Home sellers should be wary of the open-house thief

When you leave your home, you carefully lock every door and window, arm the burglar alarm, and even check the neighbourhood while driving down the street, looking for suspicious activity.

Nobody but nobody is going to get into your house when you're not there. At least not until you list your home for sale and your realtor recommends an, "Open House." The realtor then puts an ad in the paper advertising that your home will be open to the public on a certain day for viewing. This open invitation means that anybody can walk through your house, check out your belongings and leave with some of your most precious keepsakes.

Although not a common occurrence, theft during open houses is something that does happen. Unfortunately, it's often the small items with the most sentimental value that find their way into a thief's hands. Items like jewelry, ornaments or even cash.

If you must have an open house make sure to safeguard your small expensive possessions by hiding them out of sight. Laptop computers, video games and CD players, just to mention a few. If you have a home safe, use it. Most home safes are large enough to store all your small but expensive items.

If you don't have a safe, you may want to lock your valuables in a closet or storage room. This room should have a temporary deadbolt in place of the door knob for better security. This would assure that your expensive possessions are secure without having to drill more holes in the door. Once the home has been sold, just remove the deadbolt and place the knob back in the door.

Make sure that your realtor is willing to hold open houses with a least one other individual before you sign the listing agreement. Thieves often work in pairs. While your realtor is talking to one person, the other may be rifling through bedroom drawers or closets. If your realtor is not receptive to this suggestion, you may want to mention that his or her liability would be greatly reduced by taking such a precaution.

After an open house, make sure that you immediately check your possessions. It's also good practice to videotape your home or take still pictures before a showing. Also, insurance policies should be up to date. Ask your insurance company to review your insurance policy yearly and remember to have your jewelry appraised occasionally to allow the utmost claim if a theft occurs.