Celebrity Home Break-Ins Spark Security Fears—as Expert Warns Overexposed Luxury Listings Could Turn Off Buyers

From Kim Kardashian's sprawling Hidden Hills mansion to the homes of professional athletes and Hollywood stars, even some of the most heavily guarded properties in the country have proven vulnerable to intruders.

Now, after a string of high-profile break-ins, celebrity home security is in the spotlight, with an executive protection expert warning that gates, cameras and even security guards may not be enough. And, the extraordinary amount of information available about celebrity homes could create concerns that stretch all the way to the luxury real estate market.

Kardashian's custom Hidden Hills estate was targeted earlier this month, when authorities arrested a 27-year-old man on suspicion of burglary after responding to the property on Aug. 9. The reality star and her four children were not living at the residence at the time because it is undergoing renovations. A security guard alerted authorities to the incident.

It marked yet another alarming security incident involving the famous family, while also underscoring a larger issue facing celebrities whose homes, lifestyles and whereabouts can be extensively documented online.

Reality star Morgan Stewart has also said her home was burglarized after a security guard fell asleep, declaring, "Everyone I know has gotten robbed."

According to Stephen Scott, founder of Scott's K9 and an executive protection expert, the incidents demonstrate why homeowners shouldn't assume one expensive security feature is enough to keep them safe.

"The biggest mistake people make is thinking one security measure is going to protect them. It’s not. A gate can be defeated," he says.

"A camera is great, but a lot of times all it does is give you a really good video of the person who just broke into your house. And even if you have security personnel, they can’t be everywhere at once. You really need multiple layers.

"If somebody gets through one, there needs to be another security measure waiting for them."

Could a Celebrity Home's Fame Actually Make It Harder to Sell?

The same publicity that can make a celebrity property irresistible to fans could also potentially create another problem when the owner decides to sell.

Some of the country's most recognizable celebrity homes have struggled to secure buyers despite enormous amounts of publicity.

Kris Jenner listed the Hidden Hills mansion that served as a backdrop to "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" for $13.5 million in February 2025.

One year later, the six-bedroom home was still sitting on the market for the same price, despite widespread coverage surrounding its sale.

Alec and Hilaria Baldwin have faced an even longer real estate saga with their Amagansett, NY, estate.

The couple first sought $29 million for the property in 2022 and have since repeatedly listed, delisted, and reduced the price of the home.

The estate returned to the market yet again in August 2026 for $18.99 million—its fifth listing attempt.

The Baldwins have hardly kept the property out of the public eye during that time.

Alec filmed a personal video tour promoting the home, while Hilaria has marketed the property to her Instagram followers. The residence also appeared on the family's reality series, "The Baldwins."

There are, of course, numerous factors that can cause an eight-figure property to linger on the market.

Real estate experts have previously pointed to the Baldwin home's location, dated style, pricing, and restrictions surrounding some of its acreage as potential hurdles.

However, Scott believes security and privacy could also become part of the conversation for some wealthy buyers when a property has been extensively publicized.

"I think it certainly can be part of the conversation, especially at the very high end. Obviously there are a lot of reasons a $20 million or $40 million home might sit on the market, starting with the fact that there aren’t that many buyers," he says.

"But privacy absolutely matters to wealthy and high-profile buyers. If I’ve already seen the entire floor plan online, I know where the primary bedroom is, I know where the garage is, I know where the gates are and I’ve watched videos walking through the entire property, that’s information that’s now out there forever. For some buyers, I think that level of exposure can absolutely be a concern," he explains.

Criminals watch patterns to expose vulnerabilities

Scott warns that sophisticated criminals aren't necessarily selecting their targets at random.

Instead, they can watch residents and employees to identify patterns that could expose vulnerabilities.

"A lot of these guys aren’t just randomly driving around and picking a house. They’re watching people. They’re looking at routines, like when you leave, when you come home, who works at the house, when the landscapers are there, when packages get delivered," he adds.

