You might want to sell your home on your own. As a Realtor, I can’t recommend it but if you do, please follow these guidelines for the safety and security of your home and family.
12 Steps to help keep your family SAFE and PROTECT your valuables while your home is on the market.
- Never let strangers who walk up to your door into your house. Make them schedule an appointment in advance. Also, advise your children not to let anyone in the house, no matter what they say. Even if they claim to be a real estate agent and present a business card, they need to follow the procedure.
- Always screen prospective buyers before they set foot into your home – Ask for employment information and get a phone number to call them at work. Ask for a home phone number. Do internet research and confirm they live where they claim and call their landlord. “Google” them. You can search public records. Talk to their lender and confirm they are legitimate buyers.
- Never give your home phone number to buyers. Would-be criminals will know when you are not home if they call and don’t get an answer. You can provide your cell phone as the contact number.
- Never give your work or home schedule to buyers. Telling would-be buyers that no one is home at a certain time of the day (for example, “We don’t get off work until 5:00, so I can show you after then”) lets them know the times your home is unoccupied and vulnerable.
- Never show your home alone. There is safety in numbers. Have another adult with you. Avoid exposing your children to strangers in the home.
- Always accompany buyers throughout your house at all times. This allows you to prevent theft and the unlocking of windows and doors for later re-entry when you aren’t home.
- Hide all valuables – including jewelry, bank information, mail, prescription medication, etc. Hide them where thieves don’t think to look. If necessary, put valuables into storage. This means remove jewelry from jewelry boxes, medicine from medicine cabinets, and guns/weapons from gun cabinets. You can put them in locked safes or store them in a locked storage area. Put all mail away, including credit card bills and bank statements. Put away personal photos of family members.
- Always have your escape route pre-planned – in case of the need of an emergency exit. Know exactly which door you will use for your exit.
- Never let buyers get between you and your escape route. This could be the front or the back door. You should never enter a room or space in front of the buyer. Buyers should always go first.
- Always let someone know who’s coming to see your house and the time frame. This could be a relative, a friend, or better yet, a neighbor. Share a check-in time and completion time. If they don’t hear from you at a pre-determined time, they need to call or come to your house immediately or send law enforcement officials.
- Keep your cordless home phone in hand at all times. In case you need to call for help, this is better than a cell phone because your address will show up on the dispatcher’s screen when you call 911, even if you cannot talk. Research location emergency apps for cell phones that call for help when you are unable to make a phone call.
- Beware of over-sharing on social media. This includes your children. Don’t share or brag about vacations or plans to go out. Don’t photograph and show, or brag about expensive artwork, or electronics (or even have them in the background of photos). Be especially careful when photographing your rooms for marketing purposes. Don’t announce open houses, your house price, or amenities on social media.
These suggestions are not provided to scare you. Realtors follow these steps when the clients are strangers and most listing agents make similar suggestions when they list a home. However, if you are uncomfortable taking these precautionary steps, I can help you. Most Realtors have been trained to protect not only themselves but to advise you on protecting your family and your valuables, as well. Let me know if you have questions about any of these suggestions.
Tere Sells Homes 