Open House Risks

A blog reader emailed me asking about the risks of Open Houses. Here’s my advice…

First, you’ll want to make sure any small things of value are removed from plain sight. Next, make sure you put all medicines away. There have been reports of people going to Open Houses specifically looking for pills to take. You won’t notice these gone until you need them.

Just remember that if you open your house up, you’ll have people going through your home unsupervised. This is also true for the Realtor Open House that your agent may do when your home first goes on the market. There will be people going in and out of your house, both agents and non-agents. No one knows all the agents in the area and I’ve never seen anyone check to see if your an agent before you are allowed to go through the home. I remember one home I went to preview where the homeowner was YELLING at the Listing Agent’s assistant because two ladies walking by (non-Realtors) went through her house. If you only want Realtors to preview your home, make sure you make that clear and have them stand at the front door and ask for business cards. Realtors won’t like it, but it’s your home and the good Realtors will respect your wishes.