How to Secure Your Home While Trying to Sell Your Home

With the current stalemate in the housing market, and with burglaries increasing on homes that are on the real estate market, I decided it would be appropriate to address a major problem that comes with selling a home: burglary. Your home is a perfect target for burglars while you are trying to sell it. It may be the only time a burglar can find your home unoccupied at night, and it may also be the only time when the security system is left off or disconnected. In addition, neighbors may not be as suspicious about individuals passing by the home to ‘check it out.’ This all translates into one big opportunity for those would-be thieves, so how can you secure your home while trying to sell your home?

The first thing that comes to mind when selling your home is being wise about those individuals who schedule appointments to see your home. Burglars may take the opportunity to check out your home to see if there are any valuables, as well as look for any possible break-in points or problem areas. In the end, what you must do is screen individuals looking to schedule an appointment. Take down their names, personal information of some kind such as employment, and in general take notice of the disposition of the individual. Do they sound pushy, aggressive, or suspicious in some way? If so, you have the right to reject their appointment. If you do screen appointments when a would-be burglar calls, they will become worried about the situation or they will just abandon their plan and move on. Either way, this is the first step in securing your home.

The next thing you can do to secure your home more efficiently while selling your home is related to showing your home. If an individual does want to see your home, and you have taken the initial step to screen the individual, there is more you can do to provide safety to yourself and your home. First of all, keep a cell phone on your body at all times while showing, and if necessary you can put 911 on your speed dial. Generally speaking, you should never allow someone to look at your home that has not scheduled an appointment. If an individual stops by unannounced, just tell them you are busy and would like to schedule an appointment. This way you can make the necessary arrangements before showing the home. Also, make sure your children know not to let anyone in, regardless if they have an appointment. It has been shown that younger age groups are home most frequently when a burglary or assault occurs in the home. It is also more appropriate, if possible, to show the home with a close friend or family member accompanying you. If a burglar realizes you are not alone, he will not be as keen about assaulting you to rob your home.

This brings up another point. If in the event you are assaulted while showing your home, most burglars say they would not put up a fight as long as the person being robbed does not put up a fight. So, if after taking all of these security measures you are assaulted, it is much more important for you to save yourself than save your possessions. However, it is always wise to carry around some kind of personal defense device such as pepper spray, which can be used readily for self-defense.

Something else that has started occurring recently, with the advent of technology, is the virtual tour to sell your home. If you choose this option, be judicious in how you portray your home. Do not film valuables, or even any of your belongings if possible. If it appears that your home does not have anything inside of it, a burglar has no motivation to go breaking into your home.

Make sure to keep your home up even if you are not there all the time. Mow the lawn, trim the trees, pick up the newspaper and take out the trash. As previous articles show, burglars look for these signs in order to determine what home should be broken into. Check out ‘The Tell-tale Signs that Your Home is Ready for Burglary’ for more information regarding those burglary signals. Finally, let trustworthy neighbors know that you will not be at your home if you are living elsewhere so they can keep an eye on things.

In conclusion, selling a home can be one of the most stressful experiences at the time, but it can be eased by taking correct measures in home security. This way, even during slower housing markets, you will not lose even more assets and hairs than you may be losing just trying to sell your home.