While your home is on the market protecting your privacy is no joke. You want to be thinking about taking extra precautions as soon as you make your sale public, or you\u2019ll be putting your home and belongings at great risk. Follow these tips and tricks from top real estate agents who know how to secure a property like Fort Knox.<\/p>\n By now you\u2019ve brushed up on some of the finer details of selling a home\u2014\u00a0like why you should stage it<\/a> to sell faster. But staging isn\u2019t just about making the house look pretty for the buyer, it\u2019s also the best way to go through your things and tuck away any items that shouldn\u2019t be left out during an open house.<\/p>\n According to top-selling real estate agent Jill Rooney<\/a> of Outagamie County, WI, prescription meds, jewelry, and small collectibles should all be put away, and in places buyers aren\u2019t likely to look.<\/p>\n Rooney, who ranks in the top 3% of local agents told us, \u201cMy recommendation when working with any seller, is that this is a time to depersonalize your house. We\u2019ve had some open house where prescription meds have been taken. Tucking those small items of value or meds away, and not in cabinets of homes or anything that\u2019s considered attached\u2014because buyers will look in there.\u201d<\/p>\n You might also consider locking up medicine in a lockbox<\/a>. This way, medications can stay in their cabinets but still be safely stored.<\/p>\n Real estate finance group My Mortgage Insider even recommends putting away temptations like expensive wine<\/a>, and any items that could grant access to the property later, such as keys and remotes. \u201cWe have so much pride in our collectibles and we want to show them off,\u201d says Rooney, \u201cbut this isn\u2019t the time to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n Where you choose to store your valuables is also key in keeping them safe. Although buyers have a tendency to open attached storage areas like cabinets, they\u2019re less likely to open furniture and storage bins that don\u2019t come with the property.<\/p>\n Rooney often advises her clients to store small valuables in containers that make noise when opened, and tuck them into personal furniture. Sellers can inform Realtors where these containers are kept, and that way the agent can be alert to any suspicious sounds coming from that area of the house.<\/p>\n Just the same way you wouldn\u2019t leave a shiny gold necklace on the countertop, you also shouldn\u2019t display any personal information for the taking.<\/p>\n Think about all of the information that might be floating around your home and compromise your safety in other ways.<\/p>\n \u201cDon\u2019t forget about bills and statements, and things that get mailed to your house,\u201d says Rooney, \u201ceven if you have an office or a place you leave these things out, you\u2019ll want to pack those things so buyers walking in don\u2019t have access to that information.\u201d<\/p>\n Credit card information, passwords, and even bills showing where you shop with your contact information should all be put away. Similarly, any large devices (smaller ones like tablets and phones should be stored) should be password-protected so no one is able to access any of your information.<\/p>\n \u201cMake sure all computers are in a password protection mode, and remove anything that would have their passwords written down,\u201c advises Rooney. This includes Wi-Fi passwords, too, so take down that ancient sticky note hanging up in your living room with the keys to your network.<\/p>\n You shouldn\u2019t have to protect your house all alone\u2014a good real estate agent will help with that. Most real estate agents encourage homeowners to leave during open houses<\/a>, which might leave you wondering who will keep an eye on things. The simple answer? The agent should.<\/p>\n \u201cAs an agent when I\u2019m doing a showing, I feel that my job is to watch and greet everybody,\u201d says Rooney, \u201cand make sure that they leave.\u201d<\/p>\n The best agencies even use an internal security system to alert other agents about suspicious buyer behavior in the area.<\/p>\n Another tool employed by agents is a clipboard sign-in for guests of the open house. Not only does this help agents later on in recalling who visited, but it lets buyers know the agent is keeping tabs on them.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes just asking them to sign in shows that I am watching and listening as they walk through the house,\u201d explains Rooney. \u201cBuyers who aren\u2019t really interested see an agent who has this top of mind awareness and they know they\u2019ve been seen, so they\u2019re less likely to steal.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve done everything you can to secure your home<\/a>, but you\u2019re still feeling worried about security, consider installing a camera.<\/p>\n A solid, working camera is always a good idea when you plan to have strangers coming in and out of your home, but it turns out that the illusion of eyes watching alone may do the trick.<\/p>\n According to top security provider Alarms.org<\/a>, 83% of burglars check for an alarm, and 60% would be deterred if they saw one.<\/p>\n On the digital front, safety concerns can also go way beyond tucking away passwords around the house, especially if your home is considered a high-end listing.<\/p>\n According to leading real estate publication Inman<\/a>, \u201c80 percent of luxury consumers said their privacy had never been more important and view identity theft as a top cause for concern.\u201d<\/p>\n If your home sale exceeds a certain price point (and even if it doesn\u2019t) consider talking to your real estate agent about the listing services they use, and what information gets shared in these channels.<\/p>\n Putting your home on the market shouldn\u2019t be a vulnerable experience, and hopefully with these tips you can get your home ready to be seen and rest assured that all is secure during the process.<\/p>\n Source: (Pxhere)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" While your home is on the market, protecting your privacy is no joke. Leave nothing to chance with these security tips top real estate agents recommend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":52,"featured_media":9486,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[323,319],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4695","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-quick-tips","category-selling-advice"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/for-sale-sign-makes-home-less-secure-775x517.jpg\")
<\/a>Why Home Staging Matters When Protecting Your Privacy<\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/protect-privacy-selling-home-jewlery.jpg\")
<\/a>Next Steps:<\/h3>\n
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Protect Your Identity While Your Home\u2019s On the Market<\/h2>\n
![\"Protect](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/protect-privacy-selling-home-computer.jpg\")
<\/a>Next Steps:<\/h3>\n
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Enlist Your Agent\u2019s Help In Protecting Your Home<\/h2>\n
Extra Safety Ideas For While Your Home Is on the Market<\/h2>\n
![\"install](\"https:\/\/www.homelight.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/install-security-camera-protect-home-on-market-775x517.jpg\")
<\/a>While Your Home Is on the Market Protecting Your Privacy Means:<\/h2>\n
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