Don't Throw Caution to the Wind!

You lock your car doors everytime you park and go in somewhere, right? OK, well maybe my good friend Ty doesn't...but if you know Ty or if you ever meet him, you'll see that's just the way he is. :)

My point in locking your car is that I'm sure you take safety precautions in protecting your car, stereo and any valuables that may be inside it, am I right? Well, my question to you is, why wouldn't you take the same safety measures when selling your home? My video podcast episode talks about the big safety precautions you must take when you have your home listed on the market. This considers whether or not your home is listed with a Realtor or not. I have been listing and selling houses for over 19 years and I am amazed at how many sellers don't take safety measures in the simple things. I have seen many wallets, billfolds, money clips, fine jewelry, iPods, credit card statements, etc. just left out in view during a home showing. It would take a dishonest person less than a second to swipe these valuable items or steal your identity. They could even do it when the Realtor turned his/her back for just a second. Why take that risk?? Just put your stuff away and don't leave it out.

Now if you have listed your property with a Realtor and another Realtor is showing your property, this isn't as much of a concern because Realtors are required to carefully "screen" buyers looking at a property to verify that their reasons are legit for wanting to take a look at a home that is on the market. However, when you list your home for sale on your own, I always encourage sellers to carefully "screen" potential buyers that want to look at their home. Be nosy! Ask them their names, phone numbers and what kind of car they will be driving. It is so important that you have an idea of who you are letting inside your home. Don't let them photograph your property. Who knows what exactly they are taking pictures of inside your house. This doesn't mean that you should not be willing to let people have pictures of a home that they are thinking of buying. What I mean is, keep control of the situation. You need to offer the pictures or videos of the home. Put away your valuables and then video tape the features (not the personal contents) of your home and offer them to potential buyers.

I don't say all of this to scare anyone. I just really want to encourage all sellers to use common sense and keep in mind the safety issues, afterall it is still your home.

You can see the podcast movie by clicking on the picture above. Remember, it will take a few moments to load so please be patient. If you want to be a regular subscriber to my podcast series, then go to iTunes and subscribe to "(417) Dwellings" in the podcast section.

Post your comments and let me know what other kinds of tips you want for taking safety measures in listing your home for sale. I once again have only scratched the surface here.

Until next time...