While there is a lot of advice about keeping Realtors safe during open houses and showings, experts say home sellers should also be given safety tips if opening their homes to strangers.
For example, agents should encourage sellers to conceal valuables, prescription medications, alcohol, bank statements and other personal documents. They also should emphasize that anyone wishing to view the property must make an appointment with the listing agent, since anyone “just dropping by” unannounced may have ulterior motives.
Clients should be advised to remove pets from the home during showings too, to avoid any legal liability if a buyer or agent – strangers in the home as far as an animal are concerned – is attacked.
Sellers should also be wary if a large number of visitors arrive at the end of a scheduled open house – some could try to distract the agent as the others move through the home in search of valuables.
Realtors should make sure that all doors and windows are locked before leaving an open house or showing to prevent thieves from returning once they’re gone, and clients should be urged to check that doors are locked and valuables are in place as soon as they return home.
Source: Maryland Realtor (09/01/2010) Vol. 44, No. 5, P. 10
Source: INFORMATION, INC. Bethesda, MD
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