Potential Dangerous Situation

Feruary 6, 2008. NWMLS has recently received reports of potential dangerous situations regarding a man attempting to lure women agents to homes.

A man named Christopher Heath (from Vermont) is trying to get female agents out to vacant properties. Most of the properties he is interested in are vacant and secluded. He has been arranging to meet with several agents in the area (Duvall, Monroe, Kent).

Heath claims to be relocating here to work at the Fire Academy in North Bend. He claims to be a widower, retired firefighter, cash buyer searching for rural setting with room and privacy for the 2 search-and-rescue dogs he has for his job here with the Seattle Fire Department.

He originally was looking for a house priced between $400,000 and $600,000. He later changed the price to a million, saying it was going to be a cash deal and that the money would be wired from Merrill Lynch.

One agent was feeling uncomfortable with the situation and began a background check. The Fire Academy has never heard of him. He had called from a New York phone number so she did a reverse search — it was a doctor’s cell phone # — when she called the number the next day it had been cancelled.

A 2nd agent called the number she had been given in Vermont and spoke to his wife (he claimed to be a widower). She said there are about 10 different female real estate agents leaving him messages and she found many Seattle area agents on his home computer. According to his wife, he was in the middle of taking out a home equity loan on his wife’s (of 4 months) home. His wife just happened to be home and saw the appraiser measuring her home – a 30-acre horse ranch in Vermont.

Another agent arranged to meet with him today (February 6). She told him by voice mail and email that they would be meeting at her office to introduce themselves in person and to go over their tour and initial real estate paper work. She told him it was their company policy to meet new clients at their office, introduce them to their office manager and to make a copy of their driver’s license. She has not heard from him since.

His wife believes he is now in New York heading to Washington.

The situation has been reported to the police.

Please be careful! If this man contacts you, contact your local authority.

The notice above was on today’s comments in the Northwest Multiple.  As you can see, being an agent isn’t always the fun job that people expect it to be.  Frequently agents (mostly female) are targeted by some twisted folks out there.  For these reasons I speak at length with clients about the need to be safe and to follow usual safety measures regardless of if your house is for sale.  Just yesterday I was telling a client to be sure and not let random people in their house because there are times when a person will drive by, see a sign, and go knock on the door expecting the seller inside to just let them in.  WRONG!  This is where I tell clients to be extra careful because you can become more of a target while selling because of not-so-nice people that are looking for a way to take advantage of unsuspecting individuals. Don’t let your desire to sell the home stop you from being safety conscious.

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