{"id":1168,"date":"2018-06-05T12:15:40","date_gmt":"2018-06-05T17:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/?p=1168"},"modified":"2020-04-27T07:56:47","modified_gmt":"2020-04-27T12:56:47","slug":"eight-ways-to-keep-your-home-safe-during-showings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/2018\/06\/05\/eight-ways-to-keep-your-home-safe-during-showings\/","title":{"rendered":"Eight Ways to keep your home safe during showings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>As a child, your parents may have taught you never to talk to strangers. As an adult hoping to sell your home, not only are you going to have to talk to strangers \u2014 you\u2019re going to have to invite them in.<br \/>\nReal estate professionals \u2014 who are sometimes targeted by criminals pretending to be clients \u2014 should take certain precautions to protect themselves and the homeowners they represent.<br \/>\nWhether you\u2019re working with an agent or selling your home on your own, take a cue from the experts to avoid common crimes like burglary and identity theft. With simple tips like showing your home with a friend and investing in smart home technologies, we\u2019ll show you how to keep your family and your home safe during the selling process.<br \/>\n<strong>1. Skip the open house<\/strong><br \/>\nReal estate experts disagree on whether open houses really help sell properties. What\u2019s certain, however, is the risk you take when strangers are allowed to wander into your home. An open house is the perfect excuse for thieves to get their hands on your valuables, or to case your property so they can target it later.<br \/>\n<strong>2. Never show alone<\/strong><br \/>\nIf you\u2019re expecting a prospective home buyer, ask a friend or neighbor to come hang out while you\u2019re giving the grand tour.<br \/>\n<strong>3. Don\u2019t overshare<\/strong><br \/>\nSmall talk is a friendly way to connect with a potential buyer, but resist the urge to give away too much. Don\u2019t discuss your marital status, your family\u2019s schedule, or your vacation plans. Some experts even suggest taking down family photos before showing your home, especially pictures of your children.<br \/>\n<strong>4. Have your agent meet with prospective buyers first<\/strong><br \/>\nReal estate agents often have safety procedures in place when speaking with potential clients. If you\u2019re working without a listing agent, don\u2019t let anyone view your home without an appointment. Some experts recommend only accepting appointments made over the phone. If someone reaches out, ask for his or her phone number and then call that number before the showing to \u201cconfirm\u201d the appointment \u2014 and ensure it isn\u2019t a fake. At the showing, ask for identification. Prospective home buyers should have no problem showing proof of their identity, so be friendly and firm.<br \/>\n<strong>5. Do your research<\/strong><br \/>\nIf someone reaches out to you claiming to be an agent interested in showing your home or working with you, request contact information. To confirm the individual\u2019s identity before giving away any information or agreeing to services, contact the brokerage provided.<br \/>\n<strong>6. Keep valuables out of sight<\/strong><br \/>\nMake sure jewelry, family heirlooms, electronics, and designer accessories are tucked away where people touring your house won\u2019t be able to see them.<br \/>\n<strong>7. Dispose of prescription drugs<\/strong><br \/>\nPrescription drugs, especially prescription painkillers, are a major target for would-be thieves and drug seekers \u2014 especially during open houses. Follow the FDA\u2019s guidelines on disposing of old medications safely, and consider keeping the ones you do use under lock and key.<br \/>\n<strong>8. Invest in smart home technology<\/strong><br \/>\nYour home is uniquely vulnerable when it\u2019s on the market, so it\u2019s a great time to consider a smart home security system. It may even make your home more valuable to safety-conscious buyers. Inman, a real estate news website, reported that 72 percent of buyers ages 18 to 34 would be willing to pay thousands of dollars more for a smart home. Smart home technology features like wireless security and smart smoke detectors are increasingly popular.<br \/>\nAt the very least, consider investing in a smart lockbox. Devices like TOOR and igloo\u2019s keybox give you full control over who can enter your home, even if you\u2019re miles away. And, if you\u2019re a landlord or property manager, Rently\u2019s lockbox technology allows potential residents to tour properties at their convenience \u2014 without you having to be there.<br \/>\nBy making your home smarter, not only are you giving it a leg up on the competition \u2014 you\u2019re also giving yourself peace of mind. That\u2019s priceless.<br \/>\nVisit the National Association of Realtors\u00ae for more great safety tips including:<br \/>\nSchedule showings for daytime hours.<br \/>\nWhen touring the home, walk behind visitors, not in front of them.<br \/>\nPut away items like mail and bills before a showing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a child, your parents may have taught you never to talk to strangers. As an adult hoping to sell your home, not only are you going to have to talk to strangers \u2014 you\u2019re going to have to invite them in. Real estate professionals \u2014 who are sometimes targeted by criminals pretending to be [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1170,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1168","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1168"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1168\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1170"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1168"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1168"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flagshipinsuranceservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1168"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}