You have a property on the market that you want to be seen by potential Buyers. However, you don’t want your potential Buyers to know any more about you as a person than necessary. It might surprise you the things a Buyer might learn about you just by walking through your property!
Personal items can easily be boxed up and stored, to help prevent prying eyes from figuring out who you are, and while it may take some extra time to go through your house and remove any items that can be personal identifiers, removing these items are worth it to you in the long run. Not only will they help the Buyer see themselves in your home (instead of making them feel like they are walking around somebody else’s space), it removes any chance of strangers finding personal information about you that you wouldn’t want them to know otherwise.
Here are some basic and easy guidelines to help you keep your information confidential:
- Do not hide things in drawers. Buyers typically look at anything that is attached to the property. Opening a drawer, cupboard or closet is normally as innocent as checking for the construction, strength or depth.
- Don’t leave mail where anybody can find it. Buyers can find out invaluable information from mail left in plain sight. They can tell if you are behind on your mortgage payments, if the I.R.S. is contacting you, if you are behind on credit card payments, etc. Do not post bills on the refrigerator or leave them in a place the Buyer might be able to see, including drawers. If you are not currently occupying the property, make sure that all mail is picked up from both inside and outside the property.
- Remove all diplomas and wedding photos from the wall. People have a general tendency to form biases. For example, the Seller may be a recent medical graduate and the Buyer may assume that the Seller’s motivation for selling the property is to pay off large student loans or the Seller may be an Attorney and the Buyer decides that they may not feel comfortable entering into a contract with an Attorney. Diplomas also can give away the Seller’s age or at the least a close approximation. Wedding photos may give away the Seller’s religion, as do certain religious decorations left at the property. Buyers can exhibit prejudice in many ways. The less you give away about yourself the better.
The Basic Rule of Thumb: Make sure to take away everything that is remotely personal from the property. If the property speaks to a Buyer about you, are you sure it is saying the right thing?
The Kibler Group
Keller Williams Partners
www.KiblerGroup.com
KiblerGroup@kw.com
(719) 440-1145