"Social media has made that even easier. People will tell the entire world they’re in Europe for two weeks, and at the same time they’ve posted enough pictures of their house for somebody to know exactly what they have and where it is. Criminals are looking for the easiest opportunity with the biggest payoff," he says.

Kardashian's own history illustrates the potential dangers of revealing too much online. Investigators in her infamous 2016 Paris robbery believed the thieves tracked information she shared on social media, including her general location and images of expensive jewelry.

Kardashian has since said she changed her online habits, including no longer sharing her activities and whereabouts in real time.

Scott says predictability is one of the biggest security mistakes a high-profile homeowner can make.

"Being predictable is a big one. If you leave at the same time every morning, come back at the same time every night and everybody around the property has basically the same routine every day, somebody can easily learn those patterns," he says.

"Another big mistake is giving too many people unnecessary access to the property. Contractors, vendors, household staff, delivery people, you need to know who is coming onto your property and why.

"And social media is probably one of the biggest things people overlook. You need to be super careful of what you're posting, not sharing anything such as your daily routine, too many videos/photos of the inside of your house and etc."

Why one security system isn't enough

For Scott, the solution isn't necessarily installing one extraordinarily expensive system. Instead, he advocates creating multiple barriers between an intruder and the people inside a home.

"Because no single security system is perfect, I want somebody discouraged before they ever get onto the property. If they do come onto the property, I want to know they’re there. Then I want barriers that slow them down. And if they continue, there needs to be another layer behind that," he says.

The security guru notes that if one system doesn't go as planned, you should always have backups.

"The idea is that if one thing fails, you’re not suddenly defenseless," he says.

One of those additional layers, he says, can come in a much more traditional form: a trained protection dog.

"Technology is great, but technology doesn’t move around the house with your family," he adds.

A properly trained protection dog does.

"The dog can alert you, deter somebody, move with you and, if necessary, respond immediately to a threat," he says. "I always say, technology can tell you there’s a problem. A trained protection dog can actually respond to the problem. And one of the unique things about a protection dog is that it’s the only weapon in the house that can’t simply be taken away from you and used against you."

Scott explains that using a dog instead of technology can prove extremely useful.

"A firearm can be taken. Technology can fail. A properly trained dog thinks, moves, and stays with the family," he adds.

Even the most expensive technology can fail

Although cameras, alarms and other security equipment remain important, Scott cautioned against relying on them exclusively.

"Because it’s technology. Power goes out. Internet goes down. Cameras have blind spots. Equipment malfunctions. People forget to arm systems. And criminals are getting more sophisticated about defeating technology. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have great technology; you absolutely should. I would just never rely on technology alone," he advises.

In fact, he says there can be such a thing as having too much security technology—particularly when a complicated system produces so many notifications that residents stop paying attention to them.

"When you have so much of it that nobody is actually paying attention anymore. If your phone is giving you an alert every five minutes because a squirrel ran across the yard, eventually you stop looking at the alerts. I would rather have a well-designed system that’s actually being used correctly than $500,000 worth of equipment nobody understands or monitors," he says.

The security also debunked a very common myth—that technology equals safety.

"More technology doesn’t automatically mean better security," he confesses.

How much should wealthy homeowners spend on security?

Despite the potential risks, Scott doesn't believe there is a simple formula for calculating how much a multimillionaire should spend securing their residence.

"I don’t think there’s a magic percentage. I wouldn’t tell somebody with a $40 million house, 'Spend X percent of the value on security.' You need to look at the property, the family, their lifestyle and their actual threat level," he says.

"Have somebody knowledgeable assess the property and identify the vulnerabilities first. Then spend the money where it’s actually going to make you safer. The most expensive system isn’t always the best system."

For someone living in a $40 million-plus estate, however, Scott says the security setup should go well beyond the standard alarm system found in an average home.

Ultimately, he says, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment isn't enough without understanding where a property's weaknesses actually lie.

"I think wealthy homeowners sometimes make the mistake of buying a lot of security equipment and assuming that makes them secure. It doesn’t. You need a plan. You need layers," he explains. "You need to understand your vulnerabilities, and you need to think about what happens if the first security measure fails. That’s what real security is."