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Safety Tips For Home Sellers

When you are selling your home you are exposed to a parade of strangers traipsing through your house. The vast majority of them are perfectly safe, honest people -- and possibly homebuyers. But security measures are necessary for the rare possibility that just one could see your home as an opportunity for crime.

For-sale-by-owner sellers are particularly vulnerable because they often work alone, conducting open house events and otherwise accepting visitors into their home for a look around when they could be casing the place. This is just one of the many times when having a Realtor on your side is a good idea.

Protecting your home, its valuables, and yourself from harm should be a vital component of your marketing plan.

• Once you list your home for sale, never leave a message on your answering machine informing callers that you are not home. It's better to leave a message that says you are unavailable to answer the phone right now.
• Never set an appointment with anyone to see your home unless you have their name and number and have called back to verify that number.
• For security’s sake, before you conduct an open house, remember to remove keys, credit cards, jewelry, crystal, furs, and other valuables from the home or lock them away during showings. Also remove prescription drugs. Consider hiring a security guard, especially if you have many valuables you can't remove.
• Request that all visitors sign in a guest book or roster. You are giving away a lot of information about your house and you have a right to know who is getting that information. Feel free to explain to protesters that it's a security measure. Certainly some visitors will use a false name but at least they will be aware of your organized procedures and might think twice about victimizing you. If possible, jot down license plate numbers and ask for photo identification to verify the information in the guest book or sign-in roster.
• Request that visitors enter and leave through one door only, except when you escort them to the back yard, garage, etc. You should personally have quick and easy access to all your exits.
• Without hovering, escort prospective buyers through your home by following them (never leading them) and keeping them within sight at all times. Keep a reasonable distance between you and your visitor. Never enter a bedroom, den, or other room with a visitor. You could be trapped inside. Keep your path clear for a speedy exit.
• If you expect a crowd, draft a few friends and relatives to help out. If simply too many show up, ask some to wait outside for the next "tour." If the market is simply loaded with shoppers, schedule appointments.
• Never discuss your personal schedule or habits with potential buyers. Statements like "We are so near the work center, I can leave my home at 8:45 and arrive by 9," tell potential criminals when you aren't home. Likewise, don't discuss issues involving your home security including deadlock bolt locks, security systems, alarms etc. Don't divulge information on your flyer or other marketing tools that might breech security.
• Always let someone who is not at the open house know what hours you are conducting your open house and have them check in on you from time to time. When the open house has ended call your friend and let them know all is well.
• Don't park your car in your garage or driveway. Your exit could be blocked. Also don't allow other cars to use or block your drive way.
• Carry a cell phone with you at all times with a single button programmed for a 911 call. If a friend is assisting, consider using two way radios to stay in touch.
• After an open house, check all the windows, doors and other entrances to make sure they are locked.

How Your Realtor® Keeps You And Your Home Safer

Sellers, one of the best reasons to hire a Realtor® to represent your home in the marketplace is for security reasons. Realtors are trained to help protect your safety while promoting your home to buyers in a wide variety of mediums from the Internet to the sign in your yard.

Because they work closely with the public in unique ways, Realtors® are considered by law enforcement officials to be in a high risk profession. Realtors® are mobile, work in a variety of locations, and are often in the company of consumers whom they may not know well. To protect their own personal safety, as well as your property, Realtors® have evolved a number of safety guidelines that might be helpful for you as a consumer to know.

Qualifying buyers

One advantage of working with a Realtor® is that buyers won't come to your home without being accompanied by a professional. Realtors® make themselves the point of contact so that you don't have to open your door to just anyone who comes along. They also share information about your home in a broker cooperative called the multiple listing service (MLS), so that other brokers may bring their buyers.

The buyers that your Realtor® and others bring are also likely to be better qualified to purchase your home. Realtors® work with buyers to make sure they are capable of making a sound offer on your home, but they also do some qualifying for their own personal safety. As they accompany buyers to your home, they know they can be victimized as well as you if they aren't careful and know who they are dealing with.

Promoting your home with virtual tours and multiple photos

Realtors® promote your home on Internet sites such as Realtor.com, where homes are showcased with virtual tours and multiple photos. According to Realtor.com, homes with virtual tours are viewed 40 percent more often by consumers than those without. Internet consumers have been proven to choose a home, buy more expensive homes and close more quickly than offline buyers, according to the California Association of Realtors.

Your Realtor® may suggest a virtual tour or multiple photos, but for your personal safety and the protection of your valuables, she or he may insist that precious items, such as collectibles or rare paintings, not be displayed. In fact, your Realtor® may suggest that you store valuables while your home is being marketed.

Open houses

Most Realtors® who offer open houses do so with increased security. Either they will ask another Realtor® or a lender to accompany them, or they will notify their offices and other persons of their whereabouts. Realtors® request visitors to sign in and many are starting to request drivers' licenses of buyers before allowing them to view the home.

Because open houses are so public, rarely do buyers attend with the intention of pilfering anything, but you can foil people who want small items such as high-cost prescription medicines by cleaning out your medicine cabinets for the duration of the open house. Also, clear off any bric-a-brac and collectibles, and keep jewelry under lock and key.

Your personal safety

Don't ever open your door to anyone who says he or she is interested in seeing your home. If the buyer is genuine, he or she will be accompanied by a Realtor®, but keep in mind, that no Realtor® would stop and knock on your door without going through a proper procedure to consult the MLS for showing instructions. So if you get a knock on the door, direct the buyer to contact your agent, and let the agent qualify the buyer and determine if the buyer is represented by a Realtor® or not.

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