If you’ve recently listed your house for sale —or will be soon — you’ve likely taken many steps to clean, declutter and stage. Before selling your home, you may want to take a few precautions to make sure your private information stays private.
Move private documents to a desk drawer or locked cabinet.
Buyers can open kitchen cabinets and other built-in structures. If they open a drawer, make sure they are not finding important documents you don’t want them to see.
Don’t leave mail out.
Mail is often left on a table or in an open area where anyone can see it. It also tells a buyer your name and other information such as what credit you have, what associations you belong to and if you are in legal disputes.
Take diplomas and pictures off the walls.
Practically, this allows buyers to see the home as they want to decorate, not as you have decorated. It also makes sure that they do not know your profession or form biases on what your alma mater or family activities reveal about you.
Clean out closets.
Similarly, clean closets let buyers see the home from their perspective, and prevents bias they’ll form based on who you are and what you can afford.
Real estate is a big investment – make sure yours is protected with legal help from ARAG. Our attorney network is available to all Legal Now members whose employer doesn’t offer legal insurance, for matters ranging from buying and selling property to foreclosure and contractor disputes.
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