Protect Your Home During Showings With These Tips

Today’s tips will give you peace of mind that your valuables are safe while you’re holding open houses and showings.

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Your home is on the market and you’ve got some showings, and maybe even an open house, lined up.

While buyers are coming and going, how can you be sure that everything in your home will be protected?

Your first priority should be to pack up all of your valuables. To illustrate my point, years ago, I received a phone call from a friend whose home was on the market. She had some bad news: Following her open house, she discovered that her wedding rings had vanished! As it turned out, her children had snatched the rings and stored them in their toybox.

This was a false alarm, but it makes you realize that, if left in plain sight, your jewelry, heirlooms, and items with liability associated with them (e.g., firearms) are all up for grabs for a thief. Your valuables should be locked up, put away for safekeeping, and if possible, off the premises.

On the subject of open houses, it’s an unfortunate reality, but some people posing as buyers attend open houses to search for and steal prescription drugs. Just as you would with your valuables, hide your prescriptions and consider finding a place for them off-site.

In my 32 years as an agent, I’ve never had one seller lose their possessions to a thief, and my team and I will work to make sure you aren’t the first.

As homeowners, many of us hang our lives on our refrigerator doors—pictures of our kids, our bills, our monthly calendars, etc. That’s a lot of personal information that could be tempting for a thief. Play it safe and clear everything off your refrigerator doors.

Lastly, if you have them, you might turn on your security cameras during showings and open houses. However, I’d recommend you err on the side of caution and let buyers know ahead of time that you plan to do this. Having a sign in your front yard that reads “This property is under video surveillance” will not only give buyers a heads up, but it might deter a would-be thief.  

In my 32 years as an agent, I’ve never had one seller lose their possessions to a thief, and my team and I will work to make sure you aren’t the first.

If you have any questions or you’d like more information about selling your home, feel free to send me a personal email at Charlotte@CharlotteMabryTeam.com or give us a call at 423-593-5588. I hope to hear from you soon!