Open House Dangers

So much thought goes into the decision to sell your home.  Whether you are upgrading, downsizing or relocating, there is a lot to consider. One thing you may not think about is taking precautions for safely selling your home.  For the most part, interested parties are harmless and genuinely looking for their dream home. But it doesn’t hurt to be aware of open house dangers.

 Safe Showings

Most realtors put a lot of effort into vetting clients for their own safety and that of the seller. But someone who calls them for a showing based on the sign or flyer at your house will be unknown to them.  Keep these things in mind, knowing you will have strangers coming through your home.

• Protect your valuables.  Jewelry, medications, even expensive bottles of wine should be removed from the house or locked up when showings are scheduled.  Potential buyers will open cabinets and drawers and medicine chests when looking at the house. Remove the risk of theft by eliminating the opportunity.
• Protect your identity. Keeping your house in pristine condition while it is on the market can be exhausting. But stuffing the mail into the back of a drawer is not a good idea! You don’t want to give anyone access to your private information or your banking, credit card or other statements.
• Protect yourself. While properties listed with MLS will require an agent or broker to be with a potential buyer to view the property, this is not true on For Sale by Owner listings. If you are selling the home yourself, you may schedule showings directly with a buyer.  This can be dangerous if you are not able to get much information about the person. At the very least, be sure you:
  • • Only show to someone who has an appointment. Do not allow walk-ins.
    • Get their name, address and phone number before the appointment. You may also want to ask for their drivers license number and car license plate.
    • Check their ID when they arrive.
    • Ask to see their pre-approval letter from the mortgage company.
    • Have someone else with you for the appointment. If not possible, make sure someone knows who you are meeting and when.
    • Leave all doors to the property unlocked in case you need to get out of a dangerous situation quickly.

No Vacancies

When you are selling a home that no one is living in, there is the potential for other types of crimes.  Vandals may take advantage of the vacancy and break windows, uproot landscaping or deface the property.  One realtor even discovered a squatter living in the basement of a house she was listing.  Staging a home is helpful in selling it, but be sure you also make the house look cared for and lived in from the outside.  This will keep criminals from targeting it, thinking it is empty.  Put outside lights on a timer and try to keep the blinds or shutters closed after dark. Be sure someone is maintaining the yard on a regular basis and cancel any mail or newspaper delivery.

Open House Dangers

Hosting an Open House is a great way to show the house to many people all at once.  These events come with their own risks though.  It may feel like because your listing agent will be there all day, you don’t have to worry.  But an open house invites people to come in who may not even be in the market to buy.  Since they can come without a realtor, there is really no way to know who is viewing your home.

In addition to the tips for safely showing your home, be sure your realtor has a safety plan for her/himself in place. They want to watch for people who linger in one room for too long or when a couple splits up and one engages the realtor for an extended period.  This could be used as a method of distraction while their partner looks for valuables or cases the place.  Also be sure they don’t leave their laptop or tablet unattended for even a short period of time where someone could grab and run.

We Can Help

Discourage criminal activity (and use it as a selling point too!) by having a camera system and intrusion alarm at the house.  Anyone coming by looking to come back and take advantage of you will be dissuaded when they see a working alarm and cameras watching over them.  And even if you move out before selling the house, keep your alarm monitoring active on the empty house.  You can disarm from the app for any showings but will be alerted to anyone entering when they shouldn’t be.

Call Cultris Security at 281-506-8466 or visit us online to set up your home security.

Image by Paul Brennan from Pixabay