Real estate agents advise clients to protect homes after viral house party video surfaces

LAKE MARY, Fla. - Video from social media appears to show a wild party inside an $8 million beach house in Florida. Deputies said teenagers broke into the home and chaos followed. Now, they are actively looking for each one. 

In multiple videos on the Walton County Sheriff's Office Facebook page, investigators said party-goers are seen trying on the homeowner's jewelry, dancing in the hallway, and having a boxing match in the foyer.  FOX 35 News sent the video to Richard Dempsey, a luxury real estate senior advisor with over three decades in the business. 

"It's crazy. Just crazy," said Dempsey as he scrolled through each video. 

He has handled selling luxury properties like the one used for the party and is currently selling this $25 million mansion in Orlando. Dempsey said people with high-end homes on the market are often at risk of others trying to get onto or into the property.  

"We have a saying in the office, ‘when the market is crazy, the crazies come out,’" said Dempsey. 

Walton County Sheriff’s officials said they were alerted to the massive party by a noise complaint. It’s not clear if the homeowner had cameras, but Dempsey said this is your sign to get some.  

"Common sense practical safety measures to make sure your property is protected," said Dempsey, "A security system would have alerted the owners long before it got to this." 

Law enforcement officials in Central Florida have had to shut down other types of unauthorized parties at vacation rentals. Back in 2020, Osceola County sheriff's deputies arrested over a dozen people after a series of rowdy parties in the Windsor at Westside Subdivision. 

Dempsey said he advises clients not to list their properties on Airbnb as they wait to sell. He said the reward of extra money may be too high of a risk.

"If you're trying to sell, listing on Airbnb kind of rental is not very smart," said Dempsey, "It opens it up to a lot of risks." 

Airbnb is also working to crack down on unauthorized parties in some of these million-dollar rentals or other vacation homes. 

Around New Year's Eve - the company wouldn't let guests with negative reviews book one-night stays in Orlando or Kissimmee. It hoped to lessen the chance guests would use it for parties. 

FOX 35 did reach out to Airbnb to see if it will have restrictions in place again for the Fourth of July but we are still waiting to hear back.