As a seller, you may be sailing smoothly ahead in your house selling process. The word has been out; the staging has been done, but then comes a bump along the way when it’s time for the house tours.
Would it be one-on-one tours or an open house? You have to make a smart choice here.
Say you have an overwhelming number of parties interested in your house. You still cannot tell for sure if they’re serious buyers, much less vouch for every one of them. Although technology today allows alternatives such as virtual tours, and online marketplaces allow you to effectively cut out the realtors, you’re better off walking old and beaten track.
However, there are some safety risks that present themselves with staging an open house. Below are a few important tips that must be kept in mind.
Don’t Leave Any Document and Personal Information Behind
Ensure that there are no tax records, bank receipts, utility bills or any other documents that might divulge sensitive information, lying around in the house. Remove personal things such as paintings or names or pictures from the walls as well. After all, one of the reasons for staging is to de-personalize the place.
Besides that, you must also remove other valuables in an easy-to-access place, even things such as knives or weapons that are kept around the house for safety purposes. A visitor looking to make a quick buck will not even spare trinkets as they can also be sold off.
Clear Out Bathroom Cabinets
Clean up your bathroom cabinets. Make sure you remove all your prescription medicines and hide them away from the sink cabinet. There could be a legal repercussion for you if these medicines are found in somebody else’s possession. Often times, you might be using a laptop as you show them around the house. Make sure it is password protected.
Also, it’s always a good idea to install a camera around the house covering main areas where the meeting is usually conducted. So, even if you happen to forget a laptop or any other valuable that goes missing, the camera can catch it.
Lock Your Secret Places
Many owners have small hidden rooms around the house for a number of reasons. Such as those serving as a storeroom or those hidden rooms for safety purposes. Such privacy rooms can be a convenient place for thieves or others with malicious intent to hide without the seller ever finding out to pounce on the unassuming visitors and rob them later. Therefore, always make sure that places as the attic or the basement are locked.
As an extra precautionary measure, while hosting an open house, alert your neighbors to keep a watchful eye out for any suspicious activity. At the end of the day, comb the house thoroughly, along with your neighbor and ensure that it’s locked and sealed.
All in all, follow the aforementioned tips to mitigate the risks associated with an open house staging. If you’re looking to buy or sell property anywhere in Orlando Florida, visit Megan Dowdy Realty can help.
