Home Safety When Listing Your Home For Sale

By Fran Campbell - February 01, 2018

When considering selling a home at the Lake of the Ozarks, one concern that many homeowners have is how safe their home will be during showings. We understand that having strangers walk through your home can be a scary feeling. As experienced real estate agents at the Lake of the Ozarks, we take every precaution we can to ensure the safety and security of our clients and their homes. But as an added measure of security, here are some tips on home safety when listing your home for sale.

Discuss Showing Procedures with Your Agent
When you're selling your home and working with a professional real estate agent, they should have showing procedures in place to ensure the safety and security of your home and family. Typically, your agent will put a lock box on your home's entryway for other licensed agents to be able to gain access to your home. This is a secure method because it provides the agent with a list of every agent who accesses that particular lock box, the date and time they entered, and how long they were in your home. Depending on your particular situation, your agent may even indicate on the listing that showings must be scheduled between certain times and on certain days if needed. This, of course, can limit the showings made for your home, but it allows you the freedom to choose when your home is being shown. Ask your agent up front what their showing procedures are so you know what to expect from the beginning and you can actively work with your agent to provide the best showings possible.

Depersonalize Your Home
Depersonalizing your home is actually essential for two reasons: 1. to allow buyers to envision themselves in your home, and 2. to protect your family's safety. If you've got tons of photos of your family up on the walls and in every nook and cranny in your home, buyers may easily become distracted by this and have a hard time picturing building their life in your space. On the safety side of this, part of effectively marketing your home is to market it online. Once your agent puts your listing up on the MLS, your home becomes visible across hundreds of real estate websites. Having pictures of your family, children, or even family member names (wall decor) online provides a lot of information to strangers that can be very dangerous.

Lock Away Valuable Items
This really should go without saying, but we're going to say it anyway. Lock away your valuables. We'd like to think that most people have good intentions and wouldn't take something that isn't theirs. But that's just not always the case. Not only will locking away your valuables (such as jewelry, firearms, etc.) prevent them from disappearing during a showing, but this can also prevent future break ins from happening.

Keep Personal Information Out of Sight
Anyone taking the time out of their day to walk through your home probably has a pretty genuine interest in your home. But every now and then, there are those who are looking as a way to case your home. While you've thought about the valuables, have you thought about your personal information? Protect yourself from identity theft or from coming into harm's way by keeping your bills, invitations, calendars, etc out of sight. Wandering curious eyes can catch the most seemingly minute things and in the wrong person's hands, your identity or privacy could be compromised.

Only Allow for Scheduled Showings

As a seller, you may be anxious to get any and all offers on your home. And you may be chomping at the bit to see some activity of any kind. Oftentimes, when your home is listed for sale, your agent will post a "for sale" sign outside to draw interest from passersby. This could seem like an invitation to some to just swing by and ring the doorbell expecting to be able to walk through your home at a moment's notice. While they may truly have an interest in your home, it's better to be safe than sorry. And it is okay to decline them the opportunity. Simply say "I'm sorry, now is not a good time. But you can schedule a viewing with my real estate agent", and hand them your agent's card. If they're truly interested in viewing your home, they'll make the appointment. This keeps you and your home safe, and helps to weed out the looky-lou's!

If you're ready to list your Lake of the Ozarks home for sale, give the best real estate team a call! We're ready, willing, and able to get your home on the market and get it SOLD! And you can trust that we'll do our part to keep your home safe. As you prepare to sell your home, Fran Campbell Team wishes you and your family the best of luck! If you would like other suggestions for selling your home or are in need of a Lake of the Ozarks real estate agent to represent you, don't hesitate to reach out to our team. We would be honored to guide you through the process!

Contact the Fran Campbell Team to buy your next home!