It's a question we get from most sellers, "Can we do an open house?"  I cringe everytime I am asked that.  I do not care for Open Houses and just finished reading another news article out of North Carolina in which a Realtor sitting at a Model Home was raped at knife point.  Our world is in such array today that I just refuse to put myself in that type of situation.  This Realtor is lucky to be alive...the rapist could have killed her and just walked out of the home, unnoticed. 

I know there are steps to be taken, check driver's license, have them sign in, blah, blah, blah, even with that...they could lie, still hurt and kill you, and at that point who cares if you have some information on a piece of paper that could possibly be false anyway.  I think a Broker's Open is fine and even an Open House if you can arrange to have more than one or two agents there at all times.  There also needs to be in place a more secure type of questionaire.  How can we monitor who is coming in and out?  Could we use some type of quick background check to inform us what kind of person is entering the home?  I know it seems like a lot and most consumers would not want to subject themselves to what would seem like harrasment to just look at a home, but, if people would think about the lives it could possibly save, could they take the extra pre-cautions for the safety of us agents?

Open houses also allow for strangers to come into the home and check for expensive art, jewelry, security systems, and areas that could be easily accessible.  Maybe there's a back door that they notice has a flimsy lock that they could pick easily.  Burglars and rapists look for easy targets and what's easier than walking in a home and seeing the complete layout and knowing the family works during the day and goes out of town on the weekends. 

I try my hardest to appease my sellers, If they insist on doing an open house, I will try to arrange something that will work for all of us.  I do explain my feelings on open houses and have been lucky enough that most sellers understand and do not insist.  Usually, they have not even thought of these negative scenarios and are grateful that I did not agree to just leave their home wide open to intruders of any kind.

It's not that I don't think Open Houses are a great way to let consumers walk in and fall in love with a home, but, there is just not enough safety precautions in place.  My children probably worry enough with their family members in law enforcement, waiting for the day, someone won't come home, I do not want them to be concerned that their mother who sells houses for a living, has a dangerous job and might not come home either.