Safety For Buyers and Sellers Seller Safety

Buyers

Buyers don’t have quite as many safety issues as sellers and agents. Generally a buyer will be safe visiting someone’s house, because criminals don’t normally sit in a house and wait for you to show up. A buyer can maximize their level of safety by conducting any transaction through a real estate company.

Buyers’ dangers lie more in the area of not knowing what they’re getting into where the transaction is concerned. Sit down with an agent and learn your rights and options before you go out looking at any houses. This will also give you an opportunity to get to know the person you will be working with. Find one agent to work with, again so you will know the person you are dealing with better. There are some cases where they will have a conflict of interest showing their own listings, or in some states, even with houses listed with their company, but even then, you are maintaining at least some consistent relationship.

Real estate agents are required to disclose anything they know is wrong with the house to ANY buyer. This could include items that could affect your future health and safety. Sellers selling on their own also have the same requirements, but many of them don’t check to see what their obligations are.

Think about driver safety. If you are driving around, make sure you’re looking at the road and not at the houses while you’re moving. If you are taking small children with you, it is probably wisest to drive in your own car, where you are already prepared to deal with that. You already have the car seat in place and the air bag switched off if necessary. Buyers with children should really pay attention inside a house as well. The house you are visiting may not be as childproof as your home.

Don’t discount the idea of personal safety while looking at houses altogether. There may not be many incidents, but criminals come up with new ideas all the time. Use common sense, so you’re not the first person they test their idea on.