Realtor Safety 911

Courtesy of Cheryl Watterson Self Defense with an Attitude

The following Realtor 7-Point Personal Safety Plan of Action will help you be responsible for your own safety and survival. Become mentally and physically prepared to protect and defend yourself should you ever be put in a situation where your life is in danger. Due to the risky nature of the Real Estate profession, your personal safety should be high on the priority list.

7-Point Safety Plan of Action 1. Take a good quality self-defense class in your community. Check with the local police department to see if they offer the RAD Self-Defense Program. This is an excellent training program. Once you’ve completed the training, you can go back and attend as many classes as you want for free. Taking a self-defense class can give you a tremendous sense of empowerment and self-confidence. Knowing you have the fundamental skills and techniques that can help you protect and defend yourself is definately empowering. This is also a great opportunity to become physically fit.

2. Develop a habit of being aware of your surroundings and people around you, be sharp and alert to suspicious behavior, potential danger signals, and intuitive red flags. Develop a mindset that allows you to focus on surviving any confrontation.

3. Attend a Realtor Safety Awareness Seminar to review and reiterate safety guidelines and security tips for your industry. This is in addition to your self-defense training. This training focuses on promoting safety and educating realtors about the safety challenges they face, offering solutions for avoiding risky situations, and dealing with unexpected danger. Being educated can mean the difference between life and death.

4. Carry some type of personal protection device like a cell phone stun gun, lipstick pepper spray, mace spray, loud personal alarm, or a Taser C2. This is your backup or secondary level of defense in your overall action plan. Have your personal protection device readily available in vulnerable situations, e.g., in isolated homes with male prospects, working Open Houses, showing properties in the evening, walking to your car late at night, etc. If you are attacked by someone much bigger and stronger, you may have to resort to Plan B – your personal protection.

5. Install a home security system. We believe that personal security and safety begins at home; therefore, ensure you and your family are safe, secure, and protected at home. Since many realtors have offices within their homes, you may be vulnerable if a stalker prospect or predator learns of your home address. A security system can provide peace of mind 24/7. Your goal is to develop an overall safety plan for home, work, and when you’re just out having fun!

6. Follow the Safety Rules, Guidelines, and Tips set by the Realtor industry. Many of the Safety Tips seem like common sense tips that we should all know, yet we read about realtors being assaulted in a basement, attacked while working alone at an Open House, or failing to have a new prospect meet at the office and complete the appropriate forms. It is easy to become complacent about personal safety and not consider it a priority when there has been no incident of crime that has affected you or agents that you associate with. These rules have been developed over the years due to sexual assaults, physical attacks, robberies, and even lose of life that have affected the lives of hundreds of realtors nationwide.

7. Trust your intuition. When you are going 90 miles an hour and feel like life in the fast lane, you may not recognize a potentially dangerous situation. However, there’s something deep inside each of us that is always looking out for those danger signals. Some people call it a “gut feeling” or their “instincts talking to them.” Whatever you want to call it, listen to that voice when you get a feeling that something isn’t quite right. When you get that feeling, quickly assess the situation. If you recognize a danger situation, leave the area right away. Listening to your instincts may just save your life!

Review the Realtor Safety Guidelines in your office and be sure to develop your Personal Safety Plan of Action.

Remember, Stay Aware…Stay Alert…Stay Alive!

Remember, Your Personal Safety Is Up To YOU!!!Thank You Cheryl for great and helpful safety information.

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