NORTH VANCOUVER — Police are warning home sellers to be on the alert after large appliances went missing from five different houses in a three-week period.

Thieves started breaking into the properties beginning Oct. 8, making off with fridges, stoves, dishwashers and other high-end machines, according to the North Vancouver RCMP. The targeted houses were all either under construction or listed for sale.

The burglaries appear to be a repetition of a pattern seen earlier this year, when major appliances were ripped out of 14 unoccupied homes in North Vancouver between January and March and out of another four in June.

Police have speculated that the thieves likely case the properties ahead of time — possibly even attending open houses — and then return later, break in and haul the machines away in a cube van or large pickup truck. It’s possible they even arrive during the day and pose as movers.

In the wake of the most recent rash of thefts, North Vancouver RCMP are suggesting homeowners protect themselves by recording appliance serial numbers, locking all points of entry, removing large bushes or other screens from their yards and signing up with their local Block Watch program.

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jweldon@nsnews.com