Safety tips for your property on show days

Putting your home on the market can be very stressful.

How do you know you will get your selling price?

Is now the right time to sell? Will you find a new place you love as much as your present home?

According to the group head of communications and marketing at Fidelity ADT, Charnel Hattingh, open house or show days are valuable ways of introducing your home to prospective buyers.

“Unfortunately, this also means you could be unknowingly opening your doors to potential burglars who look around to take advantage of the situation. There is safety in numbers, though,” said Hattingh.

A great place to start is to have someone on duty with you to manage events on show day. It gives you peace of mind knowing no visitors or prospective buyers are wandering unmonitored through the home, and there is someone to help if something goes wrong.

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“Estate agents need to be security conscious and discuss the option of putting security systems in place before planning a show day to protect the sellers’ valuables and property and ensure the agents are safe too.

“We advise sellers to lock away all their valuables and ensure your agent understands your concerns regarding the safety and security of your property on the day,” said Hattingh.

She added that posting a guard on the premises and giving the agent access to a panic button is a good idea. Most security companies offer a mobile panic alarm service, which is valuable in emergencies.

While you cannot plan for every eventuality, Hattingh said the following pointers would help to discourage thieves from taking advantage of the situation:

• If someone stands in for your agent on the show day, insist on meeting them and explaining the arrangements for your home.

• If there is a panic button, ensure the agent has access to it, along with your private security provider’s emergency number.

• Alert your private security service provider that your home will be on show and ask them to stop by during the afternoon to check that everything is in order.

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• Do not leave spare keys for the home (for the back, garage or patio doors) hanging on reachable hooks.

• Always lock away valuables that could fit easily into a handbag or pocket. Remember that drawers and bathroom cabinets could be opened and rifled through quickly, so check they do not contain valuable items.

• Put away large equipment not instrumental to showing your home to stop criminals from thinking they might have to return when no one is home.

• Open the curtains and blinds or switch on the lights in each room to discourage would-be thieves from untoward activity.

There are also precautions for agents or owners who supervise on show day:

• If possible, position yourself where you can see prospective buyers’ vehicles as they arrive and make a note of their registration numbers and the make and model of the car.

• Don’t be shy to ask your visitors to stay with you while you walk through the home together. Doing this will avoid a situation where one person wanders off unsupervised during the viewing.

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• While conducting a viewing, do not leave the front entrance of the home open. It is vital to check that intercoms, buzzers and doorbells are in good working order.

• Consider a show day when you encourage “by appointment” viewings to avoid an overlap between groups of visitors.

• If visitors arrive while you are talking to someone, encourage them to fill in the visitor’s book or look at the garden and outdoor facilities to buy some time.

• Ask your security company if they offer special mobile panic button services, which you can keep when on duty at a show house.