Real Living Suburban Lifestyle Real Estate
258 Main Street Unit F, Medfield, MA 02052
508-944-1967 | [email protected]
258 Main Street Unit F, Medfield, MA 02052
508-944-1967 | [email protected]
Photo by Gino Crescoli via Pixabay
If a stranger were to knock on your door and ask to come in, you’d likely say no. Yet when you’re showing your house, this is exactly what you’re doing. You’ll let stranger after stranger come in to tour the home and see if it’s a good fit for their needs. So how can you ensure your home is safe? These home security steps will ensure you can safely show your home with minimal risk.
Always use an agent to help sell the home. This will ensure someone is in the home when it is being shown. While some buyers try to sell on their own, this opens you up to showing the home without anyone else around, which is potentially dangerous. Using an agent ensures someone is always with the buyer when they tour the home.
If you are in the home when potential buyers come through, don’t fear small talk, but be careful. Keep the talk simple and related to the home and its features. Do not divulge too much personal information about yourself or your family. Remember, this person is a stranger.
If someone calls you or your agent claiming to be a real estate agent who wants to see the house, do some research. Your agent would be able to verify that the person is, in fact, an agent. If you cannot find a record of them, do not open your home to them.
Hide your valuables before any showings or open houses. You don’t want potential buyers to grab your favorite pearl earrings as they go through your bedroom to tour the home. As you’re hiding valuables, consider hiding your prescription medications. Unfortunately, some prescriptions are high theft items, and you need your medications for your own health. Consider investing in a small safe to stash these items before you start showing your house.
Do you have a garage door remote? Don’t leave it out! A potential buyer could pocket it and return later to rob your home or your garage. Keep all keys, remotes, and fobs with you when you leave for the showing, or store them out of sight if you are staying in the home for the showing.
Opening your door to strangers is part of the process when you’re showing your home, but you do have to be smart about it. Take these ideas into consideration, and do what you can to protect your home and your family while you’re in the selling process.
Image by Chinnapong from Shutterstock
The “simple life” is a common phrase but is there such a thing? When defining the words, it’s easy to understand the challenge that comes with pairing them together. Simple (easily understood and presenting no difficulty) + life (existence, being, living). Let's rephrase the quote to say, "The simpler life." Creating a simpler life is a more attainable and worthy goal.
For example, the morning routine of waking up and preparing for each day. It might not be easy, but preparing the night before by selecting clothes, setting up the coffee maker and having breakfast or lunch ready to go, the basics start to fall into place. Consider setting the alarm for 15 minutes earlier than usual and use that time to enjoy a cup of coffee before the day begins.
Plan for meals. Create a shopping list based on meals that can be pulled together easily. Consider preparing meal components that can be brought together in different ways throughout the week. This approach often requires some preparation once the groceries are purchased. You may bake or saute some chicken or chop and roast vegetables in large batches. The benefit is that you won’t have to start from scratch with each meal. Set up a crockpot meal and let it cook all day or utilize an air fryer or pressure cooker to prepare a meal quickly. Cook double portions so that you have leftovers or components to in stock the freezer.
Introducing organizational habits and weekly plans takes time and dedication but developing ways to make life simpler is worth the time investment.
The windows in your home not only supply security while allowing fresh air and natural light to filter in, but they are also essential to keeping energy costs down and they contribute to the overall value of your home. During a windstorm, here are some ways you can protect your entire home as a real estate investment. These tips can reduce the chance of broken windows that can lead to interior flooding and other structural damage.
If you own real estate property in areas that are prone to high winds such as the East Coast (North of Georgia), West Coast, and North Central Regions (Michigan, Illinois, Ohio), window film will make your windows more resistant to shattering. Window film can also serve double-duty, making it more difficult for a burglar to break your windows and gain access to your home.
It is typically not the wind that shatters windows, but debris from the yard that is thrown at the home. Remove branches and tree limbs, outdoor furniture and any objects that can be picked by the wind. Any medium-sized or heavier objects can become projectiles including garden tools, grills, sports equipment, and bicycles.
High winds from hurricanes are often part of low pressure systems. In the past, it was suggested to open a few windows to allow the home's interior to equalize in pressure. Current practices suggest that your home's interior pressure will equalize on it's own, because no home is completely airtight. It is best to close the windows to limit interior damage due to extremely high winds.
If your home does not have shutters and the weather forecast calls for sustained and powerful wind gusts, nailing plywood over your windows is the next best option if your home does not have storm shutters. You only need to consider boarding up your home if the winds are forecast to be straight-line winds and you only need to protect the windows that are directly facing the direction of expected high winds.
These tips can help keep you and your family safe indoors during a windstorm. Review your home insurance policy on a regular basis. As climatic activity increases, you may decide to add insurance that will cover damage due to heavy wind or rain.
