Putting your home on the market puts you into permanent standby mode. Your realtor could call at any moment and ask to bring over a potential purchaser with very little notice. And then there are house showings—which at least you get some notice about. Are there any security risks with allowing a bunch of strangers into your home? Could any of them be planning a second visit later to rob you?

Your Realtor

Much of the cross-checking of anyone attending your open home is in the hands of your realtor, so it's important that you're aware of and comfortable with their procedure. They may take the names and telephone numbers of anyone attending, just as a means to verify the person's intentions (even if they're just attending out of curiosity). If you feel that the procedure isn't secure enough, feel free to make any recommendations.

Internal Locks

There are many steps you should take to frustrate the intentions of anyone who might be inspecting your home with sinister plans. There's always a small security risk in keeping a key in an internal lock, although it's pretty common. This shouldn't occur during any house showing. Ensure that all keys are removed from doors and windows before being secured. Hiding them in a drawer may be insufficient, and you might want to keep them with you or place them in your home safe.

Key Racks

The same applies to keys hanging on key racks or in key bowls. Even though the key might be for something insignificant, like a bike lock that has gone unused for years, you don't want there to be any encouragement for a potential thief. They could swipe a key and return later to try their luck, and you want to strongly discourage this possibility. And yet, what if you should overlook all your keys and one goes missing during a house showing? 

Locksmith Services

If the missing key is for a door, you should call a locksmith (assuming that a meticulous search has failed to find the key). You don't need to go to the considerable expense of replacing the entire lock, and instead, you can request one of the most practical locksmith services—rekeying.

Rekeying involves reconfiguring the internal tumbler pins inside the lock's central cylinder. This means that they no longer correspond to the notches cut into the key's blades. As such, the missing key will no longer work and the lock is secure. Of course, any other key you have for the lock will no longer work, so your locksmith can issue you with as many replacement keys as needed.

A few simple precautions can protect your home during a house showing, and if these precautions should be overlooked, the relevant lock can quickly be secured. For more information, contact a locksmith near you.