SELLING YOUR HOUSE?- Protect Your Valuables

The Herald recently published the following article warning house sellers and real estate agents to protect any valuables during open houses.

http://heraldnet.com/article/20110306/BIZ/703069965/1014/BIZ06

Open houses can be opportunities for burglars to check out houses for valuable electronics,

jewelry, etc. The article leaves the impression that a burglar would come back at night. This would be true if the house is an empty model home or if the resident's are not staying in the house. However, the rule of thumb that burglars steal during the day in residential areas still remains valid.

As pointed out in this posting from SeattleCrime.com, http://www.seattlecrime.com/2011/03/09/reader-question-of-the-day-when-are-burglars-busiest?utm_source=twitterfeed, most residential burglars do their break-ins "during the day when you're at work." Also, the number of burglaries tend to increase during the summer. Having an alarm system definately deters burglars.

If you are selling your home take these steps to protect your property:

• Remove valuables from your home including jewelry, prescription medicines and electronics.
• Clean out drawers and medicine cabinets to prevent people from going on a treasure hunt.
• Introduce your Realtor to neighbors, and ask neighbors to watch for suspicious activity.
• Talk to your broker or agent about safeguarding your home.
• Install a working security system.

• Ask the local police or sheriff's deputies to patrol the area.