As realtors, you must always be on guard and thinking. You shouldn’t be afraid to show property; you must be smart when showing property. If you are going to show property early in the morning or late in the evening, try to take someone with you.  If you cannot take someone with you, be prepared for the unexpected. Take a picture of the client’s license plate and even of the client and email to your broker or your spouse, so someone has some information on whom you are working with. If the client doesn’t like that, then you should take that as a sign and ‘get out’.

Daytona Beach Area Real Estate Market, Data and Updates. By Lisa Hill, “THE SMART CHOICE!”
I was recently reminded of an incident that happened to a REALTOR® friend of mine, a few years ago. This incident was the type of horror story we all fear.

My friend received a call from a potential buyer who had to catch a flight out of town later that morning and he needed to leave by 9:00 a.m. He was anxious to see a model in a development my REALTOR® friend was representing and the only time he was available was early in the morning. So my friend scheduled an appointment to meet this potential buyer at one of the models at 7:30 a.m.

When she arrived at the model, the buyer was waiting and they proceeded to go inside the house. A few minutes later, another vehicle arrived with a couple in it. The potential buyer told my REALTOR® friend that these were friends of his and they all proceeded to view the house.

Then they got to the master bedroom. At this point, the original potential buyer pulled a gun out of a briefcase, then used garbage bag ties on my REALTOR® friend, and put her in the closet of the master bedroom. Now while my friend was in the closet, she could hear the 3 people  rummaging through the house and talking on what sounded like walkie talkies, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying, nor could she understand what they wanted in a model home.

Meanwhile, she could see into the master bathroom from her position in the bedroom closet, through the space where the criminals had left the door open a crack. She kept an eye on the mirror in the master bathroom, which was reflecting the criminal’s positions outside the master bedroom. She managed to get the ties off her feet, then summoned her courage and ran out the back sliding glass doors to a neighbors house and called the police.

The criminals left before the police arrived and they never could figure out what the overall plan was, but it was obvious that these criminals were professionals and there were others close by.

I titled this post that buyers needed to read this too, for an important reason. If you’re a real estate buyer, you need to understand why your REALTOR® expects you to do things a certain way. For our safety we need you, as a real estate buyer to…

1. Meet us at our office, not at the house you want to see.
2. Take time to sit down with us to give us all time to get comfortable with each other, as well as to help us understand your real estate preferences.
3. Let us make a copy of your driver’s license and leave copies with our office personnel.
4. Stick to a schedule, so we can leave a definitive itinerary with our office personnel.
5. Completely fill in all the fields on the forms at an open house. You may think looking at open houses is a fun afternoon outing, but we honestly need to be sensitive to the safety of the seller’s possessions, and our lives.

Real estate buyers, we understand that you’re anxious to start looking at the houses or condos you want to see. But I’m sure you’ll agree with me that the safety of the agent is of utmost importance, and you can probably wait just one more hour. Please be understanding of this and cooperate with any requests your agent may make.  The story I’ve just told had a happy ending, as this agent was able to return safely home to her family and continue a successful career, albeit more than a little bit reluctant to return to work. But there have been many others who were not so lucky. Just read Elizabeth Nieves’ recent post about Sarah Anne Walker; a REALTOR® who was brutally murdered while holding open a model home in 2006.

The reason why a homeowner should use a realtor is the realtor is much more savvy in dealing with their clients. They screen their clients, get information and they do not take chances. There are office safety procedures to follow; meet the client(s) at the office, get their personal information, let others in the office meet the client(s). You should always follow your office safety procedures, it will save your life.

We are so sorry about what happened to Eugenia “Jeanne” Calle, if she only had some type of procedure in order to screen would be purchasers, she might not have gotten in this situation.

Again, office safety procedures are there to protect you. If a client does not want to follow the procedures, ie give you his identification, meet you and others in the office, then you should just write them off - so you don’t end up like Ms. Calle, bless her soul. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s a Dangerous Job, But Someone’s Gotta Do It

Posted by and Courtesy of: Maya Roney on September 05

Fishermen, pilots and loggers have the most dangerous jobs in the country, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Fatality rates are not as high among real estate agents, but the National Association of Realtors (NJAR) still has a few safety tips for realtors that are somewhat reminiscent of trick-or-treating guidelines (buddy-up, wear reflective clothing, don’t eat the unwrapped stuff).

