How to Keep Your Belongings Safe During an Open House

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Keeping Your Belongings Safe

How to Keep Your Belongings Safe During an Open House

By George Bittner, Realtor – Realty Mark Advantage

When you’re preparing for an open house, your goal is to present your home in the best possible light. As your Realtor, I want to make sure you can do that with complete confidence — especially when it comes to keeping your personal belongings safe. While open houses are a powerful tool for attracting serious buyers, a few simple steps can help protect your valuables and your privacy.

1. Put Away Valuables Before Buyers Arrive

Anything small and easy to pocket should be stored or removed from the home. Jewelry, watches, cash, coins, collectibles, and small electronics should never be left out during a showing.

2. Protect Your Personal Information

Documents such as bills, bank statements, tax forms, or medical papers should be locked away or taken with you. Anything containing sensitive personal information should be out of sight.

3. Secure Digital Devices

Make sure computers are powered down or logged out, tablets are put away, and passwords aren’t visible. If you have a home office, I’ll keep a close eye on that area during the showing.

4. Remove Prescription Medications

Medicine cabinets are common targets during open houses. Take prescriptions with you or store them in a locked container.

5. Protect Sentimental Items

Family heirlooms, personal keepsakes, and irreplaceable items should be removed or stored securely. This not only protects them but also helps buyers focus on the home.

6. Restrict Access to Certain Areas

If you have rooms, closets, or storage spaces containing valuable or sensitive items, I can help limit access or monitor them closely.

7. Minimize Display of High-End Items

High-end electronics, rare art, expensive décor, and collectibles can draw unnecessary attention. Removing them helps both security and staging.

8. I’ll Help Monitor During the Open House

As your Realtor, I make sure visitors sign in, follow the flow of the home, and respect the space. I’m there to watch out for anything unusual.

9. Use Smart Security Options if They’re Available

Feel free to use any smart home features you already have — door sensors, alarms, and motion alerts can all add peace of mind.

10. Do a Quick Walkthrough Before and After

We’ll walk the home before the open house starts to make sure everything looks its best and again afterward to ensure everything is secure.

Final Thoughts from George Bittner

Your home matters — and so do the belongings you’ve collected over the years. With a few simple steps, you can host an open house with confidence and peace of mind. As your Realtor with Realty Mark Advantage, I’m here to guide you through every step and ensure your home is both secure and showcased properly.

George Bittner Realtor
Realty Mark Advantage
856-425-8511
george@georgebittner.com

The Basics Of Rug And Carpet Care

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While most homeowners tend to rely on professional carpet cleaners to clean their carpeting, they fail to understand there are specific steps that can add durability to their carpets and rugs. Here’s a breakdown of how you can keep your carpeting and rugs in good shape.

  • Different treatments for different materials
    The care and cleaning of your carpeting and rugs will depend upon the materials from which they are made. Wool rugs require frequent vacuuming while avoiding the use of a rotary brush. Ammonia and highly alkaline cleaners should not be used because of the likelihood of damage to the wool. Synthetic carpets and rugs can be vacuumed using a beater brush to remove grit. A steam cleaner can be used to remove dirt and debris stuck in the fibers.
  • Vacuum High-Traffic Areas Frequently
    High-traffic areas are susceptible to stains. You may want to pay special attention to family rooms, door entries, halls leading to kitchens as well as pet areas. This essentially means vacuuming daily to keep persistent dirt at bay.
  • Air Them Out
    Dust collects in your carpets and rugs over time. This is unsanitary and can cause allergic reactions and other health problems. Airing out your carpets frequently is an important home maintenance task. Vacuuming will not be the best option as it tends to send dust into the air. Fresh air and sunlight will kill all the bacteria and remove the dust particles.
  • Use Pads Beneath Area Rugs
    Some people prefer to use accent area rugs over wall-to-wall carpeting. While beneficial in most cases, don’t forget to use rug pads underneath your carpets to avoid two main challenges: carpet-surface erosion and dye transfer.
  • Use a High-Quality Vacuum
    Using a high-quality vacuum plays an important role in keeping your rugs and carpets in shipshape. Not all vacuum cleaners are the same, and you may want to choose high-quality products to avoid frustrating breakdowns when you’re putting in extra effort in the care of your carpets. A quality vacuum cleaner will be highly durable, effective, and efficient.
  • Regularly Rearrange Furniture
    Furniture positioning significantly affects the rate of wear and tear in carpets and rugs. Chairs and sofas strategically placed in permanent positions naturally cause foot traffic and dirt patterns mainly characterized by pets and normal wear and tear. Furniture legs can also damage carpets if not shifted periodically.

