FSBO (For Sale By Owner) Process

As part of the FSBO (For Sale By Owner) process, people need to start thinking like professional realtors. One factor that must be acknowledged is that assaults on realtors or sellers have increased in recent years. The real estate industry is witnessing a rising graph for such assaults. This shooting graph has made people think and act as a realtor would to find a potential buyer for their homes. A few realtors, in the process of showing very expensive homes or accepting a large cash down payment, have even been known to hire bodyguards.

In such situations owner/sellers need to follow some precautionary steps to protect themselves, their family and their home from being victimized. Some of them are as follows:

The first thing you can do is to not allow anyone to enter the property until you feel that you are comfortable. You can do this by screening the caller before allowing the visit. Ask them as many questions as needed, like their, name their current address and telephone number. Where are they working at present? Why do they want to buy the property? Ask them about their family; do they have any children, how many members are there in the family etc.? These are questions that can help you get the information you must have to get familiar with the person. Do not let any visitor into your home unless you have all the information about the person. Never make an appointment when you are alone at home. If a situation comes up that you are alone at the time of buyer’s visit, then you may want to postpone it. If the person is really interested in your property he or she will not have any problem in making another appointment.

If by chance you must be alone when showing the property, always have your mobile phone with you so that you can call for help. If the situation becomes uncomfortable…leave! Get out of the house and go to a neighbor’s house or your vehicle. When such criminals are interviewed, they have mentioned that when they are taking property they do want to harm anyone but if a person (seller) makes a commotion, they might well hurt someone.

Criminals always look for the soft target, so generally they assault older people in the age group of 60-80 years of age more often than any other age group. But they also prey on the very young, so tell your child not to let anybody enter the house when you are not there. Even teenage children should not let anybody enter into the house. It is just not worth the risk.

If you are thinking of doing a virtual tour of your home, then be very sure that you do not have any expensive objects in the rooms as the video is being made. There is no value in showing the bad guys what they might get.

Your neighbors should be aware that you are selling the home, as it will help you to keep a check if anyone is loitering around the house in your absence. You can do this by talking with them regularly. It’s unfortunate, but some criminals do use an open house showing to pose as a potential buyer to get an idea about your property so they can victimize you later.

You must make your house appealing, as it adds on to the value when you are selling the place but you also need to ensure your safety. Keep your bushes trimmed low, repair or add higher wattage light bulbs outside and keep your entrance well lit. According to criminals interviewed by the authorities, they look for dark areas outside a home, high bushes near the windows or a concealed entrance, so that they can gain access to the house. These are things you can do to protect yourself and your property, but never forget that property and houses are never more precious than your life.

Article by Rose Chapman. Rose Chapman is a professional traveler and a blogger. Click here to contact Rose.

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