Ten Tips to Protect Your Belongings When Selling Your Home
If you’re in the process of selling your home, the last thing on your mind is safety. However, taking some simple, proactive precautions, can save you from potential material and identity theft when home selling. Remember, people are naturally curious; especially during an open house, so be sure to remove anything an opportunistic stranger could snatch.
- All documents that contain personal or valuable information such as passports, ID cards, checkbooks, prescriptions, bank statements, etc., should be hidden or locked safely away and not just stuffed in a cabinet or drawer.
- Valuables such as jewelry, artwork, statues; even expensive bottles of wine, should be placed out of sight and in a secure, locked location during open house hours.
- If you have indoor security cameras from Security Specialists or another company, please make sure they’re turned on and working properly.
- Insist your real estate agent uses a sign-in sheet for everyone who enters your home.
- If your realtor places images of your home on an online real estate site, make sure no valuables are displayed.
- Remove all prescription medications from your bathroom and lock them up as well.
- Smartphones and other small form-factor devices such as laptops, tablets, etc. are especially inviting targets and easy to tuck in a pocket or purse. Make sure these are safely stowed away.
- Protect your electronic data – if you have desktop computers, make sure they’re locked with a pass code.
- Thieves are smart – don’t think that hiding anything in your top dresser drawer will work. It won’t…in fact this one of the to “go-to” spots for thieves.
- After each open house, make sure your agent checks and locks all doors and windows.
