Home Buying Season is upon us. As a realtor, you already know that August is an extremely busy month for your industry. And as the housing market reaches its peak, realtors will be visiting an even higher number of homes and neighborhoods each day.
But along with the increased number of anticipated sales, be sure to also take into account your personal safety. Your profession has some unique safety risks that are inherent in this field, considering that you spend hours alone in houses that don’t belong to you. You also are opening the door of these homes to people you may have never met before!.
Therefore, it’s critical that you take a moment to read and follow these safety tips for realtors to ensure you can do your job well while keeping yourself safe:
1. Know the Neighborhood
Even if you’re only showing one home in a particular neighborhood, it helps to know the surrounding area. You already know that this information can help you sell a buyer on the location. The more you know about the schools, restaurants and other local attractions, the more you can enhance the desirability of the home you are trying to sell. But perhaps more importantly, knowing the area will also give you a better idea about where it is safe for you to walk, park, etc. when showing the home (and surrounding neighborhood).
2. Get to Know Your Clients
Whenever possible, have a face-to-face or phone meeting with the client before showing the house. Not only is this great customer service, but it also allows you to tune into your intuition. Then, if you have any unsettled feelings after talking to a potential client, pay attention and take the proper steps to remain safe.
While an unsettled feeling about the client doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re placing yourself in harm’s way, you may want to take some extra precautions until you get to know and feel more comfortable with this person. For example, you may choose to show the house to that individual during daylight hours, or immediately before and after other appointments (letting the client know that you have other people expecting to see you after this appointment, of course!). Or, you may wish to have another realtor present at the time of the showing with you. Even having a friend or relative at the house, simply waiting for you in another room, might put you at ease.
Of course, if the client does or says something that actually scares you – or is clearly threatening or harassing, it’s time to walk away. No matter what the commission may be, it’s not worth it if it means you’re putting your personal safety and well-being at risk. Get secured yourself by following these important safety tips for realtors.
3. Keep the House Locked
This may sound like a no-brainer, but remember that you’re not the only person walking through the houses you’re showing. Even if you know that you kept the home locked down, be sure to check that all doors are actually locked before you leave for the day (or between showings). It’s easy to get caught up in a conversation with a potential buyer – and not even realize that the buyer’s children opened the sliding glass door to take a peek at the backyard. If you don’t check, you may assume that everything is secure, when in fact there are doors or windows that were opened during the showing by the potential buyers.
4. Show the House Strategically
During the actual showing, constantly consider your position in each room. For instance, if you are showing a bedroom with only one point of entry and exit, allow the client to walk into the room while you remain near the door. Never put yourself deep inside a room where a client could easily close the door behind both of you.
5. Carry Protection
Carrying self-defense items with you is another way to ensure your safety if you find yourself in a dangerous situation. A quick search on Amazon yields countless options, from mace that comes in the form of a gun, spray bottle – even bracelet! – to kubatons, stun guns, and other self-defense gear. Whatever you carry with you, take the time to get trained so you know how to properly use the protective device in the event of an attack. This is the best safety tips for realtors.
6. Keep the Silent Beacon Safety Device in Your Hand
Perhaps the best way to keep yourself safe is to carry the Silent Beacon personal realtors safety device with you wherever you go. This Bluetooth-enabled device fits easily in the palm of your hand, so you can carry it with you throughout the showing. Or, you can carry it in your purse, pocket, or on a keychain.
The device pairs with the free Silent Beacon real estate safety app, so in the event of an emergency, your prestored contacts can instantly pinpoint your location via GPS technology. You may store up to seven contacts, and this includes friends, family, emergency personnel – even 911!
Best of all, there are no costly call centers that play middleman and
waste precious minutes connecting you with first responders. With the
Silent Beacon, simply press the button, and your contacts are alerted that instant by text, phone call, email, or a combination of all
three. The Silent Beacon is affordable, too, at $59.99, with no
activation fees or recurring charges.
