Knoxville Sellers Beware: Is Your Home Safe During Showings?

For any Knoxville seller, it can be a little nerve-wracking knowing complete strangers are constantly parading through your home for showings. Needless to say, it’s part of the process of selling your home. After all, you can’t sell your home if buyers aren’t able to walk through your home.

It’s important to ask yourself: is your home safe during showings?

As a seller, it’s important that you safeguard your home during showings. Here are a few basic precautions to take to help protect your home during showings.

Keep Personal & Financial Information Hidden

It’s essential when you’re selling your Knoxville home that you keep your personal and financial information hidden away.

Things like bank account information, checks, and documents containing identifying information (i.e. birth date or social security number) should all be out of sight. This information, if it got into the wrong hands, could open you up to all kinds of issues, including identity theft.

Before your list your home, be sure that you keep this information kept in a place where it will be safe, like a locked desk drawer or safe.

Hide Prescriptions

It is also imperative that you keep prescription drugs locked away or kept out of sight during showings.

Unfortunately, prescription drug theft has become more of a problem for sellers, particularly when they host open houses. This is particularly true for drugs like painkillers or muscle relaxants. These types of drugs can frequently be abused, which is why they’re more at risk to be stolen during showings.

If you have old prescriptions laying around the house, be sure they get disposed of properly. Many pharmacies will dispose of prescription medication at no cost, so be sure to check with your local pharmacy if you have drugs that need to be disposed of.

Keep Valuables Locked Away

It’s also important that you put valuables away during showings.

Things like jewelry, collectibles, and expensive electronics are all things that can be susceptible to theft during showings. To help keep these items safe, it’s important that you put these items in a safe place during showings.

As a seller, it’s important to know that it’s your responsibility to keep your valuables safe. When you’re inviting strangers into your home, your valuables are only as safe as you’ll allow them to be.

Lock Computers

Personal computers can be loaded with personal information. If a computer is left unlocked, it can proved a thief with a whole slew of information.

In this day and age, many personal computers contain saved passwords. This can give a stranger easy access to banking information, credit card information, among many other things. There is no saying the amount of damage that could be done if the wrong person gets a hold of this information.

In addition, many people store personal documents on their computer, including tax returns, bank statements, among other things. These items, too, provide a stranger with a wealth of information.

Never Allow A Buyer In Without An Appointment

Under absolutely no circumstance should a buyer enter your house without an appointment or a realtor. Any serious buyer will take the effort to set up a personal showing with his or her agent.

Anyone who just knocks on your door and wants to see a house should raise a serious red flag. You never know what type of person you could be inviting into your home.

If for some reason someone knocks on your door and wants to see your house, it’s always best advise them to call their realtor and make an appointment. Or, if someone shows up and says they have scheduled a showing, it’s always best to double check with your agent before letting them in. No buyer should ever enter your house without an agent.

Bottom Line: Protect Your Home Just In Case