At Staged4More, we offer Redesign Home Staging as one of our services. This is when the home seller decides to live at the property while they are trying to sell it. While working on these homes, I have noticed some common things that homeowners sometimes don’t realize may represent hazards to the home sellers and their families.
Here is what I have found:
Potential Weapons: Knives in the kitchen or other weapons for that matter (such as knives or gun collection) are usually present. Kitchen knives are shockingly common during open houses mainly because they are very needed for daily life. But it can also be dangerous if your “buyers” don’t have the best intentions in mind, especially in our area. The majority of single family homes start around 1 million dollars. Robbers will assume you have money & expensive items in your house.
Too many personal items: Personal photos, especially of kids, are left on display. We love adorable kids just as much as you do, but displaying your children’s or grandchildren’s photos is not the safest thing during open house. During an open house, there are many people walking around. It is unlikely the agent will actually able to identify they are actual buyers, not people with a criminal background. During an open house event, buyers are free to roam around the home to explore the floor plan and learn where the exits and entrances are. Similarly, they will see your photos. Usually after touring a home during a consultation or an open home, I can tell what the child looks like, what’s his/hers name, what does he/she like, his/hers favorite toys, etc. Even if you don’t have kids, displaying personal items can tell visitors how many people live in the home and their living habits. Single women or people living alone need to be especially aware of this. From family photos alone, a visitor will know what you look like, your age group, your profession, and what you like to do for fun.
Opportunities for identity theft: I have visited quite a few homes where the homeowners realized that decluttering was essential before showing. Many times these homeowners thought this meant stacking their papers neatly on the office desk, including their bills. Most bills contain personal information such as account numbers that can easily be swiped during a crowded open house.
Expensive jewelry & money: While it’s true that your agent is responsible for visitors and should be monitoring your potential buyers around during an open house, you should still take the steps necessary to protect your valued items. What if there is more than one person in the touring party? One person can easily distract your agent while the other swipes your expensive jewelry in their pockets & purses. During an open house, broker/agent has to be multi-tasking and they may not be able to pay attention to smaller items such as a diamond ring.
Medication: People DO steal medication to sell to others or for other reasons. In my area, there was a man who dressed very nicely and posed as a buyer. He would go to crowded open houses and raid people’s medicine cabinets. Medication, like other personal items, should be stored safely and out of reach of potential thieves.
There’s nothing more important than your safety…more than any amount of money you can receive. Being aware of these very simple things can ensure that you and your family are safe while showing your home.
Happy Selling,
Cindy
Note: Staged4more is an eco-friendly company and we believe in recycling everything, including blogposts. This post is part of a weekly series of refreshed posts we’re calling “Restyled” from our earlier blogging years. This post was originally written in July, 2007 and has been “Restyled” for your reading pleasure. Let us know what you think!
Related posts:
Leave a Reply