A Montana realtor got the scare of her life last week when she stumbled across a squatter smoking a cigarette during a virtual home showing.
Alyssa Webb, a real estate agent in Billings, was recording a home tour for prospective out-of-state buyers Saturday when she walked into a room off the garage and found a man enjoying a smoke.
Webb let loose a blood-curdling scream, then fled the house.
“It was really scary to know someone was there the entire time I was in that house, and they didn’t try to leave or announce their presence — they were just hiding,” Webb told NonStop Local.
“I didn’t know what they were capable of, if they had a weapon or they might attack me,” she continued.
Webb got lucky — her boyfriend was outside, and the police were called, but the vagrant was gone by the time they arrived, according to Q2 News in Billings.
Webb told the network she thinks the man broke in when he saw the “For Sale” in the yard, and it’s left her scarred.
“I show homes in the dark, on the weekends, at night, all hours of the day. And yes, I’m usually by myself,” said Webb, who’s been selling homes for the past five years.
“I think I’m going to have a little trauma to unpack moving forward in my job.”
Other realtors have commented on her TikTok videos about the incident — which have amazed about 7 million views — and said they’ve gone through similar experiences.
She told Q2 that she hopes her story will serve as a wake-up call for others.
“It can happen anywhere, close to home, any city, any state,” she said.