When you’re looking to sell your home, you may not think twice about organizing a showing with an interested buyer. However, it’s important to remember that a showing essentially involves inviting a stranger into your home. For this reason, there are some important precautions you’ll need to take if you’re looking to protect yourself and your belongings.
1. Hide Away Valuable or Important Items
During a showing, it’s a good idea to avoid having all your most valuable items sitting out in the open. You may even consider having some items locked in a storage facility or kept at a friend’s house during the showing. Even if you believe your items make your space look good for staging purposes, keeping valuables stored away is a safer choice. In addition, personal items like personal electronics, medications, credit cards, bills, and other important records should also be hidden away and out of the visitor’s eye.
2. Only Show by Appointment
Under no circumstances should you perform a showing that hasn’t been scheduled in advance. The only exception to this rule is when you’re running an open house, but this will still take place during a pre-determined timeframe. Any individual who enters your home should have made an appointment.
For extra safety, ensure that each of these appointments is confirmed and cleared by your agent. Use a trusted appointment management system to stay organized and specify that appointments can only be scheduled by active agents who are in good standing.
3. Don’t Show Your Home on Your Own
Especially if you currently live alone, you shouldn’t be the only individual at home during the showing. As such, there should be a minimum of two parties observing the showing, typically including a real estate agent and either the home’s owner or listing agent. Both of these individuals should accompany the potential buyer throughout their tour of the home.
Remember, there is real value in using the buddy system when it comes to protecting your home and yourself.
Looking for more tips on how to organize a showing for your home? Contact us for more information.
