Protect Yourself During an Open House.

Open houses are a fantastic marketing tool for selling your home. A successful open house creates a network of awareness around your listing. Unfortunately, you must be cautious about potential thieves. Use the few tips to protect yourself during an open house.

 9 Things to Remove From Your Home

1. Important documents: Ensure your personal information is secure by removing your social security number and driver’s license from your home. Important documents also included birth certificates, marriage licenses, and passports.
2. Passwords: Remove any passwords you have written down and stored in your home. This includes computer passwords, Wi-Fi passwords, etc.
3. Jewelry: Any jewelry or other valuables should be removed from your home before an open house. Even if you have a secure place to store them, it’s best to be cautious and take them with you.
4. Medications: Medications and prescriptions must be removed from the cupboards and medicine cabinets.
5. Spare Keys: You should never leave spare keys lying around your home. If you have a spare key, either give it to your real estate agent or hide it in a safe place.
6. Firearms: Guns, firearms, and ammunition should be removed from the home.
7. Heirlooms: Heirlooms and other family treasures should be kept safe and out of sight.
8. Extra Cash: Remove extra cash from your home.
9. Animals: If you have any pets, make arrangements for them to be out of the house during the open house.

Tips for a Successful Open House

With your items secure, what other steps create a successful open house?

• Create a Welcoming Atmosphere: The goal is to make buyers feel at home as soon as they step into your house. This means decluttering and adding some personal touches. Included with the valuable items we listed above, also remove religious or political items. You want buyers to be able to see themselves in your home, and clutter makes that difficult.
• Make Your House Sparkling Clean: No one wants to buy a dirty house. Spend time cleaning your home from top to bottom before the open house.
• Add Staging Touches: While you don’t want your home to look like a model home, adding a few staging touches can help potential buyers visualize the space. Staging includes adding fresh flowers, arranging furniture to create open space, and adding a bowl of fruit to the kitchen counter.
• Start Packing: You may not be ready to move yet, but starting the packing process can help buyers see your home as move-in ready. Plus, it will make your life easier when the time comes to move.

If you’re listing soon, get in touch. If you have any questions about buying or selling in the area, don’t hesitate to reach out, I’m always here to help!