How to better safeguard your home during open houses and private showings
By Erik J. Martin
Listing your property for sale begins the exciting process of marketing and exhibiting your home to prospective buyers in the hopes of scoring a quicker-than-expected sale at a desirable price. But doing so can also attract undesirables to your address who may show up to your open house events and home showings with the intention of stealing your valuables or even assaulting an occupant. To protect you, your agent and your possessions, it’s important to play it safe by taking needed precautions, say the experts.
“During a public open house or private showing, there have been instances where a would-be buyer is simply there to case the joint or look for jewelry, money or prescription drugs to steal,” says Irene Keene, realtor with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage of Madison, Connecticut. “I’ve also heard stories where two thieves ‘tag team’ – one stays downstairs to distract the agent while the partner in crime is upstairs rifling through drawers, closets, and medicine cabinets.”
Julie Morris, a realtor and broker in Scottsdale, Arizona, escaped a possible attack from two men who cornered her in the basement of a home for sale. She’s since taken self-defense classes and is equipped with a Taser.
“Not all realtors showing a property know their clients well and keep an eye on them while showing a home, allowing theft to happen,” says Morris, who warns that clever perpetrators can appear harmless and show up for reasons that seem legitimate, such as a request to measure rooms, take inventory for the upcoming move and appraise the property.
For these and other reasons, it’s crucial that sellers and their agents work closely together to create a safe and secure environment and follow best practices.
First, “ensure all your valuables and prescription drugs are locked away somewhere safe before people come through the home,” says Kelly Jo Choate, realtor with Lapeer, Michigan headquartered Coldwell Banker Professionals. “Never leave expensive items out in the open.”
Second, be sure your agent screens a buyer candidate before they arrange for a private showing.
“The prospective buyer should be told that it’s company policy that they initially meet the agent first at the agent’s office. There, a copy of the buyer’s driver’s license should be made and left with the agent on desk duty while the house is being shown,” Keene says.
Third, “sellers should leave prior to a showing and never let someone into their home without a licensed agent present,” Morris says. “The seller should also never let anyone identifying themselves as an agent into the home without the use of a secure lockbox that records the agent’s credentials.”
Additionally, use the buddy system.
“Arrange to have someone else – maybe a friend, relative or agent coworker – present in the home during the showing and visible to the buyer,” says Robert Siciliano, a Boston based-personal security expert and CEO of RealtySecurity.com, who recommends hiring an off-duty police officer for this task if your property is within a high-crime area. “Also, when possible show your property only during the daylight, and make sure the agent closes and locks the front door once the buyer enters your home but remains closest to the exit in case something goes wrong.”
Whether it’s an open house or private showing, keep an eye on couples or small groups who arrive.
“When a couple shows, require them to stay together without splitting up,” Siciliano adds.
Lastly, remind your agent to take personal safety seriously by adopting extra measures.
“Someone in the agent’s office should know where that agent is going to be at all times,” Keene says. “In my office, we’ve established a code word so that, if you feel something isn’t right during an open house or private showing – and you can’t call 911 without arousing suspicion – you can say you have to place a quick call to your office to get some additional information about the property. As soon as an office colleague picks up your call, you can say the code word and the property address, and that person knows to send the police over right away.”
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