Many homeowners must sell their houses before moving into or buying a new home. As such, they need to hold an open house while they and everything they own is still in the home.
Holding an open house is an act of faith. You clean, declutter, and possibly stage your home to look its best, hoping at least one of the visitors will fall in love enough to make an offer. At the same time, open houses are invitations to strangers to walk among your most prized possessions.
Below are some very important tips for homeowners to secure their home in advance of holding their home open.
Say ‘No’ to drugs
Remove all prescription drugs from your medicine cabinet, even the ones you think are harmless. There are so many tales of open house visitors rifling through medicine cabinets and taking a few pills, or even whole bottles.
Control your remotes
Most people don’t think about the extra garage remote they leave dangling from a hook near the back door. It’s small and easy to slip into a pocket, so take it with you when you leave for the open house. All keys, remotes, and fobs should either be locked away or in your pocket.
File this under ‘Lock & Key’
There’s a trend in home office decor to make file cabinets pretty and portable—but portability and security are not always compatible. Buy a heavy, nonrolling commercial-grade filing cabinet that locks—and into it put your important documents: birth and marriage certificates, financial statements, basically any legal, medical, or personal information you wouldn’t want falling into someone else’s hands. Also, be sure to remove any mail, magazines, certificates and personal photographs that in any way reveal your identity. Identity theft is real and should be taken seriously.
What about my 50-inch flat-screen?
While it’s unlikely that anyone could walk out of your open house with your TV or other large electronics, they could come back for it. That’s why the next item is so important:
It ain’t over till you check your doors & windows
A good agent will go through to make sure all lights are off and the house is in good condition after an open house as well check the doors and windows. Unscrupulous people have been known to unlock a window or basement door with the thought of returning later. After the open house, it is always a good idea to walk through your house and double check every window (even on the second floor), gate and door to be certain that they’re all secured.
If you have a need for a real estate professional, please contact me. I would also appreciate your vote of confidence by passing my name to anyone you may know who would benefit from my services.
408.687.2026 | Julie@JulieWyss.com | www.JulieWyss.com
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