Eileen Kelsall, Real Estate Broker, REALTOR® - TIPS AND TRICKS TO SELLING YOUR VACANT HOME

open houses may be greater when selling the home while leaving it vacant. Who you think are prospective buyers might not be buyers at all. They may be persons making use of the opportunity to learn the layout of the home and the entrances to plan criminal acts later. Think carefully about using the open house technique when marketing a vacant property. • Ensure all possible entrances are secured. Due to the crucial importance of this point, it is essential you recheck this aspect. Make sure all doors and windows are secured. In addition to ensuring you have closed all the windows and doors on all the floors, consider adding deadbolt locks and chains to doors and wooden or metal sticks in sliding door tracks. • Set-up a security system. With a bit of research, you will be able to find a number of companies who install and monitor security systems. While you may have to incur a monthly fee for these installations, this can significantly bring down the probability of break-ins in a vacant home. A wireless security system can be very effective. Some companies connect your smartphone so it feeds videos from your device remotely. Installing a motion detection device can also help you tighten the security features. If you cannot afford to pay for one, an alternative is to buy a security system sign or sticker from a local home improvement store and paste near the entrance. It is likely this can dissuade a potential criminal from attempting entry into the property.

59

Powered by