What NOT to Leave Out When Showing Your Home
Here is a quick list of items that are in the category of "What NOT to Leave Out When Showing Your Home".
Family photos-really, it's just better and safer.
Personal papers-don't leave your bills, real estate contracts, checkbooks, etc. out.
The Trash-when your home is on the market, take the garbage out at least every day!
What NOT to Leave Out When Showing Your Crofton, Maryland Home
Recently while showing homes to prospective buyers, I have noticed several "no-no" items left in plain view. Just the other weekend, I was somewhat surprised to see that the current owner had left, among other personal items, his voter registration card tacked to the kitchen bulletin board!
Perhaps you are thinking, "So what? What does a buyer care, the seller doesn't come with the house, after all!" Well, let's say the potential buyer is on the opposite of the political spectrum from the seller. Instead of going through your home admiring all the qualities of the rooms, closets, and the kitchen, your potential buyer is now mulling over political issues, wondering why the seller votes that way, what makes the seller think differently, etc. In other words, the potential buyer is no longer really looking at the house, he's dissecting the owner. Instead of envisioning himself living in this home and making it his own, the buyer reinforces the idea that it belongs to someone else, and that someone else is a person that the buyer disagrees with!
Personal Papers
In several other instances, bills have been lying open on countertop surfaces. Hopefully, people viewing your house are honest, but unfortunately this is not always the case. Identity theft is a difficult crime from which to recover, and if you are selling your house and buying another one, the LAST hassle you need is credit issues stemming from someone else's use of your information. Take the time to remove all papers from view - not only will your private information be safe, but your countertops will be uncluttered.
Photographs
Removing family photos not only makes your family safer, it allows buyers to stay focused on the house itself. Again, while most of the time the people touring your home are good, honest people searching for their next house, you need to safeguard yourself against potential hazards. Photographs of children along with paperwork that shares which school your children attend and their names gives bad people too much information. Avoid anxiety by packing up your personal photos before showing your home.
Take the time to make your house appealing to buyers as well as safe for you and your family!
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