What to Take With You When You Leave for a Showing

When you leave your house for a home showing, there are some items you should take with you. This guide explains.

What to Take With You When You Leave for a Showing

From prescription medications to pets, there’s a whole list of things you should take with you when you leave the house for a showing. Here’s a quick run-down:

1. Even if your prescriptions are non-narcotic and don’t have any “street value,” you should take them with you when you leave. The labels may contain private information about you, so it’s a privacy concern, too.
2. Never, ever leave your pets home during showings. Some people just don’t like animals, and others are allergic. Still others like animals, but don’t want to be around them if they’re not already acquainted.
3. Pet accessories. Take your pet’s food dishes, bedding and toys with you when you leave. Some prospective buyers don’t want to think about an animal living in the house, so it’s best if you just take it all.
4. You don’t know the people who are coming to see your home, and though they may be fine, upstanding citizens, you don’t want to take any chances. If you have items you could never replace – or that cost a lot of money in proportion to their size – take them with you when you leave for a showing.
5. Personal documents. For privacy reasons, you should lock personal documents in a filing cabinet or put them all in a file folder that you can take with you when you leave. Don’t leave your marriage certificate, divorce decree, Social Security card or anything else that contains personally identifiable information lying around.
6. Current bills. Your current bills are your business, so lock them away with your personal documents or put them in your car’s glove box. They may contain private information you don’t want anyone to see.
7. If you have firearms, never leave them unlocked when people are coming to tour your home. In fact, don’t even leave them where anyone can find them – put them in a gun safe and lock it up tight.

Why Should You Take Things With You?

You should take all these items with you for several reasons – most notably, to protect yourself from crime. You don’t know the people coming through your home, and although they may be great people, there’s a chance that something could go wrong. Don’t present prospective buyers with an opportunity to do the wrong thing by looking at your personal information, taking things that belong to you, or putting your safety at risk.

And when it comes to pets, they should go with you for their safety and your prospective buyers’ comfort. The last thing you want is for a pet to freak out over strangers in the house and dart out the front door – or worse, to think they’re defending your property.

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