With the multitude of things to take care of when you put a home up for sale, many forget to take necessary security measures.
A house on the market means having strangers in your home—both when you are present and when you are not—including prospective buyers, realtors and the occasional nosy neighbor.
This post outlines how you can keep your home and possessions safe as foot traffic increases.
1. Alert Your Security Provider of the Move
Contact your security provider, and let them know you plan to move. They can work with you to understand your options. For example, you may be able to transition your security system to your new home or shift ownership to the new owners.
2. Know Who Enters Your Home
When your home is listed, realtors and prospective buyers will filter in and out continuously and look around at their leisure. Open houses are common; if you decide to conduct one, it is important to:
- Keep an alert eye on all who enter. Heighten your awareness when people are in your home. Know where you placed things and if anything has been moved.
- Maintain a list of the people who visit. Ask for a photo ID when someone enters your house and record all pertinent information. If a mishap occurs, you have a good starting point to figure out who could be at fault.
- Give your realtor a separate alarm code. Do not give your realtor the main alarm code to the house; instead create a secondary one. The secondary alarm code keeps track of when that person entered and exited the house and can be easily deleted once you no longer need it.
3. Protect Low Hanging Fruit
Don't leave valuables in plain view when showing your home to prospective buyers. This includes jewelry, electronic gadgets, wallets, spare keys and important documents. These items may seem like common fixtures of your home; however, to strangers, they are easy snags. Keep them tucked away in drawers and cabinets where prospective buyers do not have access.
4. Use the Buddy System
Never show your home alone. This gives strangers an easy opportunity to take advantage of you. Plan to have a realtor, friend or family member present.
If you must show your home alone, always let visitors enter rooms before you. This will eliminate the risk of being attacked from behind.
5. Check Your Home Once Visitors Leave
Poor-intentioned people may use your open house to plan for a future crime. They take time to look at your floor plan, scout out valuables, and even prepare the house for their later arrival by unlocking windows or leaving entranceways ajar.
To avoid becoming a victim of such crimes, ensure that all windows and doors are locked after visitors leave your premises. Do a full sweep of your home to make sure that no one is still in the house and that all your possessions are intact.
Selling your home is stressful enough without having to worry about extra security risks. Follow these steps to restore peace of mind and ensure safety for the people and possessions you love most.
Speak with your security system vendor for more ways to stay safe when selling your home.
