{"id":2835,"date":"2017-02-25T11:26:59","date_gmt":"2017-02-25T15:26:59","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/?p=2835"},"modified":"2020-06-03T08:37:37","modified_gmt":"2020-06-03T12:37:37","slug":"protect-your-valuables-home-sale","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/25\/protect-your-valuables-home-sale\/","title":{"rendered":"Protect your valuables when selling your home"},"content":{"rendered":"

Preparing your home sale is more than just deep cleaning, decluttering, and minor repairs. Prepare and plan how to protect your valuables during the sale.<\/h2>\n
\"protect<\/a>
Protect Your Valuables when Selling Your Home (infographic from Elders Real Estate realestatesevenhillsnews.com.au)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I often write about preparing your home for a sale<\/a>.\u00a0 Of course, that preparation is to make your home sell quicker and get the best price.\u00a0 However, preparing your home is more than just deep cleaning, decluttering<\/a>, and minor repairs.\u00a0 Preparing and planning how to protect your valuables will not only keep the prying eyes of nosey home buyers focused on your home\u2019s spaces \u2013 it can also thwart would-be criminals.<\/p>\n

Homes for sale are prime targets for thieves<\/a>, and your home is not an exemption.\u00a0 Don\u2019t make it easy for them.\u00a0 It may sound obvious \u2013 use common sense.\u00a0 However, you\u2019d be surprised how many home sellers don\u2019t lock up their valuables.\u00a0 In my many years of selling homes, I have seen how home sellers can be careless by leaving credit cards, cash, medications, and financial statements on counters and desks.\u00a0 There was one instance where the owner left their gun cabinet open!<\/p>\n

And theft doesn\u2019t only occur during open houses.\u00a0 Your possessions can go missing at any time.\u00a0 Anyone can have \u201csticky fingers,\u201d even rogue real estate agents<\/a> (agents have been arrested for stealing from a listed home).\u00a0 A Washington State agent was caught stealing prescription medications<\/a> last year.\u00a0 Another agent faced criminal charges for stealing jewelry<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, criminals take the opportunity of an open house<\/a> (and even virtual tours) to stake out your home; only to strike at a later time. So think about laying out your expensive china just to stage your home.<\/p>\n

Yes, thieves are looking for anything of value in your<\/strong> home.\u00a0 Besides jewelry and cash, they will take anything they think they can personally use or sell.\u00a0 Medications are a commodity to thieves; and anything with personal identification can be used in ID theft.<\/p>\n

I am often asked, \u201cShould I install surveillance cameras?<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 A few years ago, a home with surveillance cameras was not typical.\u00a0 Seeing the cameras often turned off home buyers because they felt \u201ccreeped out\u201d and didn\u2019t like the idea of being watched.\u00a0 However, in today\u2019s cyber-world, where surveillance cameras are nearly everywhere, surveillance cameras have become increasingly commonplace.\u00a0 Before you go out and install cameras in your home, you need to understand the legal implications by consulting with an attorney or privacy legal expert.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t just put away your jewelry and other items of importance, lock them up!\u00a0 If you\u2019re not one of the millions of home owners who has a safe or strongbox, there are other options such as storing items in other locations (safe deposit boxes; someone else\u2019s home; and even a rented storage unit).<\/p>\n

Burglar alarms are a mixed blessing.\u00a0 Besides deterring crime, real estate agents often set them off; which can be a nuisance and possibly result in a fine for you (more info on false alarms and fines can be obtained from the Montgomery County Police False Alarm Reduction Section<\/a>).<\/p>\n

If you haven’t already deployed crime deterrents in and around your home, consider using interior and exterior lighting.\u00a0 Exterior lights can help identify night time visitors, as well as possibly deterring would-be thieves.\u00a0 Consider using timers or motion sensing lights.\u00a0\u00a0 Motion sensing lights will activate the light when people approach your home.<\/p>\n

Would-be thieves casing your home look for easy entry points.\u00a0 Lock up your ladders and secure your shed so as not giving criminals the tools to get inside.<\/p>\n

And although you may be told that lockboxes are fool proof, only allowing agents in your home \u2013 it\u2019s the user that is the weak link.\u00a0 Careless agents sometimes leave doors unlocked or open, or do not fully close the lockbox, leaving the key free to be used by any passerby.<\/h3>\n

Your agent can be part of your protection plan<\/a>.\u00a0 Consider having your agent accompany all showings.\u00a0 Additionally, have more than one person during an open house.\u00a0 This can not only help protect your valuables, but the direct agent contact may be influential in your home sale.<\/p>\n

For more information on protecting your valuables, check out Montgomery County Police\u2019s brochure \u201cHome Security, Safety Tips to Keep Your Home and Valuables Safe<\/em><\/a>.”<\/p>\n

Original published at https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/2017\/02\/25\/protect-your-valuables-home-sale<\/span>\/<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Copyright \u00a9 Dan Krell
\nGoogle+<\/a><\/p>\n

If you like this post, do not copy; instead please:
\nlink to the article<\/a>,
\nlike it at facebook<\/a>
\nor re-tweet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>
\nDisclaimer<\/a>. This article is not intended to provide nor should it be relied upon for legal and financial advice. Readers should not rely solely on the information contained herein, as it does not purport to be comprehensive or render specific advice. Readers should consult with an attorney regarding local real estate laws and customs as they vary by state and jurisdiction. Using this article without permission is a violation of copyright laws.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Preparing your home sale is more than just deep cleaning, decluttering, and minor repairs. Prepare and plan how to protect your valuables during the sale. I often write about preparing your home for a sale.\u00a0 Of course, that preparation is to make your home sell quicker and get the best price.\u00a0 However, preparing your home … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Protect your valuables when selling your home”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[123,84,382,8,256,404,13],"tags":[865,838,912,794,921,662,797],"class_list":["post-2835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-sale","category-home-security","category-home-seller","category-home-seller-tips","category-home-selling-tips","category-open-house","category-real-estate","tag-home-sale","tag-home-security","tag-home-seller","tag-home-seller-tips","tag-open-house","tag-prepare-for-sale","tag-real-estate"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1VZLf-JJ","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2835"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5996,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2835\/revisions\/5996"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dankrell.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}