You make sure your home is safe and sound when you’re living in it. That’s to be expected. But what about when you sell your home? You still need to protect it (and any belongings still inside). Summer is one of the most popular times for relocations and travel, so if you’re selling a home (or will be away from it for a while), here are six home security tips to help you out.
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Control Access Points
Homes for sale will usually have a lock box placed on the home to control who can enter and view the home. There are different types of lock boxes and it’s important to limit access to them (e.g. your agent, showing agents, family, etc.). But you should also think about securing other access points in the home, such as windows and the back door. By controlling access points, you can limit who you allow into the home you’re selling.
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Keep Valuables Away
Jewelry? Collectibles? Stack of cash? Yeah, you’ll want to keep all of those out of sight and/or properly secured when it comes to showings. Consider keeping valuables in a home safe instead—if you don’t have one, now might be a good time to purchase one. At the very least, get valuables out of the open, where they’re vulnerable to thieves.
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Remove Sensitive Information
Similarly, you want to protect your digital valuables as well. Your personal information, in particular, can be vulnerable if you have it anywhere in your home where a visitor can access it. Take sticky notes with passwords off the fridge and desk, relocate spare keys and keep any important documents out of drawers that aren’t secured. Make sure to lock your computer or any other electronic device housing sensitive information.
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Install Video Monitoring
Whether it’s a full-blown security system or a single video doorbell, a surveillance system of some sort can go a long way toward giving you peace of mind during your home sale. If your home is damaged, burglarized or vandalized in any way, you’ll be able to see who did it. You can also check in on your home when you’re away for peace of mind during showings.
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Remove Personalizations
Removing pictures of family members, names and anything else that could give away your identity is important. Not just for the people who will physically be viewing your home, but also because of the potential that photos will be taken of personalized items during the prospective buyer’s tour and posted online. It’s especially important to remove personalizations if there are children in the house.
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Never Allow Showings While at Home Alone!
Most homeowners elect to leave the house before a buyer’s agent shows the home, but this is optional. If you do choose to stay while your home is being toured it’s important to know that many buyer’s agents will send their clients to showings without accompanying them. Even if the buyer’s agent joins their client it’s a good idea to plan on having someone else in the home with you that you trust if you must remain in your home during a showing.
If you’re interested in more residential security advice, contact us today or stop by any of our DFW-area locations.
