I set off a house alarm this week. Not once but twice …. all within about 15 minutes.

Two things the prospective buyers now know is that the alarm works and their realtor is technically challenged. It is quite intimidating to have those things go off and you wonder how long before the cops show up, or at least my clients did. Security did show up and they weren’t too worried when they saw the “for sale” sign, as realtors tend to set off alarms.

These days many people have alarms on their houses. Here are some tips for when you put the house up for sale. It can save you money as well.

• If possible, when you have showings booked, turn off the alarm. This helps technically challenged realtors who are showing your home. It can also save you money by not having the security company send someone to investigate if this happens.
• Make sure the listing realtor has all the codes and has tested them while you are there, both to disarm and to rearm your alarm.
• Let your security provider know you have the house listed for sale. That way they are aware you will have people in and out, and they may get calls to cancel an alarm by technically challenged realtors. Security providers charge you for every time they have to come out and check things.
• Make sure the realtor knows all the quirks of your system, windows, doors etc.
• If you have a suite and the tenants have an alarm as well, make sure they are on the same page and aware of when showings are happening. This is what happened to us; the owner turned his alarm off, but the tenant had left his on.
• Be consistent. If you leave your home alarmed, leave it alarmed all the time. If you disarm it, disarm it all the time. Things will go smoother.
• When the house sells, make sure you leave all the instructions and phone numbers for the new owners to transfer and use the system.
• Finally, if you are on a monthly contract with the alarm company, this will need to be disclosed as part of the Property Disclosure Statement.

Even with careful planning, and with a consistent approach, things can go wrong and alarms can be triggered. Most realtors have been responsible for this at one time or another. We know to remain calm, call the listing realtor right away, and follow instructions. If the security company or the police show up, they ask questions first before taking anyone away ….

Buyers are sometimes quite alarmed by this possibility. Luckily, I’ve yet to be handcuffed and tossed into the back of a police cruiser, leaving my buyers standing on the sidewalk wondering how they’ll continue their tour, and if they’ll ever see me again.

Cheri Crause, CPCA, Residential REALTOR ®
Royal LePage Coast Capital Realty
1933 Oak Bay Avenue, Victoria, BC V8R 1C8
Phone: 250-592-4422
email: ccrause@shaw.ca
website: www.victoriarealtyteam.ca

See all articles by Cheri Crause