It might be uncomfortable to think about, but like it or not, if your home is on the market, there will be strangers in your home. During a scheduled showing, any visitors will be accompanied by an agent. In contrast, at an Open House, your Realtor serves as more of a Host than a tour guide. Your agent will greet everyone at the door, ask everyone to sign in and gather feedback as visitors leave. Rarely will the agent be able to accompany each visitor as they tour your home.
No need for alarm. You and your agent will have discussed how to secure your valuables and any items that may be dangerous, such as firearms and other weapons. One valuable that is often neglected in Open House preparations is medication. Whether to supply an addiction or to sell, a bottle of prescription medication can be a jackpot. Even a single pill of some prescriptions could be worth more than $100!
What can you do?
Here are a few tips:
1) Secure medications in the same way you would a wallet, checkbook and credit cards.
2) Place prescription drugs in a locked container and hide them in a location in a location that it would take a significant amount of time to find. Medicine cabinets, bedside tables and kitchen cabinets & drawers are definitely not a good idea.
Even better, remove them from the home altogether.
3) All pain medications, anti-anxiety medications and ADHD drugs should be removed from the home.
If you have any questions about how to prepare your home for showings and Open Houses, please speak to your Realtor. It is always better to err on the side of caution when opening your home to the public.
