As the market has tighten in San Francisco Bay Area, I have noticed that I got an increased calls for redesign to sell jobs, which means the sellers will be living in the home while they are selling. I also have consequently toured homes that have been sitting on the market for awhile (such as 140 days) that are live-in.Here is what I have found:

Knives in the kitchen or other weapons for that matter (such as knives or gun collection)– 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 intention in mind, especially in our area, majority of single family homes start around 1 million dollars.. Robbers will assume you have money & expensive items in your house.

Personal photos, especially kids — We love adorable kids just as you do, but displaying your children’s or grand children’s photos is not safest thing during open house. During an open house, there are lots of people walking around and it is very unlikely the agent will actually able to identify they are actual buyers, not people with history of violence and sexual offenses. During the open homes, 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.

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I was interviewed today by San Mateo Times about the burglary that happened a few months ago in Atherton where a staged home was broken into and things were taken. The burglars took artwork, accessories and remote controls to both garage doors and sprinklers. The reporter asked me if I was surprised, sadly I said no.

This is not the first time I’ve heard about people stole things out of homes. It happens
more frequent than we like to believe. It is more common with vacant homes and certainly can happen to occupied homes as well.

Real estate can be a dangerous industry; most people do not realize it. Selling your home is not only an emotional roller coaster, you are also making yourself vulnerable for all to see. There is a reason why I do not use candlesticks in homes, even though they would look darn good and it will make my life easier. I also don’t use flatware. There have been cases in the past where realtors were attacked with these objects while showing homes. Similarly, I also advise homeowners to pack up valuables, collections and personal photos. Nowadays with technology’s advancement and the popularity of virtual tour, people can browse through your home, floor plan and do their “homework” before they show up to rob you. Open house is also another great time for potential thieves to attack. With high foot traffic during open house, people can raid your medicine cabinets without you knowing. I have heard of agents’ purses went missing after open house while they were showing the home to walk-in potential buyers.

In this particular Atherton case, the burglars also took garage openers. The reporter chuckled when he told me but it makes a lot of sense. They took artwork and accessories because they are easy to run with, unlike a couch where you can be seen by the neighbors. They targeted Atherton because of the high end listing prices come with high-end expensive staging furnishings. They took garage openers because they plan to come back and rob the seller again. They took the control to sprinklers also probably because they couldn’t figure out which is which.

Here are a few tips to help you protect yourself while you put your home up for sale:

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