Tips & Tricks

Open House Security Alert – BAREIS recently received a report from an agent in Marin that may have had a theft occur while holding an open house in Novato on Sunday, July 31^st. A police report has been filed.

An attractive mother and daughter team took a thorough tour of the home, opening every closet door and then leaving them wide open. They weren’t very friendly and were highly critical of the residence, spending an unusual length of time upstairs. The missing items were hundreds of dollars of makeup.

Please note the following descriptions:

They carried very large slouch/hobo bags

Both were heavily made up

The mother is in her mid to late 40’s with a rough look

The daughter is in her late teens to early twenties, attractive and wearing a very short skirt with a cropped top

In order to avoid thefts, agents may want to suggest to sellers that they put away all prescription drugs and valuable items, especially ones that can be easily picked up and pocketed. Agents may also want to consider having another agent or an assistant present when conducting open houses.

Showing Etiquette – When showing property, out of common courtesy please remember to follow these rules of etiquette:

·   Review any special showing instructions prior to entering the residence

·   If the instructions state the owner must be contacted prior to showing, do so. Walking into a house unannounced with-out an appointment is an invasion of the tenant’s privacy

·   If you schedule a showing appointment with a tenant, please try to keep it. The tenant must often make special arrangements (leave work early, have someone else pick up the kids, etc.) in order to keep a showing appointment. In the event that you must cancel, please notify the tenant with whom you had the appointment.

·   Do not park in the driveway and call from a cell phone to request an immediate appointment. Bear in mind that if a tenant asks for prior notification of a showing, they probably have a good reason

·   Pay special attention at homes with pets

·   Replace the key in the lockbox and lock the door when leaving

·   Be sure to leave a business card behind in a conspicuous place so the seller/tenant knows that the house was shown to a prospective buyer

Please remember that all behavior – good & bad reflects on the entire real estate professionals industry.