US News

Montana realtor walks in on cigarette-smoking squatter during virtual house showing

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 home.

“It was really terrifying 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 police were called, but the vagrant was gone by the time they arrived, according to Q2 News in Billings.

Alyssa Webb told NonStop Local how she found a vagrant smoking a cigarette in a home she was virtually showing. FOX News
Webb said she hopes her story alerts other realtors, many of whom have already reported similar incidents. FOX News

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.”

A screengrab of the video Webb was making when she found the man smoking in the room. FOX News
“I think I’m going to have a little trauma to unpack moving forward in my job,” Webb said. FOX News
By the time Billings Police arrived, the squatter had already fled. FOX News

Other realtors have commented on her TikTok videos about the incident — which have amassed about 7 million views — and said they’ve gone through similar experiences.

She told Q2 that she hopes her story serves as a wake-up call for others.

“It can happen anywhere, close to home, any city, any state,” she said.