Safety First When Selling Your Home
Congratulations you have decided to sell your home! So now you have the task of finding the right REALTOR® to list it and start getting the home ready to show. With so many decisions to make, one of the last things you might be thinking of is your home being a target for fraud or theft during its sale. In fact, home safety and security for properties that have been listed (and are being openly marketed to the world) is something most homeowners overlook. Although rare, incidents of this nature are a reality in any market and the threat should be taken seriously. With that in mind, here are some home safety issues to consider when preparing to sell your house.
Marketing Concerns
When selling your home the idea is to get the word out to as many interested people as possible in the hopes of creating a buying frenzy around the property. To do this, your home’s address along with detailed images of the property will be posted on countless publications both online and on paper. So what does this mean and does it pose a problem? Simply put, it means that the inside of your home just got a whole lot more public. What it also means is that if you are uncomfortable with this information being available to anyone, you will want to specify that to your listing agent right away so they can develop an alternative marketing strategy that does not include the house number, home’s security features or pictures of valuable items. Keep in mind sometimes prospective buyers like to take photos or videos of the home during a showing. Your RE/MAX Alliance Associate can prepare a Video/Photograph Authorization form that informs the buyer’s agents what is off-limits in terms of photographs and video when touring the home.
Possibility of Theft
The most important thing you can do to protect yourself against theft when selling your home is to make sure items of value are not visible and are put away someplace safe and secure. This includes extra keys, passwords, jewelry, your mail, garage door openers, firearms, iPads, alcohol, prescription medication and even some art work. The fact is, that you will have strangers walking through your home and although they will be accompanied by a real estate agent, that agent may not be with them every second while they tour the property opening up closet doors and such. If you don’t have one already, it is probably a good idea to invest in a small safe that can be bolted down to the floor of your closet.
Fraud and Ethics
Real estate fraud happens, plain and simple. It can come from several different angles, which is why signing a legally binding contract is one of the first things you do when you hire a REALTOR®. The contract is designed to outline realistic expectations and is also meant to protect both the REALTOR® and homeowner in situations of hidden fees, unethical negotiations, cutting out the REALTOR® from the deal, fair pricing, and disclosures. It is also smart to be wary of anyone who approaches you directly (or goes around your REALTOR®) regarding the sale of your home especially if they show up at your door.