Vacant home seller security tips can mean the difference between a smooth transition and a terrible, troublesome experience. It’s well-known break-ins, burglaries, and theft go up during the holiday season. And, empty homes listed for sale are prime targets. These provide opportunities all too tempting for thieves looking far and wide for vulnerable exploits. Although only furniture, decor, and appliances might remain in a seller’s vacant home, that’s enough to lure thieves and vandals.
Vacant Home Seller Security Tips
As a seller, you not only want to take steps to minimize post-closing risks, you also must think about security of your empty property. The first rule of selling a vacant home is to keep it maintained. Uncut grass, a stuffed mailbox, and a pile of newspapers by the front door are highly conspicuous telltale signs. You should also let your neighbors know who will be stopping by; especially your listing agent.
Maybe you’ve accepted a job transfer out-of-state, or perhaps you’ve found your dream home and jumped on the opportunity. There are a myriad of reasons why people vacate their home before it’s sold, but doing so presents a handful of challenges and makes your home vulnerable to thieves and vandals. Fortunately, protecting your empty home while selling it is not only simple, it’s also affordable. —Safewise.com
Additionally, stopping by whenever there’s an opportunity is a good idea. For instance, you should be present during a buyer’s agent home showing. That’s a great time to answer questions and check on the property at the same time. It’s likewise a prime time to check for vulnerabilities. Ask yourself, “If I were locked out, how would I get in?” This exercise will reveal the ways others might try to enter the home so you can address them to better secure the house. Here are some more helpful vacant home seller security tips you can use:
- Use plenty of lighting, inside and out. The one thing thieves dislike the most is light. It shines down and leaves little room to operate. That’s why most break-ins occur well after the sun goes down. So, use technology to connect lights to timers, both interior and exterior. The more light shining around the house inside and out, the better.
- Let neighbors park in the driveway. To make the house appear occupied, let at a neighbor park their car in the driveway. This is a simply way to deter would-be thieves and it’s a nice short-term convenience for your neighbor, as well.
- Always pick up mail and subscriptions. If you’ve not yet submitted a change of address or have your mail and newspaper subscription forwarded, now is the time to do so. In the meantime, be sure to stop by and pick up them up. Or, ask a neighbor to do so and collect it once a week.
- Check your door locks carefully. Of course, you should always lock the doors. Unfortunately, too many burglaries, 30 percent, happen through unlocked doors and windows. In fact, 34 percent of burglars get in through the front door and 22 percent, through the back door, according to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report.
- Turn the garage door opener off. Make no mistake about it, thieves will exploit any vulnerability they can find. Those handy garage door openers, which help to make life a little more easy are a perfect example. Some thieves carry one or more of these, clicking away to see which will open garage doors.
If you are considering selling your home in Orlando’s Hunter’s Creek, or another community, contact us for the latest market information and for more advice about how to protect an empty home listed for sale. We will help get your property ready for sale and create an effective selling strategy.