Real Estate Articles

Realtors offer safety advice for sellers

As part of an ongoing effort to keep members safe, the National Association of Realtors dedicates September as Realtor Safety Month. While this month helps remind Realtors of the importance of staying safe on the job, it is also important for Realtors to have the safety talk with their clients.

"When walking through homes with sellers, Realtors can discuss with them how to keep their belongings safe when their home is on the market, and how to make their home burglarproof always," says Alan Barbic, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors. "To a Realtor, their client's safety is as important as theirs."

The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors shares the following tips to protect sellers against crime, especially when putting their home on the market:

• Sellers should remember that strangers will be walking through their home during showings or open houses. Sellers should hide any valuables in a safe place, including prescription medications and alcohol. Items like gaming systems and other expensive electronics should be kept hidden, as well as personal information, such as bank statements that could be used for identity theft.
• Realtors warn their clients that not all agents are who they say they are. If a stranger stops by a listing unannounced, the seller should ask the person to make an appointment with their Realtor. Sellers should never show a home without their Realtor present; nor should they let a stranger, including an unfamiliar real estate agent, into their home unannounced.
• Remove not only weapons like guns before showings, but also not-so-obvious weapons like a block of knives on the kitchen countertop.
• Removing family photos will help prospective buyers envision it becoming their house. It is also for the family's safety, since you don't know who is walking through the house and seeing photos of your family.
• Sellers should make sure there are no potential hazards in their home. Someone tripping and falling on a loose floorboard in their home could potentially open themselves up to liability.
• Sellers are responsible for their pets. If possible, animals should be removed during showings. If buyers and agents are attacked by an animal, the owner will be held liable.
• Inform a neighbor that your Realtor will be showing your home and ask if he or she would keep an eye and ear open for anything out of the ordinary.
• When leaving a property after an open house or a showing, the Realtor should make sure that all doors and windows of the home are locked. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the Realtor leaves.
• While Realtors will take all of the above safety precautions, their clients should know when they return home that they should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for.

For more ideas on how to protect your personal safety, visit NAR's website at www.REALTOR®.org/safety.

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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