Kirk Holton Team Blog

On-line Safety Tips for Sellers with Vacant properties: What You Present On-Line Can Be Detrimental to your Property

By:Katie Kirk-Kirk Holton Team

There are so many benefits to being on line when trying to sell your home and promote your property. You want to make sure you are doing so in a safe manner and avoid mistakes that could jeapordize your property. This is especially important for people who have moved out and have a vacant property. If you are using an agent make sure there is no information in the description that promotes the property as a vacant property. This may seem like common sense but often agents want to promote that the property is ready for occupancy. Some may indicate that by saying that the property is vacant. This is great info for a potential buyer who needs a home and wants the transaction to be fast but this information on-line and available to anyone in the public is not a good idea. Make sure your Realtor uses different terminology to alert buyers that the home is move in ready.  Potential thieves are looking for vacant properties. Even using terms like “private setting” may trigger interest from the wrong people. Be sure to look over the marketing description that your Realtor writes up about your property so that you do not draw attention to the fact that the property is vacant. It is also a really good idea to stage the property. If you have moved out, do your best to leave some furniture. This is probably consistent with what your agent is already recommending to promote and sell the property anyway. You also need to look at it as a deterent to would be thieves. If someone is peeking in the windows you have a better chance of creating the sense that someone is living there if there is furniture. No furniture equals no one living there. If you are able to or are in a position where you have to leave items at the home, be sure to pack away valuables. Ideally they are not in the home at all, but if you are trying to avoid storage and want to keep these items in the homes, at the very least you need to pack them up in a box and place them in a very hidden area of the basement or attic, do not mark “valuables”. Place in an inconspicous box in a hidden area of home.  In addition, it is recommended that you have timers on some lights. It also helps to ask a neighbor, friend, family member to check on the property regularly. Change some things around on the exterior from time to time. If it is winter time have that same friend make car and foot tracks around the property to make it look like someone is coming and going. Again, sign in the yard of a vacant property can be a sitting duck. Make sure you do everything you can to avoid drawing attention to the wrong group.