Safety Issues When Marketing Your Home by Julie Garton-Good As a for-sale-by-owner, you may have gathered information from a variety of sources --- facts and forms from lenders about how to pre-qualify buyers, information on comparable properties to gauge what your home should be worth. In general, you feel you've covered all the bases and are ready to launch your home marketing campaign. But, wait---what about safety issues? How would you know that potential buyers entering your home weren't there to case it, steal your valuables, or heaven forbid, harm your family? While we all hate to think about the consequences of crime, taking precautions up front before you start marketing your home is your best safety bet. Here are some common-sense steps to take: 1) Pre-screen buyers BEFORE they step across the threshold of your home. When buyers first call to inquire about your home, obtain their name, address, phone number, and whether or not they've talked to a lender to be pre-qualified or pre-approved for a loan. While at first blush this may appear too restrictive, having a potentially chilling effect on buyers, think again. A buyer worthy of taking your time to tramp through your home will gladly offer this information. In fact, buyers who have spoken to lenders are usually more than happy to volunteer that they're financially approved. If you volunteer that you're collecting information very much like an agent would when working with a prospect, buyers will understand. And it's great for keeping a log of inquiries should something adverse happen in the future. (You may want to assure prospective buyers that you'll be safeguarding the information you receive and won't use it to contact them unless they agree.) 2) Show your home by appointment-only. Yes, you have a sign in the yard; but that doesn't mean that you have to open your door to anyone just dropping by --- especially after dark. In addition, it's best if you don't show the home alone. That way, if there's more than one buyer in the prospective group, you won't be spread too thin not being in all rooms at all times. 3) Being home alone can cause havoc at the open house as well. Problems have cropped up across the country with bogus prospective buyers visiting an open house --- the female of the pair goes straight to the kitchen---the male goes to check out if the antique bed they have will fit in the bedroom --- only for the sellers to later discover missing jewelry, collectible items or heirlooms, often appropriated from dresser drawers. And then there's the bogus buyer who uses the open house as an opportunity to look for ways to break in later --- like a broken basement window or door that's ajar. 4) If you're at all skiddish about being a safe seller, you can remedy a large percentage of potential problems by listing with a real estate agent. Not only will the agent be calling in advance for an appointment to show your home, you'll have peace of mind in knowing that the prospective buyers escorted through your home ARE in fact legitimate buyers, financially qualified, and ready to buy! It may seem silly to worry about crime happening right in your own living room. But to stay oblivious can cause you and your family potentially much more heartache than a fallen real estate sale. Take safety precautions when selling your home --- your castle and your family are definitely worth it. | 
