Wayne thinks…

An open house might give your home the exposure it needs to find your buyer.  It’s easy to hold open houses, and I highly encourage you to do them often.  Now, I don’t want to alarm you, but there are some common-sense precautions you can and should take to protect yourself and your property and to be prepared for your open house.  Below are things that agents know and do to minimize the threat of a “crime of opportunity” against themselves when holding an open house.  These are important things to think about, because, after all, when you hold an open house, you are inviting absolute strangers into your home to wander around and see everything you have.  If you plan to hold your own open house, please be sure to follow these guidelines:

1. Never do it alone.  Have a friend or family member with you at your home at all times during the open house. 
2. Set up a call schedule with a friend or neighbor (one calls the other every 30 minutes) and a coded distress signal, so that you can call with a message that would appear harmless to a prospect but would alert others to potential danger.
3. Prepare ahead.  Remove from view any object that could be used as a weapon (i.e.; stow knife blocks inside cabinets, make sure guns are secured in a gun safe, scissors are not left out on the desk, etc.)
4. Do not wear expensive jewelry or carry large amounts of money.  Do not have valuables (coin jars, jewelry boxes, silver settings, pocket-sized pieces of crystal or valuable knick-knacks, car keys) in view.  Safely stow credit cards & cash.
5. When prospects arrive at your home, ask them to register on a sign-in sheet (or in a guest book.)  Get their name, address, telephone, car make & model, tag number, and driver’s license number.  It sounds like a lot to ask, but legitimate prospects will not mind, and remember…you are giving an unknown person complete access to your home.  You need to know some information about them first.
6. Keep groups of lookers together.  Do not let anyone wander around the house unattended.  Stay with them and carry your cell phone or a cordless phone with you in case you need to make an emergency call.  Don’t hesitate to call your friend, neighbor, or 911 if you become suspicious of a prospect’s behavior.
7. Always let a prospect enter a room first and follow them in.  Stay between them and the door.  Never let them get between you and the doorway.  If you need to get out of the room, don’t let them block your exit. 
8. Finish the open house while it’s still light out.  Do not hold an open house after dark.