Armed Guards for Rancho Bernardo Open Houses?

Should armed guards be present for San Diego property viewings and at Rancho Bernardo open houses?

Rolling off of a great year for San Diego real estate, with December posting the highest number of homes sales in 6 years many seller, agents and investors are becoming over confident and are rushing to get homes marketed, leaving them exposed to some critical risks.

Since the explosion of the debate over gun control, identities and addresses of gun owners being revealed and tougher restrictions expected, an increase in firearm thefts and targeting homes has been reported.

On top of this local San Diego, non-profits report a surge in prescription medication thefts from open houses, with some of the higher rates of use in San Diego County being in Rancho Bernardo, Poway and Torrey Pines.

Other items homeowners and their Rancho Bernardo real estate agents should be warned about when hosting open houses and showing properties include securing passwords, logging out of sensitive information on computers, locking up important papers and valuables. However, beyond just having a thorough checklist those showing homes also need a plan for screening visitors, verifying identities of guests and recording those who visit in case there is an issue.

So does Rancho Bernardo need armed guards or armed real estate agents at local open houses, especially with an increase in violence against real estate pros since the housing crash?

Some would certainly argue for it, though it may certainly be overkill in most cases.

What's most important for San Diego home sellers to be aware of is selecting quality San Diego Realtors who will protect them, advise them and that have procedures in place to prevent such issues.

Have you had an issue with an open house or showing your property in the past? Share your horror stories, and tips that have worked for you…