1. Be careful how you dress. Flashy or expensive jewelry might attract the wrong kind of attention.
2. Create a code word that may be used to indicate a distressed call.
3. Make sure your cell phone is always charged and you have a signal at all times.
4. If working at the office late, make sure the doors are locked and other colleagues know you are working late.
5. Use common sense. When in doubt listen to your gut instinct and follow the safety advice you would give to a loved one.

“Although not common, real estate professionals across the country have been assaulted, robbed and even killed in the course of doing their jobs,” reads a recent NAR press release announcing REALTOR Safety Week (Sept. 9-15). Add falling home prices to the mix, and you’ve got an even scarier situation.

Courtesy of the Kentucky Real Estate Commission and the Kentucky Association of Realtors

Hello All:

Just this evening, I found some very good information on Realtor Safety tips and tricks to stay safe while in the field. We all know that safety should be our first concern and here are some very good safety tips Courtesy of Kentucky Real Estate Commission & Kentucky Association of Realtors They have a download of Basic Safety Practices. In this day and age, we cannot be too careful.

Remember, Your Personal Safety Is Up To YOU!

Best to you in your real estate endeavors.

FYI - We are about to make a name change on our site Realtor Safety 911. Everything else will be the same.

Courtesy of the Georgia Association of Realtors

Columbus REALTORS® Suffer Tragic Loss
10/01/2008

On Monday, Sept. 29, a REALTOR® from Columbus was murdered by a client in her office. Herta Bailey, 70, was found dead in the trunk of her car just a few blocks from her office on Tuesday, Sept. 30. On Monday, Bailey was meeting with one of her tenants at the office to discuss payment arrangements with her client. It is speculated that on Monday, Bailey had served her client with eviction papers. It is unknown whether or not her client had an appointment to meet with her or if he just stopped in after seeing her in the office. Police are investigating and further details will be posted.

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Realtors:

You never know, in the business that you’re in, what can happen…but…please take proper procedures. Would you go to a property, knowing that the situation could become violent, without taking some kind of ‘back up’? Your husband, spouse, whomever? Would you meet someone in your office after hours, alone, knowing you were going to have to present eviction papers to them?  Why would you go out and do a job for someone else, that is a very ‘demanding’ job, that some others would not ever consider doing, and you are thinking about going out and doing that job by yourself!!! Wake Up! These are the things we talk about here on RealtorSafety911…Safety!!! Think about it…You have a tenant, whom has not paid the rent in several months…of course, you are the ‘property manager’ and in order to get paid, you have to get the tenant to pay, but if the tenant does not pay, then you, as the property manager, have to evict them. Now they are mad at you, because you have come to them to collect the rent or evict them, and they are really mad. Because you are alone, and they are mad at you for doing you job, they feel they have to do something…

do not do your job alone…Your Personal Safety Is Up To YOU!

You Just Never Know! This is truly an unbelievable story but what was Troy to do? There are situations that you can prepare yourself for and can defend yourself, you can even take self defense classes, knowledge and awareness type classes, etc. but how can you prepare yourself for something like this? My prayers go out to Troy’s family. Thank you Monica.

By Dee Morrison and Tony Tagliavia http://www.woodtv.com/

MUSKEGON, Mich. (WOOD) — A man, allegedly upset over a real estate transaction, shot a realtor in the head at the realtor’s office Tuesday morning.

Robert Johnson, 73, walked into Nexes Realty at 880 Broadway in Muskegon and asked for the realtor, Troy VanderStelt, by name. He went into a conference room and waited. Read the rest of this entry »

There are several things agents can do to protect themselves:

* Have a prospective buyer meet you in your office, NOT AT THE PROPERTY, preferably with co-workers present and NOT near closing time. Obtain identification from the buyer in the form of a drivers license and their vehicle license number. Leave this information with a responsible person in your office and advise them where you are going.

* If possible, have someone go with you to the showing and have them wait in the car with a cell phone. The best scenario is to go to the showing in two different cars, but if this is not possible, try to be the driver. This will give you somewhat of an advantage.

* Always have the person enter the residence or rooms in front of you. Never put your back to the person or allow yourself to be cornered.

* Have area police phone number on speed dial on your cell phone.

* DO NOT be lulled into a false sense of security by a female “buyer”. There are more and more cases of women being used to set up robberies and even rape.

* Always follow your gut feelings. If something doesn’t feel right, pass on it.

