FSBO: 13 Safety Tips for Home Sellers

When Linda Reifler-Alessi put up her home "for sale by owner," she didn't worry too much about her safety. "Others worried about it for me and said, 'Hide your cameras and your jewelry.' So I did. We put them in the car trunk when we were showing the house."

Although Reifler-Alessi showed the house (pictured at left) in Boston's Fairmount Hill only when both she and her husband were at home, she didn't take any other safety precautions. "We did not follow people around. We didn't want to hover."

The couple was taking a risk. For starters, the 1882 Victorian was advertised as being "on a quiet dead end street" -- a potential lure for would-be burglars.

While theft of belongings is the first thing that comes to mind as a risk for home sellers, personal safety should also be a concern. Even real estate professionals have been attacked while showing homes, as Housing Watch has reported. Two Ohio real estate agents recently were killed while showing properties.