Sacramento real estate agent finds squatters in multiple homes he's tried selling
SACRAMENTO — One Sacramento real estate agent said law enforcement has been removing people from the homes he has been trying to sell.
Real estate agent Matthew Hindy's latest property that was hit was on 14th Street in Downtown Sacramento. He was just days away from escrow.
"I came over and welcomed these people to the neighborhood," said Ed Wright, who lives across the street from the house.
He feels violated by the not-so-new neighbors who moved into the vacant house.
Hindy said he learned about the people staying here when another agent caught on to what was happening and contacted him.
"I saw people running in and out of the garage, and I called Sacramento PD and they were here within minutes," Hindy said.
According to Hindy, one of the suspects first spoke with police and then ran off. He said police had to break down the door and enter to find what he estimates as thousands of dollars worth of damages to the property.
"They were using every room in the house," Hindy said.
Hindy believes they broke in with a key stolen from a lockbox.
"In this room right here we had a whole bunch of personal belongings, shoes, a bed in here," Hindy said.
He shared photos with CBS13 describing the space as fully furnished. He said that the four people had installed blinds, Wi-Fi, fully stocked the kitchen and even put up their own "no trespassing" and "beware of dog" signs.
"Automatically I knew that someone was in the home because these weren't here," Hindy said.
Just days before this incident, Hindy had found a homeless woman sleeping in a North Highlands home he was selling.
"It happens often," said Hindy. "This is not the first time. It won't be the last time."
He is considering installing cameras in future properties he sells to prevent this from happening.
"I am amazed they were here for a week or two without anybody knowing," Wright said. "They took the signs down."
Wright said the suspects told neighbors they were the new homeowners and had a pitbull staying with them.
"They were really, really nice, at first," Wright said.
He and other neighbors never imagined they were not real residents.
"We all feel violated," Wright said. "I got grandkids and stuff, and they were moving stuff in and out in the middle of the night. It's just a trip."
Sacramento police arrested the four people for burglary but could not give any more information on this case.
Hindy said the buyers have been notified about this and will need to do some remodeling before they can move in.
Sergeant Amar Gandhi with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office said for it to be a burglary, the people must enter a dwelling with the intent to commit a felony. Squatting does not have this intent.