* When alone in your office at night be sure the doors are locked, preferably with deadbolts, have the blinds drawn and DO NOT open the door to anyone you do not know well enough to trust.

* One very important thing is to have your mind conditioned and ready to react in case of emergency. Think about all the vulnerable positions you may find yourself in and think about what you would do if someone tried to attack you. Play the scenario over and over in your mind so that if it were to ever occur you would react automatically and quickly and not freeze or panic.

* Carry a self defense product with you, have it ready, and know how to use it without hesitation.

At the very least every realtor should carry pepper spray. A pepper spray pen could be carried very inconspicuously and would be at the ready should the need arise. The use of this product should allow the realtor to escape from the predator without confrontation. In case the attacker gets within close range maybe a C2 Taser stun gun/taser would be a good choice. The Pretender 950,000 volt cell phone stun gun looks like a camera cell phone but can temporarily disable the attacker giving the realtor time to escape and summon the police.

The key to not becoming a victim is awareness of your situation at all times, being mentally and physically prepared to protect yourself, and having the element of surprise on your side with a self defense product. Just pretend you are a gazelle at the watering hole, constantly looking around for the ever present predator.

Remember, Your Personal Safety Is Up To YOU!

Courtesy of Arizona Association of Realtors www.aaronline.com

The following scenarios are typical REALTOR® situations. Think about what would be your normal response, what possible dangers are indicated, and what you could do better to lessen the risks. Find the answers suggested by NAR at the end.

Scenario #1: Open House
You are hosting an open house by yourself on a winter day. As the sun is setting and you are locking up, a nicely dressed man pulls into the drive and quickly hops out of his car. He apologizes for coming so late and says that he is very glad to have arrived before you left. He begs you to let him see the property as he has wanted to buy this style of home in this neighborhood for some time now. You had very few prospects visit the open house, so you would hate to miss this opportunity. What do you do?

Scenario #2: Listing Presentation
You receive a phone call from a man who says he is interviewing REALTORS® to sell his lakeside vacation home. You can hear children laughing in the background and he apologizes for all the racket his kids are making. He wants to hear your listing presentation and get your ideas about a good asking price, so he asks you to meet him at the property this evening at 8:00. What do you do?

Scenario #3: Showing a Property
On your first day with this prospect, you showed him three homes, and he acted like a typical buyer, asking all the expected questions and looking carefully at each home. On this occasion, it is a cold day and he offers to drive you since his car is already warmed up. He mentions that he would really like to see a home with a basement bedroom for his teenage son so he can play his music as loud as he likes. You know a house that’s fits his needs perfectly so you take him there to show him the nicely finished basement with recreation room, bedroom, and full bath. What would you do?

Scenario #4: Answering Calls
You get a cold call from a prospect who says he is about to take a new job in the area and he would like to look at some houses in a particular neighborhood his future boss recommended. He says that he’s open to other suggestions, and he asks where you live and what your neighborhood is like. Because he’ll need to move quickly, he wants to look at homes that are already vacant. After chatting about the kind of house he is looking for, he says he’s looking forward to working with you and asks if you’re as cute in person as your photo in the ad. He asks, with a friendly chuckle, if you’re still “on the market” or has a lucky guy already snapped you up. He closes by saying he’d like to start his search at a particular house in the ad, first thing tomorrow morning, and asks for directions so he can meet you there. How do you respond?

Scenario 5: Going to Closings
As you are about to leave a closing, you see three men loitering in the parking lot. When you get in your car, they also get into their car, and they pull out behind you as you leave. How would you react?

Answers to the Safety Scenarios

Scenario 1: Open House
Open houses are especially dangerous as they expose you to strangers, often while alone, with limited opportunity to pre-qualify the prospect or verify his identity.

• Extra care should be taken at the end of the day when predators may think you are more likely to be alone. There are enough red flags here to warrant not going back into the house with him.
• Don’t let his nice clothes influence your behavior.
• Try to arrange for a showing later, after a meeting at the office where you can obtain and verify his identification.
• If you do choose to let him see the house, do not follow him in—wait for him in the doorway (or in your car) so you can easily escape if necessary.
• When he is finished looking, answer any questions he has, give him your card and a blank prospect card, and ask him to drop off or mail in his information.

Scenario 2: Listing Presentation
Any time you are meeting a stranger alone, whether it’s for a showing or a listing presentation, there is a potential for danger.

