September is real estate agent safety month.

And as a real estate professional, many of your clients and prospects may come to you through word-of-mouth referrals.

If you’re constantly prospecting like you should be, you’ll be interacting with strangers on a regular basis.

Although it’s unlikely that any of these stranger interactions will put you into danger, you still have to prepare yourself against the worst.

6. Have an escape route

You know how the flight attendants tell you before takeoff  to look around for the nearest exit in case of an emergency (keeping in mind that it may be behind you)?

Practice the same procedure when doing a house showing–know beforehand what the exit and entry points of the property are, just in case you get uncomfortable with a particular client.

It’s also a good practice to keep all of the doors unlocked during a showing.

7. Self defense

It’s becoming more common for real estate agents to learn self defense as a best practice when preparing to show homes.

(Check out this video from ABC News about the subject.)

There is nothing to lose from taking a self-defense course–you’ll feel safer not only at work as a real estate agent, but also in everyday life.

8. Make yourself identifiable

Wear your brokerage or Realtor ID badge and keep your car clearly marked with your company’s name.

If you find yourself needing assistance, you will be best served by making yourself easy to identify–you can tell somebody that you have a large name tag and you are driving a car with your company name on it, both of which combined could describe only you.

9. Follow the leader

Have your prospect walk in front of you when you enter and tour the home. This way they have less of a physical advantage if they were to attempt to corner you in the home somehow.

You can gesture them in certain directions with simple points and verbal cues, such as, “the guest bedroom is on your right down this hall.”

10. Trust your instincts

If a prospect is giving you a fishy vibe, there is nothing wrong with prematurely ending a showing. 

You don’t have to tell them explicitly that’s what you’re doing, as this could lead to defensive behavior from the prospect.

Simply say that that something urgent has come up at the office and you must get back immediately.

This not only allows you to step away from the interaction, but it also creates an excuse to be on your phone looking for police assistance (when you are ostensibly messaging the office about the fake urgent event that’s pulling you away from the prospect).

Apologize as needed and tell them that someone else from the office will be in touch about rescheduling (which is not necessary to follow through on if the prospect crossed a social or professional boundary).

All in all, remember that it is your right and obligation to yourself to prioritize your safety. No potential sale is worth risking your well-being. If you feel uneasy with a client, step away as you feel appropriate.

Check out part 1 here. 

About Larson Educational Services:

Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

13040 Livingston Rd. #12

Naples, FL 34105

info@LarsonEd.com

239-344-7510

LarsonEd.com

September is real estate agent safety month.

Image Courtesy of Realtor.org/Safety

And as a real estate professional, many of your clients and prospects may come to you through word-of-mouth referrals.

If you’re constantly prospecting like you should be, you’ll be interacting with strangers on a regular basis.

Although it’s unlikely that any of these stranger interactions will put you into danger, you still have to prepare yourself against the worst.

1.Protect your private information

Just because Facebook has an option of providing your address doesn’t mean you should give it. With the constant sharing inherent to social media, it’s easy to accidentally give away enough information to locate your home, your family, and when you go on vacation.

Even some of the photos you post have EXIF data that can be mined for location information. Seriously–there are articles all over the internet about how to determine your location based on EXIF data associated with your picture (here’s one: https://www.howtogeek.com/211427/how-to-see-exactly-where-a-photo-was-taken-and-keep-your-location-private/).

Best practice is to keep vacation photos off of social media until you return home and, in general, keep private identifying information off the internet.

Likewise, as a real estate professional, you may want to consider using a separate camera for business.

2. Use teamwork

Ask a fellow agent from your brokerage to join you on private showings.

If a certain prospect or client is considering doing something that might put your safety at risk, you’ll be more likely to deter their behavior with both you and your colleague rather than going by yourself.

3. Announce your showing schedule

Sometimes it’s not feasible to bring a colleague along for a showing, but at least let a coworker know your scheduled location. No, you don’t have to sing your schedule from the rooftops (you’d look a little goofy hollering out “I HAVE A SHOWWINNGGG!” in your brokerage office like Marlon Brando yelling “STELLAAA!” at the end of A Streetcar Named Desire), but at least let someone know your anticipated return time from a showing.

4. Verify customer info

If you’re hosting an open house, make sure you get a signature and phone number (or e-mail) from every attendee who stops by.

This not only protects you by deterring some unsavory person from getting too close for comfort in a somewhat confined space, but it also protects your client’s property from being stolen. (Who wants to steal from someone who knows their face, name, and contact information?)

And if you’re doing an individual showing, make sure to obtain some form of ID and an address from the potential client.

This system provides you with a nice ready-made contact list as well.

5. Scope out the location before-hand

A big part of staying safe (in any situation) is having situational awareness.

This is true whether you’re hiking or showing a new home for the first time.

Get a feeling for your surroundings by taking the time to familiarize yourself with the neighborhood.

(Heck, while you’re at it you might stumble upon some hidden gems in the neighborhood that you didn’t know about before. Win-win!)

Check back next time for part 2.

About Larson Educational Services:

Utilizing 40 years of real estate training and professional education experience, Florida real estate school Larson Educational Services is the premier provider of Florida real estate licensing, exam preparation, post-licensing, CAM licensing, mortgage loan originator licensing, and continuing education in Southwest Florida. Classes are available in Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota, and online. We are an approved Florida Real Estate School (License #ZH1002299), Florida CAM School (License #PRE31), Florida Insurance School (License # 370501) and NMLS Approved Course Provider.

Brad Larson

Larson Educational Services

13040 Livingston Rd. #12

Naples, FL 34105

info@LarsonEd.com

239-344-7510

LarsonEd.com