Precautions When Showing Your Home

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No doubt about it, we live in scary times when you really have to be careful about allowing strangers in your home.  Hopefully, your Realtor has done an excellent job of vetting your potential buyers; pre-approval through a local mortgage company is the biggest thing they can do.  That way you KNOW they have the funds and credit to purchase your home.  But it doesn't stop there....

Open Houses and Showings

One tool Realtors use to sell a home is an open house.  This is a time when just about anyone can walk in your home and look around.  What can you do to protect your "stuff"?  Below is a list that is not inclusive of everything, but its a good start.

  1. If you own firearms - secure them.  Lock them in a safe or take them with you.
  2. Secure your jewelry, or coin collections or other valuable collectibles.
  3. Secure any items that you don't want broken.  Although people may not mean to, but they may inadvertently break something that is valuable to you. 
  4. Take your pets with you or crate them when having an open house or showing.
  5. Address any trip hazards.  The last thing you want anyone to do is fall in your home.  If they are injured it may, or may not, result in litigation.  What a nightmare that would be.
  6. Secure any electronics; computers, tablets, phones, gaming systems.
I know this sounds like a lot, but this it will protect you and your potential buyers.

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