Homes For Sale: 3 Ways To Protect Yourself When Hosting An Open House

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When selling your house, the best way that you can showcase your home to potential buyers is to host an open house. The National Association of Realtors found that 44% of buyers used open houses to narrow down which house they wanted to buy in 2014. Although hosting an open house can help you get more offers and attract more buyers, you are opening yourself to some risks. Here are 3 things you can do to protect your home and your belongings.

Remove Valuables and Sensitive Documents

Before staging your home, take the time to remove all valuables and sensitive documents. Store expensive jewelry or collectibles in a safety security deposit box or a self storage unit that you've rented temporarily. You also want to look around and get rid of any letters containing sensitive information. This might include your banking information, receipts or bills with your credit card information and any legal documents you have sitting around the house. This helps to prevent not only theft of expensive belongings, but also reduce the risk of identity theft.

Track All Guests

If security is a main issue with you, have your realtor track all guests that visit your house. This includes keeping a record of when the guests arrived on the property, along with their identity. If you are going to be out of town, you can have the realtor install a special lock. To enter the home for a showing, a licensed realtor must sign in electronically via the lock. You can easily determine which guests may have sticky fingers or may have damaged your property through these records. You can also customize the lock, so that only certain realtors are able to access your property when you're not home.

Install Security Cameras

For further protection, consider installing security cameras throughout your home. These security cameras are connected to your home's wireless internet and will store video recordings of the activities within your home to an online data storage platform. Install security cameras in the corner of main rooms in order to get a bird's eye view of what's happening inside each room.

Conclusion

A realtor will always be present in your home during an open house to ensure that everything goes as planned. They not only keep an eye on your house and your belongings, but are also there to answer any questions and concerns that potential buyers may have about homes for sale.


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