• Don’t make assumptions. There could be any reasons for the sound of children; he could be calling from a pay phone in a restaurant with a noisy play area. Sometimes violent predators do have wives and kids at home.
• First verify that he is actually the owner of the property by checking tax logs.
• Try to set up a preliminary meeting in your office so that you can record his information before going to the property.
• Even if you decide it is safe to go, make sure that while you’re at the property, you call in to the office regularly.

Scenario 3:Scenario #3: Showing a Property
Don’t let the fact that he acted normally on other showings cause you to let your guard down. Criminals may try to gain your confidence at first as they size you up.

• Unless you know them personally, never ride with a client; drive your own car and park so you can get away easily if you need to. Park in the street, not in the driveway where you can be blocked in.
• Even when the remote areas of the house are the best features, resist the urge to lead a prospect into a basement or a back bedroom where you can be trapped. Let them explore those areas on their own or, at most, follow them only as far as the doorway so they cannot block your exit.
• Always have an escape route planned, and make sure exit doors are unlocked (or even better, left open even on cold days).

Scenario 4: Answering Calls
Always avoid giving out personal information to prospects. Do not put your home phone number on your card, and never give out your personal address.

• Be sure that your photo in your marketing materials presents a professional image. Glamour shots can attract the wrong kind of attention. Predators have been known to use agent photos in ads to choose victims.
• What might seem like friendly banter in a social setting can be highly inappropriate in a business relationship. Questions about marital status should raise a red flag. Let him know, politely, that it’s your policy to never discuss your personal life with prospects.
• Make sure the prospect is who he says he is by getting the number of his employer so you can verify his story.
• Asking to see only vacant properties is another warning sign…is he trying to make sure you’ll be alone?
• Always insist that first meetings take place in your office, and have him fill out a prospect information form. Let him see that other people in your office know where you are going, with whom you are going, and when you’ll be back.
• Trust your instincts. If the prospect’s behavior is too out-of-line, walk away. No commission is worth compromising your safety. With this prospect, telling him that you are too busy now and referring him to another colleague might be a good test of whether he is looking for a new home or targeting you for harassment or worse. If it becomes clear that he is not really looking for a home, communicate your experience with him to other agents in your area.

Scenario 5: Going to Closings
You may have been targeted by criminals because they think you will be carrying a large sum of money.

• If you see something that makes you nervous, go back into the office until you feel it is safe to leave, or ask to be escorted to your car.
• You can check to see if someone is following you, not by racing away, but by taking an unusual route (such as circling a block).
• If it is clear that you are being followed, drive directly to a police station.

Your Personal Safety is up to You!

A real estate agent from Wisconsin was found murdered just a couple of days ago. She was showing property to a man and supposedly said something that set him off and he strangled her and beat her with a fireplace poker. Can you believe that!?! He set fire to the house and it was determined that she was still alive in the house when he did this. This poor lady was out doing an honest days work, showing property to a prospective client, she says something and he doesn’t like it and bam, she’s dead! I didn’t want to put the whole story here so if you want to read it, you can go to Read the Story

Today an agent has to be so careful. Real Estate is not like getting up in the morning, going to a 8 to 5 job and then going home. The days are long and filled and you may get a call to show property on the spur of the moment. But don’t let the thought of a big sale cloud your personal safety. Do what you must do to qualify that prospective client. Meet them at the office, get their information and ID, let others in your office meet them. Have someone with you to show the property if you don’t feel comfortable.

Be safe, and know that your personal safety is up to you!

This form should be filled out by an agent when they are showing property and left with the receptionist. Many agents also print out an additional ’show list’ and attach the form to it. The front office will appreciate having this information if they should need to contact you. Below is an example of the form or you can go to: ReatorSafetyWeek and scroll to the bottom to the forms.

