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4. Tell your children, even if they are older to not let anyone in
house unless you are there. Even teenage children should not let anyone into house. More assaults are committed on young people from ages of 15- 25 years of age than any other age group.
5. Be very aware of virtual tours. If a virtual tour is an option for selling your home, make sure there are no expensive objects in room(s). Criminals look for opportunities such as these to target homes to burglarize.
6. Let neighbors know you are selling your home. Check with them on a regular basis to see if anyone has been around house when you are not there. Criminals will use an open house, or a walk-through to pose as a potential buyer to scope out properties to burglarize later.
7. Keeping curb appeal not only adds value when you are selling a home, but adds to safety of your home as well. After searching a home during an open house, criminals interviewed say they look for high bushes near windows, not well-lit areas of a home, and concealed entrances to come back and gain access to a home. Keep bushes trimmed low, repair or add higher wattage light bulbs to existing lights, and keep entrances well lit for theft prevention.
Don't hesitate. If you're serious about selling your home yourself, just make sure your safety plan is just as serious to protect you and your family's future.
Michelle Annese is a 3rd degree black belt with 15+ years experience teaching industry specific self defense and safety for women and children. She is author of The Realtor Survival Guide, Protection for Women, and The SafeGuard System for Kids. For more information on how to protect yourself and your family go to http://www.michelleannese.com Check out other articles by Michelle Annese and get her free safety tips e-newsletter.
