One of the most important things to remember when you put your home on the market is to treat it like it is no longer yours. Potential buyers could be turned off by things you think are completely harmless, such as religious items and pets. To give yourself the best chance of selling and also to protect yourself from thieves, there are certain things you should remove from your home before showing it.
Personal photos and religious items
Buyers like to envision themselves in a home, and that is hard to do if there are pictures of the current owners everywhere they go. Before showing your home, you should take down personal photos off the walls and put smaller photos in drawers out of sight. It’s also a good idea to remove any overt religious displays that could make certain buyers uncomfortable.
Pets
You might think your adorable dog or cat will help sell your home, but you have to remember that less than half the population owns a pet, and finding signs of one in a home can be a real turnoff for some buyers. At a minimum, you should remove your pet during showings if possible, because you never know how it will react. A barking dog can really put a damper on a home showing. It’s also a good idea to remove pet-related items, such as food and water dishes and litter boxes.
Jewelry and other valuable items
Buyers want access to all areas of your home, and that includes bedrooms and closets. Trying to close off those areas is going to turn off buyers. So no place in your house is really secure during a showing. As hard as your agent may try, he or she can’t keep an eye on buyers at all times, especially during open houses. Top be safe, you should remove all jewelry and any other valuables that are small enough to be carted off.
Prescription drugs
Another target of thefts, especially during open houses, is prescription meds. Thieves have been known to show up at open houses specifically to raid the medicine cabinet looking for opioid pain medications and ADHD drugs. Take any prescription meds with you before showing your house and throw out any old ones you no longer need.
Junk and clutter
It should be a no-brainer, but many people fail to declutter their home before showing it. Be sure to remove papers, bills and other clutter from tabletops and also remove as many items as you can from closets, basements and your garage and move them to a storage facility.