AGENT ITINERARY FORM

AGENT: ___________________DATE:_______________

CUSTOMER/CLIENT NAME(S): _____________________

Personal Identification Form attached___________________

Personal Identification Form already on file with ____________

ANTICIPATED TIME OF RETURN TO OFFICE: ___ AM ___ PM

MY CONTACT PHONE WHILE SHOWING PROPERTY:________________

COMMENTS:__________________________________________________

Personal Safety For Realtors-Stay Ahead Of The Predators/Perpetrators

Posted on February 20, 2008 Courtesy of Cheryl Watterson, www.selfdefensewithanattitude.com

Unfortunately, there are a few sick people out there looking for an easy victim. What industry makes their job easy? The real estate industry for one. For the most part, real estate professionals are independent agents –predominantly women - who work alone and will jump at the opportunity to get a new prospect – especially in these crazy times. Read the rest of this entry »

Courtsey of Dean Guadagni - http://deansguide.wordpress.com

Realtor Safety At Open Houses: A Warning That Could Save Your Life As reported by John Harper “East Bay Rapist Arrested” nearly a year ago, ex convict Daniel Duran was attempting to assault Realtors at open houses in the Dublin-San Ramon-Pleasanton areas. Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident as described by the following video about similar activity in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.Warning: Do not get caught in the “Earthquake Syndrome.” Even though we, here in Northern California know we are in earthquake country, very few take precautions and prepare a plan ahead of time.

Watch the video then please consider utilizing any or all of the security tips provided below. Be safe Not sorry!<Remember, Your Personal Safety is up to YOU!

Potential Dangerous Situation

Feruary 6, 2008. NWMLS has recently received reports of potential dangerous situations regarding a man attempting to lure women agents to homes.

A man named Christopher Heath (from Vermont) is trying to get female agents out to vacant properties. Most of the properties he is interested in are vacant and secluded. He has been arranging to meet with several agents in the area (Duvall, Monroe, Kent).

Heath claims to be relocating here to work at the Fire Academy in North Bend. He claims to be a widower, retired firefighter, cash buyer searching for rural setting with room and privacy for the 2 search-and-rescue dogs he has for his job here with the Seattle Fire Department.
He originally was looking for a house priced between $400,000 and $600,000.

He later changed the price to a million, saying it was going to be a cash deal and that the money would be wired from Merrill Lynch. One agent was feeling uncomfortable with the situation and began a background check. The Fire Academy has never heard of him. He had called from a New York phone number so she did a reverse search — it was a doctor’s cell phone # — when she called the number the next day it had been cancelled.

A 2nd agent called the number she had been given in Vermont and spoke to his wife (he claimed to be a widower). She said there are about 10 different female real estate agents leaving him messages and she found many Seattle area agents on his home computer. According to his wife, he was in the middle of taking out a home equity loan on his wife’s (of 4 months) home. His wife just happened to be home and saw the appraiser measuring her home – a 30-acre horse ranch in Vermont.

Another agent arranged to meet with him today (February 6). She told him by voice mail and email that they would be meeting at her office to introduce themselves in person and to go over their tour and initial real estate paper work.

She told him it was their company policy to meet new clients at their office, introduce them to their office manager and to make a copy of their driver’s license. She has not heard from him since. His wife believes he is now in New York heading to Washington. The situation has been reported to the police. Please be careful! If this man contacts you, contact your local authority.

I checked out the blog of one of my favorite realtors and she had the post below on her site. I think we all need to stop and decide if running out to a ’spur of the moment’ showing is worth the price that we ‘could’ pay for that showing. In a quest to make a sale, a lot of real estate agents overlooked basic security precautions that could ultimately keep them safe. Do not let the thought of a ‘big closing’ cloud you personal safety. Be consistent of what you do day to day that keeps you safe in the real estate world. Read below-

REALTOR murdered while showing a house

February 5th, 2008 <– Monika McGillicuddy –> · No Comments

A few days ago I wrote a post about REALTOR safety. It is a subject I feel passionate about and one that I think is largely ignored by my peers. Yesterday I found a blog post written by Fred Carver who talked about the recent murder of a co-worker. It gave me chills reading about this very tragic death of real estate agent Lindsay Buziak. She had received a call from a potential customer who wanted to see a particular upscale home right away. The customer wanted to purchase a home by the end of the day. Lindsay like so many other agents would do… set up an appointment to show the vacant high priced home. She apparently told some people in her office that she felt uncomfortable but still she went to show the property. It was the last time that she would ever show a house… she was found dead..murdered in that home. How very sad. Please be careful out there and don’t take chances. Check out this weblog REALTOR Safety 911 and be sure to watch this video, I posted it the other day but really think it’s worth re-posting.

Take a few minutes to watch this video. There are some good tips and wonderful information that you can use in your own day to day real estate activities -

Be sure to watch this video to pick up more safety tips.