Placing Your Home On The Market: 3 Tips To Protect Your Belongings During An Open House

10 April 2017
 Categories: Real Estate, Blog

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When listing your home for sale, you are faced with the incredibly personal option of hosting an open house. The open house allows potential buyers to take a look at what the inside of the home looks like. This can help them determine whether they can envision building a life there. In fact, many successful realtors report that as many as 20% of their sales come from open houses. With that said, opening up your house for an open house puts you in a vulnerable position. This article will look at 3 tips on how you can protect your belongings and your home.

Remove Items with Your Personal Information On It

All real estate agents recommend that you remove clutter from your home if you are interested in hosting an open house. Depersonalizing your home not only gives potential buyers a clean slate to work with, but also protects your identity. After removing all of your valuables, you also want to take a quick look around the house for any types of items that might contain your personal information. This might include any bottles of prescription medication you have sitting in your medicine cabinets or any opened or unopened letters that might be lying around the house as well.

Have an Assistant Stationed at Each Floor

It's a good idea to have someone keep an eye on the guests at all times. This can be difficult if you have a multi-level home. It's easy for you and your realtor to become preoccupied with answering questions or showing certain guests specific rooms and features of your home. Don't hesitate to ask the realtor to have their assistant or hire additional help, so that there is someone stationed on each floor at all times.

Ensure that the Realtor Has a Sign-Up Sheet for Everyone Who Arrives at the Open House

In the unfortunate situation that something ends up being misplaced, you'll be in a better position if you can account for everyone that has walked in through your doors. Ensure that your realtor will have all guests sign up at the door. Each guest should provide some type of ID for identification purposes, and also contact information, so that you can contact them at a later time if necessary.

Conclusion

Opening up your home for an open house is a very personal and intimate matter. While you are giving potential buyers the ability to get a better look at your home, you are also putting yourself in a vulnerable position. Due to this reason, it's best to implement preventative measures that protect your best interest.