This weekend, we got a call from the police about one of our Short Sale listings being broken into.  The owners travel for work quite a bit, so the house is often unoccupied and, thanks to BoA shenanigans, the For Sale sign has been in the front yard for a long time, so I can see why a couple of ne'er-do-wells  might have thought it was abandoned. 

Fortunately, because of an article the day before in the St Pete Times about the crime rate in Madeira Beach, a neighbor was more observant than usual.  While walking her dog, she spotted 3 teenagers emerging from the side of the house. She flagged down a Police Car (also in the neighborhood as a result of the St Pete Times article!) and they called our # on the For Sale sign. 

Then today, I see this article:  Thieves Targeting Foreclosure Properties

Anyone else having these kinds of properties? If so, what listing price range?

p.s. The thieves broke a window to get in, but it appears they didn't take anything. They either got spooked or there was nothing small enough for them to pocket.