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This is a contributing article from REALTOR® Magazine At open houses, thieves disguised as home buyers may swipe jewelry, prescription drugs, and other valuables from homes, real estate pros warn in a recent article in The New York Times. Some experts are predicting open house thefts could get worse this spring, too. “People tend to pick up little things: frames, silver pieces, Limoges boxes,” said Harriet Norris, a real estate pro with Douglass Elliman in New York. “They go easily from the table to the pocket.” Read Hayes, a research scientist and criminologist at the University of Florida, also told The New York Times that he expects thefts to worsen at open houses and return to pre-pandemic levels. “Being confined to our homes during COVID weakened our ability to self-regulate and have self-control,” he says. “That’s increased our risk-taking behavior. People are also…

This is an NAR contributing article. Real estate agents have several opportunities to attend conventions throughout the year. We often talk about safety while working, however, protecting yourself while attending conventions, while in hotels and touring new cities, is just as important. Please review the following tips and make them a part of your “Safety Plan” while attending your next convention. 1. Listen to your gut If you have a bad feeling about a hotel, the location, the staff, or anything, listen to your gut. If something doesn’t seem right once you are in the room, listen to your instinct. If the staff or other visitors cause you concern, pay attention to your sixth sense. If the room is not in a secure location, i.e. heavy foot traffic, loitering outside entry door, or in an isolated part of the facility,…