Many Sellers try to sell their homes on their own without an agent. This is not always as easy as it may seem and not always the safest thing to do, simply to save the commission.
Selling a home on your own and without an agent is especially difficult during a buyer’s market. There are far fewer buyers than there are sellers, buyers are often reluctant to move forward with a real estate purchase in a down market, and often require reassurance from a non interested third party; family, friends, and or a Real Estate agent.
Also, when you sell your home, even when you do so on your own and without professional help, you are legally obligated to show it to potential buyers regardless of race, ethnicity, sex, etc. So, even if the person looks suspect, you have to show the property, or possibly face a discrimination law suit!
However, when someone comes knocking on your door, because they've seen your For Sale by Owner sign in the yard, or even the real estate sign for that matter, you never know who they are! Maybe they are legitimately interested in your home and there to get a look at it, maybe they are ‘looky Lous’, or maybe they have more sinister motives!
Between 1982 and the present 12/17/06, there have been 206 Real Estate agents murdered while on the job, and usually while hosting an open house! I know, it’s a horrible and staggering statistic.
http://www.mortgagenewsdaily.com/7262006_Reator_Safety_Tips.asp
http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_190190009.html
Also, locally in Chicago, there have been two murder/rapes linked to Anthony Triplett, a cable installer for Comcast! Two women, Janice Ordidge and Urzula Sakowska, had appointments with him to repair their cable and DNA evidence linked him to the crimes!
http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_348152849.html
[I have to also add a caution against using race to decide whether or not to allow an unknown person into your home. Yolanda Gutierrez, a 35 year old Puerto Rican woman met Paul Runge, a white male, who was a delivery driver for Pepsi, while putting an appliance for sale sign up at the grocery store. Runge pretended to be interested in the refrigerator that she was selling, made an appointment to see it after he finished working, and then rapped and murdered both her and her 11 year old daughter, Jessica Muniz !
http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2006/01/runge_the_trial.html]
Ordidge’s family was surprised that their was no forced entry into her home, as they said that she was very cautious and security conscious, and they couldn’t believe that she would allow someone into her home that she didn’t know. Now it all makes sense, She let the cable installer in!
Even more chilling, Triplett was allowed to continue working for Comcast even after the company knew that he was being investigated for Ordidge’s rape and murder, which enabled him to kill at least one other Comcast customer since then; Sakowska!
There is a way to be in compliance with the law and also protect yourself from would be rapist/murderers, whether you are a FSBO or the customer of a cable or other company.
This is how it works. When a would be buyer calls wanting to see your home, take down his Name (as it appears on his driver’s license), Address, Home phone number, Cell phone number, and his driver’s license number.
He already has your name, address and phone number, and if he is reluctant to give you his, tell him that it is a security precaution and that he can’t see the home without providing this information.
When he arrives to see the home, have him drop his driver’s license into your mail slot, slide it under the door, or hold it against the window. Verify that the information is the same as the information that he gave you when he called, and call a close relative or friend and let them know that he is there and what his personal information is.
Open the door while still on the phone, tell the relative or friend that you will call them back once he leaves, remain on the phone for the entire service call, or tell the relative or friend that you should be finished in 20 minutes if they want to stop by.
This same technique can also be used, with a slight modification, if you are expecting a cable or other repairman to come by. Having a large protective (and obedient) dog present can also be an added deterrent.
Once the person leaves, call the relative back and let them know that the repairman has left. You should also add a code to the end of the conversation so that they know that you are not under duress. Give them two codes ahead of time. One so that they know everything is ok, and another distress code so that they know to call 911 immediately.
The distress code should seem inconspicuous to the visitor and could be something like ‘all clear’. This way, even when he suspects that you’ve added a distress code, he won’t suspect that you’ve just sounded the alarm!
I know this may seem like a lot of trouble to go through but, unfortunately, we don’t live in a perfect world, and there are evil people, blending in, among us.
In the case of a For Sale by Owner; FSBO (pronounced fisbo), you can simply hire a real estate agent and let them screen would be buyers before they enter your home, and have them escort the buyers into and out of your home during and after the showings.