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REALTOR® Safety Tips
These days, “REALTOR® safety” doesn’t just mean protecting yourself from bodily harm. It also means
protecting your personal identity and financial security and can also include doing all you can to keep your clients safe. Below are a few quick tips to help you stay safe in some of the many situations in which real estate professionals find themselves everyday.
Establish an office distress code.
Create a voice distress code, a secret word or phrase that is not commonly used but can be worked into any conversation for cases where you feel that you are in danger. Use this if the person you are with can overhear the conversation, but you don’t want to alarm them. Example: “Hi, this is Jennifer. I’m with Mr. Henderson at the Elm Street listing. Could you e-mail me the RED FILE?”
Show safely.
When showing a home, always have your prospects walk in front of you. Don’t lead them, but rather direct them from a position slightly behind them. You can gesture for them to go ahead of you and say, for example, “The master suite is in the back of the house.”
Pay attention at open houses.
At an open house, be alert to visitors’ comings and goings, especially near the end of showing hours. Police have reported groups of criminals that target open houses, showing up en masse near the end of the afternoon. While several “clients” distract the agent, others go through the house and steal anything they can quickly take.
Make marketing smart and safe.
Make it polished and professional; no alluring or provocative photography. Limit the amount of personal information you share, and don’t use your full name with middle name or initial. Use your office address, not home – or list no address at all. Be careful how much personal information you give verbally as well.
Block identity theft.
Contact the fraud department of any of the three consumer reporting companies to place a fraud alert on your credit report. The fraud alert automatically lets credit card companies and other creditors know they must contact you before opening any new accounts or making any changes to your existing accounts.
Protect your clients.
Warn your clients that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Strangers who stop by unannounced should be asked to make an appointment with the listing agent. Stress that your clients should never show their home without the presence of an agent.
Information in this article from the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ 2009-2010 REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.
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