Boise Regional REALTORS® has received reports of jewelry and prescription medications being taken from homes listed for sale — one at an open house, and another by a person posing as a real estate agent and requesting to preview a home without an appointment.
“In both cases, the sellers reported the incidents to local police, but we wanted to take this opportunity to remind home sellers to talk with their REALTORS® about how to keep their homes and possessions safe while on the market,” said Carey Farmer, 2016 President of Boise Regional REALTORS® and Broker Associate with Group One Sotheby’s International Realty.
Here are six tips adapted from the REALTOR® Magazine article, “The Safety Talk You Need to Have With Clients” to consider:
1. Stow away valuables. This includes everything from mail left on your kitchen counter (which may contain personal information and bank statements) to such items as jewelry, artwork, cellphones, and gaming systems. Real estate agents can’t protect valuables and likely won’t be following prospective buyers all around the house, especially during a busy open house. You should walk through your house before a showing or open house to make sure everything of value is out of sight.
2. Remove or lock up prescription medications prior to showings. Similar to removing valuables prior to a showing or open house, prescription drugs are another key item to protect.
3. Remove family photos for your safety. Many real estate agents advise sellers to remove family photos as part of the staging process, but removing photos can also help protect your family’s privacy.
4. Make your house safe for buyers and agents. Turn on the lights prior to showings — whether it’s daytime or evening — so that agents and buyers can move safely through the home. It’s important to remove obvious weapons (like guns) before showings, but also not-so-obvious weapons. For example, many homeowners may have a block of knives on their kitchen counter which should be removed for everyone’s safety.
5. Keep the house locked and consider extra security systems. Doors need to be kept locked at all times. Consider adding deadbolt locks, securing sliding glass doors with bars and extra locks, installing motion-sensor lights for outdoor areas, and check that all windows are locked securely. Look into installing a wireless security system, maybe one that alerts you if motion is detected.
6. Beware of unexpected visitors. When your house is for sale, should you get unexpected visitors at your front door and you weren’t expecting any showings, don’t let them in. This is not the proper procedure for showings. Only real estate professionals who have made an appointment and use the lockbox should gain access to your home.
As a follow-up to this last tip, if something doesn’t feel right, trust your gut. You and your REALTOR® have the right to decline any showing request. While sellers are discouraged to be home during a showing, if you do happen to be home and feel like something is not, ask the buyer’s agent and their client(s) to leave. If they do not immediately leave the house, call the police, and then contact your REALTOR®.
When returning home after a showing or an open house, don’t assume that everyone has left and that the house has been secured. Walk through the entire house, checking each room, as well as all door locks and windows – even on upper levels. If you notice anything that’s missing or possibly damaged, call your REALTOR® immediately.
“This information is certainly not meant to create fear and mistrust, or to scare homeowners away from selling, but rather to help them and their REALTORS think practically about the ways to secure homes and valuables, and to maintain everyone’s personal safety,” said Breanna Vanstrom, Chief Executive Officer for BRR.
Below are links to the articles referenced and others for additional information:
• “Home, Safe Home: Tips for Securing Your Home,” from REALTOR.org
• “10 Things a Burglar Doesn’t Want You to Know,” from houselogic.com
• “The Safety Talk You Need to Have with Clients,” from realtormag.REALTOR.org
If you have questions or concerns, please contact your REALTOR®. If you don’t have a REALTOR®, find one here.
