As Alex reported 8/25/2012 on Property Source Radio.
Realtor.org – Daily Real Estate News | MON, AUG 20, 2012
News Sponsored by Abodey.com
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Young people are connecting across social networks to start “Sharpie parties” that target foreclosed homes and use Sharpie permanent markers to leave a trail of markings behind on the vacant homes.
Merced County, Calif., officials recently reported six Sharpie parties at foreclosed homes that were spawned from invitations posted online. Partygoers—sometimes up to 100 people—are given Sharpie pens and encouraged to write on and graffiti the walls of the abandoned homes. Some of the partygoers, besides marking up the walls, also smash holes in the walls and rip up the floors, Reuters reports.
These parties have also been reported recently in Texas, Florida, and Utah.
Investigators say vandals are leaving a trail on social networking sites, like Facebook, by posting invitations and photos of the parties that are making it easier to find perpetrators. Banks, on the other hand, have been somewhat reluctant to pursue vandals because they don’t want the unwanted publicity to incite more parties, Reuters reports.
As such, “usually they leave the damage and just drop the price,” Andy Krotic, a California real estate professional, told Reuters.
Source: “Sharpie Parties Fuel Rampage on Foreclosed Homes,” Reuters (Aug. 16, 2012)