Protect your residence and yourself with these tips while selling
When you imagine the home selling process, you probably see contracts, scheduling, and showings in your future. Something else to consider is keeping yourself and your belongings safe from the strangers entering your home. Under most circumstances, you don’t typically allow someone you don’t know into your residence to explore all the rooms and their contents.
While the vast majority (and often all) of the folks looking at homes for sale are honest people, there are certain precautions you should take to keep yourself and your belongings safe.
Trust your instincts
If something makes you uncomfortable, don’t push the situation. Trust your intuition and go with your gut. If people looking at your home are asking questions that might pertain to your habits or personal schedule, try to change the subject while you wrap up the appointment. If someone already makes you feel unnerved, you definitely don’t want to push a deal further along, anyway.
Make your open house exposed
When you are planning to have an open house, open all your curtains and blinds and turn on the lights before the event begins. If outsiders can see inside, it is less likely anything untoward will go on while they are exposed.
Identify your visits
Make sure to have a guest registry during an open house. For prospective buyers, this will help with screening them through the prequalification process. Get each visitor’s address and phone number. Just like a sign-in to the lobby of a business, this can help track who comes in and out of your home. You can also have your Realtor ask for a driver’s license or photo ID to provide credibility, specifically if an offer is on the table.
Never show your home alone
Unless you are comfortable with a prospective buyer, try to avoid showing your home alone. Ask a neighbor to come over while you show a visitor around. If no one is available to assist, consider rescheduling.
Maintain an appointment policy
Although you will have strangers walking around your property during an open house, you should avoid allowing someone into your home without an appointment, unless you have established agreed upon windows of access to Realtors. If someone were to show up, encourage him or her to call your Realtor and explain that it is their policy. This is one of the reasons why hiring an agent is so helpful; he or she can represent you on the market and ensure that viable buyers are touring your home.
Be sure to put away and secure your valuables before an open house, open hours, or a showing, as well as any personal information, such as mail, when staging your home. Realtors are trained in what safety precautions to take when showing homes and hosting open houses and should share this information with their clients. For any other questions on how to protect yourself and your home, ask to your Realtor.
If you’re selling a home in Southwest Florida and want a Realtor that will help protect you, your belongings, and your bottom line, contact Dante Disabato today at 239.537.5351 or via our online contact form. He provides insight and value-added performance stemming from his extensive experience in the area.
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