You have listed your Newport Beach home for sale. And you are preparing your home to show and want it to show in the best possible light. In addition to staging your home for sale and preparing it for showings, another important consideration are safety tips!
There are many things to consider when you are arranging showing instructions on your home. Do you have pets? Are the pets friendly? Do you really want your pets there when strangers are looking at your home?
If you have pets, do you really want to subject your pets to meeting potential buyers? They will be anxious because they don’t know the person or people touring the home. And pets at times may be un-predictable. In my opinion, it is best not to have pets at the home AT ALL for showings. Many home owners have dogs and cats, and I have even had buyers afraid of cats and wanted to run out the door. You want your potential buyers to feel comfortable walking around and tour the property.
Are you planning on utilizing a lock box on the property? A key safe addendum is utilized (in California) for the use of a lock box. Showing instructions in the MLS should be clear, and the home owner should review them to make sure they agree. Sometimes if agents think there is a lock box they can go direct, and there are some who will. Make sure your agent makes the showing instructions extremely clear.
Another consideration is the lock box can be programmed with specific times and if someone tries to open them after those times, they time out.. Typically, good times on a lock box are between no earlier than 9 am and no later than 6 pm. What that means is the lock box will not open outside of those hours. And in my opinion, this is important not only for the home owner, but for the neighbors. No one wants someone showing up after dark to show a home.
And specific recommendations for preparing your home to show. Even if you home is not on a lock box, and the agent is there, precautions should definitely be taken.
Be sure to put away family and personal photographs, because all people do look. The intention of people to see the home, not who lives there.
- Be sure to store and lock away all valuables or personal items.
- Lock up any prescription or non prescription medication.
- Any valuable items that are of considerable importance should be secured and put away.
A general consideration is that anything that you feel is valuable or important to you should be secured and put away.