Real Estate Articles

REALTORS® share safety tips with sellers

Many hearts in the REALTOR® community are heavy as they mourn the recent loss of one of their own. Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter was found dead a few days after she was missing following a home showing. A suspect in Carter's disappearance who admitted to her kidnapping has been arrested.

Carter's death has placed even more emphasis on safety practices which REALTORS® bring to everyone's attention during REALTOR® Safety Month in September, said David Tonna, president of the Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS®.

"The business of real estate can be risky and this is why the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) and SILVAR have worked hard to keep REALTOR®^® safety foremost in everyone's minds. Safety is something we can't take for granted, since our clients, too, face some dangers in allowing strangers into their homes or visiting other people's properties," said Tonna.

SILVAR shares the following tips from NAR's REALTOR® Safety Kit with sellers to protect themselves against crime:

• Before you open your home to strangers, walk through your home with your REALTOR® and do a safety check. Make sure there are no potential hazards in your home, such as cords that anyone could trip on, or loose floorboards or carpets. Anyone falling in their home could open yourself to liability.
• If possible, animals should be removed during showings. You, as the homeowner will be held liable if anyone is attacked by your animal.
• Remove keys, credit cards, jewelry, crystal, furs and other valuables from the home or lock them away during showings. Also remove prescription drugs. There have been a rising number of reports of theft of prescription drugs from sellers' homes.
• Don't leave personal information like mail or bills out in the open where anyone can see it. Be sure to lock down your computer and lock up your laptop and any other expensive, easy-to-pocket electronics, like iPods, before your showing.
• Remove family photos from your home. Family photos may make your home feel more cozy to prospective buyers, but you never know who will be walking through your home. You need to focus in the safety of your family.
• Do not to show your home by yourself. Not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Predators come in all shapes and sizes. Refer all inquiries to your REALTOR®.
• Your agent will take all the necessary safety precautions to keep your home secure after an open house or showing, but when you return home, you should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves.

The Silicon Valley Association of REALTORS® (SILVAR) is a professional trade organization representing over 4,000 REALTORS® and Affiliate members engaged in the real estate business on the Peninsula and in the South Bay. SILVAR promotes the highest ethical standards of real estate practice, serves as an advocate for homeownership and homeowners, and represents the interests of property owners in Silicon Valley.

The term "REALTOR®" is a registered collective membership mark which identifies a real estate professional who is a member of the National Association of REALTORS® and who subscribes to its strict Code of Ethics.

Variations of this article have appeared in local area newspapers.

For further information, please email or call the SILVAR office at (408) 200-0100.

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