Selling a home can be an exciting process, but it also comes with security risks. During open houses or property showings, unfamiliar people are walking through your space. Protecting the home starts with a written showing plan: who controls entry, what gets put away, how visitors move through the property and who checks it afterward. If someone still lives there, their privacy and lawful access arrangements belong in that plan.
Agree on appointments and responsibility
Before the first showing, decide with the listing agent whether visits will be accompanied appointments or a hosted open house. Name the person responsible for opening, supervising and securing the property. Set the appointment window and an end-of-day check, including what happens if a visitor arrives early or stays late.
Use the agent’s established appointment process instead of giving access instructions to unknown callers. Keep a private record of the hosting agent, time and any incident. At an open house, manage groups so the host can follow visitors through the home. If the host cannot supervise several groups at once, stagger entry or add an authorized host. A sign-in sheet helps organize visits but does not prove that every visitor is trustworthy.
Protect visitors’ information, too. Have the host collect contact details privately rather than leaving a completed sign-in sheet where the next visitor can read it. Agree who will keep the record and who needs access. The FTC’s business privacy guide recommends keeping only the personal information you need and protecting what you retain.
Plan lawfully when a tenant occupies the home
California example: Civil Code section 1954 permits entry to exhibit a dwelling to prospective purchasers or tenants, subject to its conditions. The usual written notice must state the date, approximate time and purpose. Twenty-four hours is presumed reasonable absent contrary evidence; that is not blanket permission for unrestricted access. The statute generally limits entry to normal business hours and prohibits abusing access or using it to harass a tenant.
The statute has a specific oral-notice route for buyer showings when the required written sale notice was given within 120 days, with written evidence left inside at entry. It also contains exceptions, including emergencies and a tenant who is present and consents at entry. Have the agent confirm which route actually applies. Do not treat a lockbox, a listing agreement or a resident’s silence as authorization to ignore the statute. Other states and local rules need separate review. The California Department of Real Estate’s rental-entry guidance explains these notice, timing and buyer-showing conditions.
Secure valuables and personal information
One of the first steps in securing your home for a showing is to remove or lock away valuable items. Expensive jewelry, electronics, important documents, and cash should be stored in a safe or locked away in a secure place. Do not substitute a hidden drawer for secure storage.
Walk through every room with privacy in mind. Put away mail, bank statements, passports, checkbooks, prescription medication, spare keys and garage remotes. Remove papers displaying passwords, alarm instructions or household schedules. Lock computers and tablets, and prevent shared screens from displaying private notifications. The FTC’s identity-theft guidance advises keeping financial and identifying documents in a safe place. That includes papers sitting on a home-office desk.
Agree in advance which storage areas will be off-limits. Tell the agent how buyers can later evaluate those areas through a supervised appointment. Keep the tour useful without making private possessions available for inspection. Arrange pets with the resident so a visitor cannot accidentally let them out; never block an exit to contain an animal.
Check the route visitors will use
Walk from the entrance through the planned tour before visitors arrive. Clear loose items from walkways and stairs, check that doors open and latch, and turn on working lights where visitors need to see steps or changes in level. If you find a broken lock or another defect, arrange an authorized repair or have the host keep that area out of the tour until it is addressed. A tidy entrance helps visitors find their way; it does not establish that a home or neighborhood is risk-free.
Control keys and codes
Keep keys and entry instructions with authorized people. Ask who can access a lockbox and how keys will be returned. If an existing smart lock supports individual, scheduled visitor codes, have the authorized operator use its model-specific instructions and remove those permissions when no longer needed. For example, Kwikset documents date- and time-limited codes for Halo; that feature should not be assumed for another model. Do not publish codes in listing text, leave keys under a mat or distribute the resident’s everyday code.
A technology change is not required for every showing. A supervised visit with controlled keys may be the appropriate arrangement. Discuss missing-key or failed-lock procedures before the event. Any hardware work should be authorized and preserve safe exit and resident access.
Use a closing checklist after each visit
- Confirm every visitor has left, including anyone in a separate garage or outbuilding.
- Check exterior doors and accessible windows against their pre-showing condition.
- Recover keys and confirm visitor permissions have ended where applicable.
- Check private storage and obvious signs of damage or disturbance.
- Restore the agreed alarm and lighting arrangements and tell the resident the visit is finished.
- Document any discrepancy and notify the owner or resident promptly. Contact emergency services for immediate danger rather than confronting someone.
Keep the checklist with the showing record. If a door repeatedly fails to latch or visitors wander unsupervised, change the process before the next appointment. These steps reduce avoidable exposure; they cannot guarantee that theft or damage will never occur.
Frequently asked questions
What should I put away before a showing?
Secure valuables, medications, identifying documents, mail, spare keys, remotes and access instructions. Lock digital devices and remove papers that reveal account details or household routines.
Can an agent enter an occupied California rental whenever a buyer asks?
No. California Civil Code section 1954 governs the permitted purpose, notice and timing of entry, with specific exceptions. The agent should confirm the applicable procedure before scheduling the visit.
Sources and verification
Checked October 6, 2026. This is general information, not legal advice. The entry example concerns California residential rentals; it is not a rule for every jurisdiction or every showing.
- California Department of Real Estate: when the landlord can enter a rental unit — Civil Code section 1954 showing purpose, notice content, reasonable-notice presumption, business hours, sale-showing procedure and access limits. Checked October 6, 2026.
- FTC: what to know about identity theft — secure storage of personal and financial records. Checked October 6, 2026.
- FTC: protecting personal information, a guide for business — limiting collection and protecting retained visitor information. Checked October 6, 2026.
- Kwikset: Halo user-code options — model-specific scheduled access features. Checked October 6, 2026.