You may want to take care of carpet divots by placing ice cubes in plastic bags and resting the specified bag in the divot. The subsequent cold from the ice will cause the carpet fibers to bulge and restore their resilience and the carpet’s smooth surface.

Fixer-Upper Financing

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Can you finance a Fixer-Upper ?

The FHA 203(k) is a mortgage and home improvement loan all in one.

You can replace a roof or replace the windows to conserve energy. Why not paint or put new siding on the home and give it a fresh new up to date look. You can put in your dream kitchen. Maybe new flooring, carpet or tile would be just the thing to make the home look amazing. Why not replace the electrical and plumbing in the home while you are at it.

What ever the case may be your needs can be addressed with this type of loan.

Information provided by Ed Muchnick, Gateway Mortgage

Low Down Payments

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Are you wondering how much you need to save for your new home? It may not be as much as you think.

0 DOWN

The VA and the USDA both offer a zero down loan program for individuals and/or properties that meet their criteria. Sometimes, loans require little or no cash out of pocket. Some HUD properties are available with as little as $100 down

3%

Some Fannie Mae Community and Home Path ® programs allow just 3% down. You may even be able to fund your down payment through gifts, grants, employers, government agencies, unsecured loans from family or even with loans against CDs or retirement accounts.

3.5%

The FHA loan program allows as little as 3.5% down, and it is more lenient than most other programs on minimum credit scores.

5%

Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac conventional loans are available with down payments as low as 5%. The minimum changes based on property type, credit score, occupancy, etc.

ARE YOU SURPRISED at how low you may be able to go? While many believe a 20% down payment is required, you can now see that it’s far from the only option.

Information provided by Ed Muchnick, Gateway Mortgage
gatewayloan.com/ed-muchnick

Seller Financed Home Loan

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How does the seller determine the rate?

The interest rate on a Seller Financed Transaction is negotiable. A seller can check with lenders and mortgage brokers to determine current rates on mortgage loans. 
Normally sellers do not charge loan fees or points therefore seller financed costs are generally less than a conventional home loan. 
Interest rates are reflected by current Treasury bill and certificate of deposit rates. 
Most sellers will not want to provide a loan for a lower interest than the market is offering. Interest rates the seller charges may be higher than those on conventional loans. Five to 15 year loans are usually acceptable.

How Do You Sell Your Home, Fast?

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How Do You Sell Your Home, Fast?

When the time comes to sell your home you will want to sell it as quickly as possible. You first move should be to find a qualified local agent that is familiar with the local market. You should also find a full time agent. You will need an agent that will take the time to do a CMA (Comparative Market Analysis) to get a solid listing price for your home. The more realistic your listing price is, the faster it should sell. Today, buyers do a lot of research on websites that show asking prices for homes based on what the property offers. Be prepared, most buyers are educated these days and know what a property should be worth. Also do not sell your home to a company offering a quick way out for way less than your home is worth! It is very important to list your home with a agent that will take great interest in getting your home sold. Listing a SALE BY OWNER usually ends up being a big mistake because of the knowledge that is needed to get a transaction to the settlement table. It can end up being a big waste of time and prolong the sale of your home!!

KEEP THE FOLLOWING USEFUL TIPS IN MIND:

To get to the settlement table quickly, I strongly suggest the following courses of action…..

  1. Curb appeal is so important. Keep the lawn cut, trim the bushes and keep the property edged and the weeds trimmed.
  2. Make sure that the front door is in good repair because that is the second thing that potential buyers are going to look at.
  3. Make sure that your home is clean and smells fresh. If you are having an open house, bake some cookies in the kitchen to have that wonderful aroma throughout the home if you have the time.
  4. Remove all clutter from the walkways and rooms, allowing the buyers to picture their belongings in your home. If there is clutter they have a hard time seeing past that.
  5. Remember that you shouldn’t overdue the upgrades. It is always best to speak with your listing agent to see what will get the best return on your money spent. Keep the color choices neutral if painting any rooms. Kitchens and bathrooms will draw the most interest, so make sure that they are presentable.
  6. Most of all listen to your agent! You hired them to provide you with a professional service and they are usually the most educated as far as pricing your property to get the best return!
  7. Make sure that your agent has the time to run open houses to get as many potential buyers through the property as possible. It is not always in your best interest to hire an agent that has many listings going on at one time!

Good luck in selling your home!