Keep away important documents containing pertinent information such as Social Security numbers and bank accounts. These digits of numbers can actually be the key towards committing crimes using your identity.

Remove jewelries, antiques, and other items of high values. These are eye candies and can easily attract robbers and thieves. Electronic gadgets like tablets, laptops, and smartphones should also be secured. Your personal and some confidential information can be leaked once these gadgets are taken away from your possession.

Photos of family members are advised to be hidden. You don’t know how criminal minds think. Your family members, even with just their photos can be easy targets of crimes, especially children.

Never leave keys of your house, car, or rooms – even if they are just duplicates. These things are small and can be easily grabbed. When possessed by bad persons, these keys can be used to enter your property.

Never hide anything of value in your rooms and other likely places. Rooms within your house especially those that are locked up during the open house can imply that there are valuable things in there. Though they are locked up, it is still advised never to leave things of high value in those rooms. Some curious and naughty persons might be unnoticed sneaking in those rooms to peep on those things and plan something bad afterwards.

Have a logbook of guests joining the open house. This is a helpful record to see who came to visit the house. Make sure that the arrival and departure times are recorded too.

Take photos or videos of the rooms and other parts of the house before the open house in its staged state. After the open house, review the photos or videos to see if there are some alterations on how things are placed and ordered.

Remember that an open house should be an opportunity to meet buyers, or even meet new connections and friends. It should not be an opportunity or an invitation to persons with bad intentions. However, we won’t know bad people until they have done wrong. So better stay safe and secured than be sorry later on!

1. De – clutter, and touch – up, limited areas: In some instances, it only takes a little, well – considered, tweaking, to achieve the intended objectives. Before beginning to show the house, reduce the amount of clutter, significantly, remove excessive furniture and furnishings (put into storage, or dispose of), and proceed, to, touch – up, largely viewed areas (many people, can do this, themselves). When a house looks neater and cleaner, and distractions, and negatives, are removed, and/ or, addressed, it usually translates to better showings, and more, qualified buyer, interest, and, hopefully, meaningful offers!

2. Do – it – yourself (DIY) staging: Depending on the size, price, niche market, etc, it may be possible, to do – it – yourself! This DIY staging process, includes, reducing the amount of furniture, and fixtures, especially, any, which seem to show, wear – and – tear, or don’t enhance the overall appearance of the house. This should include: paying attention to curb appeal; reducing/ addressing any unwanted odors, and/ or, eye – sores; touch – up painting, cleaning fixtures, and adjusting lighting, and overall esthetics, etc.

3. Hire professional stager: Sometimes, it is necessary to hire a recommended, quality, professional home – stager! This process, often, includes: removing, existing furniture/ fixtures, and replacing them, with loaner items; enhancing strengths, and addressing areas of weakness, etc. However, because this is often, costly, to do, if you choose, a quality approach, the price range, and niche of the property, are relevant factors, whether this is an advisable approach, for you!

4. Study and understand some of the basics: It makes sense for homeowners, deciding to sell their homes, to thoroughly, study, and better understand, some of the essentials, and basics, which will add value to the transaction, and process! For example, to show a smaller room, such as a dining room, better, it often makes sense, to use taller furniture, and bigger fixtures, hanging from the ceilings. Understand, how lighting factors – in, as well, as where to highlight, and how to minimize attention, to some locations, Where some touch – up painting, curb appeal, etc, may be beneficial, are key considerations!