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If you’re looking to sell your house, chances are you have a lot on your plate. Selling a house can be stressful, but if you have a Realtor, you have a professional at your side to help guide you through the process. One of the many ways Realtors can promote your home to prospective buyers is by offering an open house for your property. Open houses are a great way to get the property seen by the public, and between certain hours, anyone can drop by to take a look without an appointment. 

These showings are typically held on the weekends to maximize the amount of foot traffic, and allows prospective buyers who may not have otherwise seen your house, get a good look. While open houses are designed to increase the amount of people who see your property, they can also attract people looking to take advantage of the situation. 

In order to ensure everyone’s safety during an open house showing we’re going to discuss:

• What homeowners can ask Realtors to do to ensure a safe open house
• Open house safety tips for homeowners to follow

What Realtors should do to promote a safe open house

Ensure your Realtor understands how to keep your home and property safe

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Working with a Realtor to sell your house is a great way to ensure your property is going to get in front of as many qualified buyers as possible. Realtors are trained to know the ins and outs of their particular markets, and know just how to make your property stand out from the crowd. Open houses are one way that Realtor will help you show and eventually sell your house. 

If they’re planning on showing your house to potential buyers, make sure they’re aware of what you as the homeowner expect from them as far as safety is concerned. While many Realtors are already aware of these precautions, it can’t hurt to bring it up to ensure everyone is on the same page.

• Conduct walkthroughs of the home and yard. Before the open house is set to begin, and after it is over, the Realtor should do a walkthrough of the home and the yard. This will not only allow them to familiarize themselves with the property, but will also ensure no one is there before the showing begins. After the open house has finished, the Realtor should also do another walkthrough to make sure no one is still in the house and everything is still in its appropriate place.

• Check on rooms in the house periodically. Open houses typically last for a few hours, giving the public time to come in and view the home. Throughout the afternoon, ask that your Realtor check on the rooms of the house periodically. This will ensure that everything is still accounted for and that there are no people lingering too long in rooms. 

• Have all the lights on. Putting the lights on throughout the home is a great way to show off the uniqueness of your property, plus it enhances its curb appeal to draw in more people! It is also a good way to prevent a potential criminal from hiding. 

• Check that doors and windows are locked. After the open house, it’s a good practice to ask the Realtor to check all the doors and windows to make sure everything is locked, and nothing looks suspicious. 

Realtors are well aware of the potential for a safety concern when showing an open house to the public. They will take their own safety measures to ensure they feel safe while showcasing your property. Many Realtors require those interested in seeing your home to sign in and require ID, will stay behind visitors as they show the home, and may even work with a partner. 

Top open house safety tips for homeowners 

Know these 6 safety tips ahead of time to ensure your home is ready for an open house!

While you and your Realtor are a team dedicated to selling your home, it’s important that you as the homeowner are aware of the steps you can take to ensure your property and possessions are safe. Being an informed and aware seller is a great extra measure to ensure the safety of everyone during the open house.

1. Invest in cameras

Many homeowners have a doorbell camera installed to add an extra layer of protection to their property. It can deter people from taking packages, as well as from scoping out your property suspiciously. When you’re hosting an open house, these are a great tool to have in order to see who is coming and going throughout the day. But it isn’t the only camera you should have.

Consider adding additional cameras to the rooms or just the different floors of your house so that you have a better grasp on what people are doing and what they’re looking at. Cameras will also give you the chance to identify a perpetrator of a crime, should one unfortunately occur. 

Cameras are a great deterrent to would-be thieves, especially if you make it a point to put them out in the open. 

2. Store valuables away

When you agree to open up your home to the public, you’re agreeing to have strangers walk through and evaluate your home. While most (if not all) of the people who will visit during the open house really do want to check out your property because they are interested in it, you can’t rule out those people who will arrive for other purposes. This is why it is absolutely necessary to store your valuables out of sight, and preferably locked away.

While you can’t get rid of everything, like large TVs or antique furniture, you can get most temptations out of the flow of traffic. Even if someone does not come to your open house with the intention of stealing, if the opportunity presents itself, it can be hard for some people to not take advantage. Items you’ll want to store away include:

• Money
• Credit cards
• Jewelry
• Phones, tablets, other electronics
• Antiques
• Collectibles
• Prescription pills and medication

When you’re looking for a place to keep these items out of sight, don’t just put them in the top drawer of a dresser or in a kitchen drawer. This is one of the first places a potential thief will look!

3. Remove identifying information

In addition to removing valuables, make sure there are no lingering bank statements, passports, or other documents that have identifying information. If someone saw these or removed them from your house, you could be at risk for identity theft. This is also true of prescriptions that often have your name and date of birth on them. Anything that you would consider personal, make sure you remove and lock away. 

Another identifying item you should remove are pictures of you and your family and children. Simply take down the photos you may have on the wall or refrigerator as this removes another risk from the equation. 

4. Ensure kids are supervised

Sometimes children accompany their parents to a showing, and that’s fine! But this also increases the risk that something of yours could be mishandled or worse, broken. Realtors are prepared for this situation, and many will suggest to people who bring children to make sure they’re supervised at all times. 

One way to keep children occupied and away from home items is to purposely supply a game or toys that they would be attracted to. You don’t want to set up a “children’s area” necessarily, but having something for them to carry or touch could keep them away from bothering other items.

5. Make sure you’re covered

Before having an open house, make sure you check your homeowner’s insurance policy to ensure it covers theft, damages, and injuries. Before you open the house for viewing, it can’t hurt to take pictures of the rooms and the items in them for documentation should something be taken or damaged. 

6. Consider staying home

You can discuss this with your Realtor, but consider sticking around during the open house. Not only will staying home provide an extra pair of eyes to watch people to ensure everything goes smoothly, but there’s always safety in numbers!

Follow these top tips to ensure your open house is as safe as it can be. By working together with your Realtor, you’ll be able to stay safe and show your house off to many potential buyers!