Remaining at home while your house is being shown for sale.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

My DH was one of those people who refused to leave while the house was being shown and in one case I think that was a very good thing. The realtor was from the multilist so she wasn't our agent. She brought a couple and 2 teenage children. As they walked around the house the people were fingering expensive items like our hummels, and one kid picked up a gold clock I had inherited from my grandfather. My DH walked over to him and asked for him to put it down. Next room same boy was opening the drawers on DH's desk where our checkbook and substantial cash my DH had for business reasons was stored. My DH slammed the drawer closed and said you aren't buying the furniture.This went on and the agent was pretty much ignoring what these kids were doing to the point that my DH felt that they were just there casing the joint and asked them to wait outside, they refused so he asked the agent to leave and not come back unless she was going to watch what the people she brought were doing. Of course they all left in a huff but my DH felt strongly that the small gold clock and probably half my jewelry would have been in that young man's pockets if he had not been there. You can not assume everyone who looks at your home is honest. And you can't assume every agent from the multilist is going to be watchful what they are doing, esp. when an entire family comes into the home. At this point we told our agent we couldn't show the house for 2 days and we spent that time packing up anything of value and storing it elsewhere.

Krimpette · ‎03-09-2010

I guess I'm puzzled as to why you would have left valuables out, knowing that strangers would be traipsing through your home. SMH.

Desertdi · ‎03-13-2010

Your real estate agent should have advised you to remove all knickknacks, personal items, and valuables before showing your house..............

♥Surface of the Sun♥

Venezia · ‎03-09-2010

@Krimpette - My thoughts exactly. When we sold our previous homes, we never left anything valuable on "display". IMO, that would be asking for trouble. And who wants to have to hover around people? Add to that, what potential buyers want the current owners to hover over them as they try to decide whether the house is right for them or not?

qvcfreak · ‎03-10-2010

I'm glad when I was showing my home it sold the first week but nobody had to tell me, when I left the house nothing of value was out and my jewelry boxes were with me. Im glad your DH was there to protect your items.

Snowpuppy · ‎03-09-2010

Hummels go for about 99 cents on ebay.

Since all this happened years ago, why bring it up now?

susan kay · ‎06-28-2011

Thanks for the post. If I sell my house, I will definitely remember this story. Going through drawers!!!!

Abrowneyegirl · ‎03-15-2010

Yes, obviously you can NEVER trust strangers in your home......

Things to consider

1- only allow people who have pre-approved to buy a home in your price range- this will prevent looky-loos who are not buying or who don't have the financial qualifications from being in your home.

2- post signs that the home has video surviallence (even it doesn't)

not that it is difficult or expensive to do so now-a-days. In our area you can rent these services on a temp. bases. They are wireless and set-up takes minutes.

jaxs mom · ‎04-18-2012

@Krimpette wrote:
I guess I'm puzzled as to why you would have left valuables out, knowing that strangers would be traipsing through your home. SMH.

Yes, if your house is on the market, then you really need to pack up and remove anything valuable and easily breakable. And no I wouldn't leave my check book or other financial records just sitting around either. That makes no sense.

On the other hand, it often makes people uncomfortable to have the owners there while they view the house and they don't feel they can speak freely and are known to be less likely to buy. Unless you are selling it yourself you really shouldn't be there.

Don't Change Your Authenticity for Approval

Anita Hug · ‎03-22-2015

The first time I sold my house, I rented a storage unit and packed away everything that was important to us. This was good for two reasons. One being the obvious - to protect them from theft or damage while strangers were there. The second was because my realtor told me to take down everything that was personal - photos, collections, anything that looked like clutter to someone else. And if I had any closets that were packed full, to clear them out if possible to emphasize the available storage space. some buyers will leave a house just because they are turned off by the decor.

Even though I had done all of that, someone still managed to steal prescription meds from a drawer in my bedroom, as well as some expensive cosmetic brushes. I had removed those from my bathroom cabinets since that was built in to the house and I knew some would be opening it. But it never occurred to me that the realtors would not stop people from snooping in the drawers of my furniture. Lesson learned.

The next time I sold a house, I packed those things in a carry on bag so I could take it all with me when there was a showing. I had a rather large dog back then, so I felt it would be better to take her out when strangers would be there. If it weren't for that, I would have stayed also.