Think Safety First When Selling Your Home

The Importance of a Home Safety Check

Both Realtors and Homeowners need to be aware of what is included in the Home Seller’s listing disclosures, as what is not disclosed may come back to bite you.

The first step in identifying items that might need to be disclosed is by doing a thorough safety check of your home before the home is listed for sale, keeping in mind that home safety includes the grounds as well.

ConsumerSafety.org publishes a guide detailing in-home and outdoor safety information. Many of the items that follow comes from the Home Safety Guide published by ConsumerSafety.org.

Lawn, Landscape and Pool Safety
Pools have been labeled, far-and-away, the most perilous element of residential homes. There are several steps a homeowner should take before placing a home with a pool, up for sale:

Check for, and install if absent, VGB-compliant drain covers to prevent entrapment.
Securely store hazardous pool chemicals away from the pool site.
Ensure the pool is covered with an adequate safety cover or surrounded by local-safety compliant fencing.

A majority of American suburban homes have lawns, but most people aren’t mindful of potential safety hazards here. Some actionable steps to take before listing:

Remove pet feces and scour the yard for hazardous debris.
Check for poisonous or harmful plants, with an awareness of foliage that may be risky for pets. It’s probably best to remove these if present.
Properly store lawn treatments and weed killers with hazardous chemicals, away from the yard.
Bug repellents and pest sprays should also be secure and well out of the reach of small hands.

Don’t forget about walkways and stairs. Clear all walkways and patch large cracks. Check railings to be certain they are secure.

Showings often happen in the evening or when you’re away. Investigate outdoor lighting sources to be sure they are adequate, replace blown bulbs. Leave outdoor lighting around doors and walkways on while you’re away or install motion sensitive devices.

Fire Safety
The average monetary value of property damage from a fire was $16,610 last year, according to data collected by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). If a homeowner is accused of negligence, they may be obligated to pay for injuries and damages. Removing fire hazards in the home is essential.

Check for proper placement and number of smoke and CO detectors. Test each one to be sure they are all operational. Changing the batteries in all detectors is a smart, quick and inexpensive fail-safe.

Before listing the home for sale, check for damaged plugs and appliances, overloaded outlets and multiple extension cords. All three of these are risk factors for a home fire.

Additionally, you’ll want to ensure that outdoor cooking appliances like grills and cooktops are at a safe distance from the home.

NOTE: The Buyer’s home inspector should find any damaged or improperly operating electrical hazards but it’s always in a homeowners best interest to repair/eliminate everything they are aware of, in advance of putting the home on the market.

Kitchen Safety
It shouldn’t be surprising that the kitchen is one of the most hazardous areas in the home, since it has the most electrical and gas devices. One small but crucial and often overlooked safety feature of a kitchen is a working fire extinguisher. By purchasing one and leaving it in the kitchen, you may help prevent negligence lawsuits pertaining to grease or electrical fires, not to mention averting injury or harm to the new Home Buyer.

Hopefully these guidelines can help you as an individual homeowner, to minimize the risk of litigation. By taking actionable steps, employing the Home Safety Checklist and applying the list to relevant instances in your home, you will be much less likely to become a victim of unwanted repercussions.

Adapted from an article by Cal Cook, Consumer Finance Investigator at ConsumerSafety.org. This material is not intended to be relied upon as a statement of the law, and is not to be construed as legal, tax or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult your legal, tax or investment professional for specific advice. The material is meant for general illustration and/or informational purposes only. Although the information has been gathered from sources believed to be reliable, no representation is made as to its accuracy. Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2018. All rights reserved.