Safety Tips for Home Sellers & Home Buyers

When selling and buying a property, there are some safety guidelines you should follow to keep yourself and others safe.  As a home seller, the fact is you are leaving your home exposed to a parade of strangers. Potential buyers want to see your entire home, even inside closets and kitchen cupboards. While the vast majority of homebuyers are safe, honest people, precautions are necessary for the rare possibility that just one could see your home as an opportunity for crime. In an ongoing effort to keep safety top-of-mind for our clients and our agents, the National Association of REALTORS® dedicate September as REALTOR® Safety Month.

Here are some security measures to take before you allow would-be buyers in the door:

• Remember to remove keys, credit cards, jewelry and other valuables from the home or lock them away. Also remove prescription medications from medicine cabinets and bedside tables.
• Firearms, knives (including blocks in the kitchen) and other weapons need to be removed from sight and locked away.
• Bills, invoices, credit card statements, and anything with your social security number or other identifying information should be removed from view. Family photos and anything labeled with names should also be removed.
• Never discuss your personal schedule or habits with potential buyers.
• Require all visitors sign in a guestbook or roster and enter and leave through one door only, except when you escort them to the backyard, garage, etc. You should personally have quick and easy access to all your exits.
• Without hovering, escort prospective buyers through your home by following them (never leading them) and keeping them within sight at all times. Keep a reasonable distance between you and your visitor. Never enter a room with a visitor. You could be trapped inside. Keep your path clear for a speedy exit.
• After an open house, check all the windows, doors and other entrances to make sure they are locked.

Cyber Security Matters 

People are not who they say they are Even with the help of caller I.D, you can never be too sure you know who you are talking to. For example, if someone who claims to
know you gives you a call and starts to make unusual requests on your behalf, then stop talking!! Scammers feed off your reactions in order to compile additional information. Hint: If the caller has no recollection of previous conversations, then they are not who they say they are.

Have a lifeline
Always let someone know when you are headed to an appointment and when they should expect to hear from you. Always check-in after appointments to let a
colleague/spouse/friend know that you have left the appointment and are safe.

Check suspicious e-mails
Before you act on an e-mail request, check a list of the latest e-mail scams on the Federal Trade Commission’s Web site at  www.ftc.gov/bcp/menu-internet.htm

Be aware of adware and malware

Be sure that you don’t click on error messages with unfamiliar logos that state “your computer has been infected with a virus” or “trojan found”. These messages
with unfamiliar logos will tell you there is something wrong with your computer and to download their protection service, when in actuality you are downloading a virus and setting yourself up for information loss.

Thwart thieves
Remind your clients that strangers will be walking through their home during showings or open houses. Tell them to hide any valuables in a safe place. For
security’s sake, remember to remove keys, credit cards, jewelry, crystal, furs and other valuables from the home or lock them away during showings. Also remove prescription drugs.

 The real estate experts at Tony Clark Realtors are ready to talk to you about any questions you have about real estate. #CallClark (270) 926-0055