in older, classic homes in Land Park, Curtis Park, Midtown and East Sacramento. Weintraub is also a Sacramento Short Sale agent who lists and successfully sells short sales throughout the four-county Sacramento area. Call Elizabeth Weintraub at 916.233.6759. Put 35 years of real estate experience to work for you. Broker-Associate at Lyon Real Estate. DRE License # 00697006.
The Short Sale Savior, by Elizabeth Weintraub, available at Amazon.com.
Lyon Real Estate is not associated with the government, and our service is not approved by the government or your lender. Even if you accept this offer and use our service, your lender may not agree to change your loan.
Photo: Unless otherwise noted in this blog, the photo is copyrighted by Big Stock Photo and used with permission.
The views expressed herein are Weintraub's personal views and do not reflect the views of Lyon Real Estate.
Disclaimer: If this post contains a listing, information is deemed reliable as of the date it was written. After that date, the listing may be sold, listed by another brokerage, canceled, pending or taken temporarily off the market, and the price could change without notice. It could blow up, explode or vanish. To find out the present status of any listing, please go to elizabethweintraub.com.
