Protecting Your Privacy While Your Home is on The Market Part 2

2020-03-12T11:41:58+00:00By |Uncategorized|

Here are more tips, to continue our previous blog, on protecting your privacy if your home is on the market. The first two were Hide your Mail, and Take Down Photos & Diplomas.

3. Clean the closets and drawers

If you have ever been to an open house or toured a home for sale, you can probably understand the desire to dig around. In most cases, prospective homebuyers simply open closets and cabinets to inspect the space or make judgments about the construction of the home. While most people who view your home will not try to snoop in your personal belongings, try to pack away anything that could tell an unwanted story about your life.

You may want to clear out all drawers and closets entirely before the home is shown to buyers. After your personal belongings have been removed from the home or carefully packed away, work with your agent to stage closets and large cabinets. By replacing your own belongings with examples of how the home can be utilized, you will take the focus off yourself and help prospective buyers visualize themselves in your home.

Bathroom cabinets have to be included here – hide or remove ALL drugs of any kind. Don’t leave the temptation.

4. Turn down the answering machine

This final step is probably the most overlooked by home sellers. Just as you can not anticipate what arrives in the mail each day, you cannot predict when you might receive an unwanted phone call. If you are engaged in an open house or private viewing, you certainly don’t want a prospective buyer to overhear a message from a collection agency or credit card company. Furthermore, as you are in the process of selling a home (and possibly buying another), you don’t want buyers to know anything about your personal business. So, before any prospective buyers enter your home, mute your answering machine to prevent any uncomfortable exchanges.

In conclusion, when you are ready to show your home to prospective buyers, try to remove anything that might drive a buyer away or create an unwanted bias. Whether it’s as simple as removing your personal mail or staging the closets of your home’s bedrooms, a bit of work can not only protect your privacy but can potentially help sell your home.

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