Some East Bay homes might seem empty of residents, but they are filling up with thieves.
Police in Concord and Clayton say burglars, sometimes disguised as movers or contractors, have been ransacking several homes for sale throughout the area in recent time.
Law enforcement officials urge homeowners selling their homes to remove every valuable before hosting open houses and to ask neighbors to keep a watchful eye on the residence.
Clayton resident Andrew Osborn was taken back to see his neighbor's house busted into.
"It’s a very peaceful area," he said. "One of the lowest crime rates anywhere, so we are very surprised."
Sharon Smyth, a homeowner in Concord, said that the thieves have taken anything from appliances to even the cameras on burglary alarms.
Not only are the houses easy targets when nobody is home, but thieves can get away with goods almost unnoticed, police said.
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"Sometimes they go inside the house, they case it, see what’s valuable and when people are gone, they’ll come back and hit the house," said Cpl. Christopher Blakely from the Concord Police Department.
Police are uncertain if the recent string of robberies are connected. No arrests have been made.
