Homeowner video shows man rummaging through dresser during open house

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Video from a Mission Valley homeowner captured a man rummaging through his dresser drawers during an open house his realtor was hosting on July 7.

Realtor Lina Saba recalls seeing the man enter the home and described him initially as odd.

“He was odd, he didn’t want to sign in.. that’s not unusual,” Saba said. “Where I thought something was weird is when he didn’t want to take a flyer.”

Saba says the man visited the third floor of the property located in the Civita Complex of Mission Valley where cameras positioned in the room by the homeowner captured the man going through his personal items and drawers.

The homeowner has reported the incident to San Diego police and shared the video with authorities as well. San Diego police says they are in the process of investigating the case and assigning it to an officer to look into what happened.

“I posted the video on my Instagram page and it went viral,” Saba said. “Another agent said he had been known to go to open houses and there are Facebook pages that warned people about this person. So I’m surprised he’s not been identified at this point.”

Spencer Lugash, the president of the San Diego Association of Realtors, says activity and behavior like this is not new to the industry. Incidents like this have been plaguing the industry for years.

“Unfortunately it happens more than general public realizes,” Lugash said. “I don’t want to create panic among homeowners, this is a little bit a part of life.”

While not uncommon, Lugash definitely advises homeowners to lock up any valuables and to install cameras for extra monitoring.

“They may be looking for jewelry, or money – hide away bank statements … personal information,” Lugash said. “Medication of course, people going through cabinets looking for next fix.”

Lugash maintains hosting an open house is still the best way to get maximum exposure. He says realtors take classes and participate in trainings on how to keep themselves safe during open houses as well.

“It’s about taking precautionary steps,” he added. “I’m not surprised to hear about this situation, but it isn’t all of a sudden something more than it’s ever been.”