Every once and a while the lighter side gets serious. This is one of those times.
As I scrolled my newsfeed this morning, I saw another news story about a Realtor getting drugged at an open house in North Carolina. Stories like these are showing up more and more. If you’ll recall the Beverly Carter incident wasn’t even that long ago.
It’s well known that the majority of Realtors are women. Unfortunately this makes agents a target for weirdos of all kinds. Now look, I’m not here to scare you or anything like that. I’m here to help you. I sell products to the realtor community, I need you safe and sound so I can sell you stuff 😃
Fear based or not, the threat is real. The first step to staying safe is being aware. Aware of your prospect, aware of the location, aware of everything. If a prospect makes you nervous, you should probably take a person along with you. I also recommend you prequalify and ask lots of questions to your prospect before meeting them somewhere other than your brokerage.
Carry a firearm – Now I know that there’s always people who don’t like firearms. With a safety course and a carry license, a firearm can be the one thing that will save your life in a dire situation. Note that most firearms never get discharged. The mere site of a gun stops most criminals dead in their tracks. Criminals are cowards, never forget that.
If you’re not into guns, get a taser or stun gun. Arm yourself with something you can conceal. I hope you never have to use it, but better to have it and not need it, then need it and not have it.
Never leave things you ingest laying around – The incident in North Carolina involved the suspect putting a date rape drug in the agent’s drink. Treat open houses like the bar. Never leave food or water just sitting around. If you drink water all day, use a cup/bottle with a lid. Carry it with you as you show the prospect around.
Even if you think you’ve watched them the whole time, they can slip by you. Remember they show up with planned intentions, expecting you not to expect.
Get a check-in-buddy The buddy-system is nothing new but it’s about as effective as a firearm. When you make a call to your brokerage, in front of the prospect and say “This is agent #12344 I’m checking in at XYZ address. Thank you, I will call as I leave and get in my car to check-out” the prospect knows that someone is out there waiting on your call.
The key to having a check-in buddy is to make sure the prospect/suspect knows someone is expecting you. Without you displaying this to them up front, via phone call, the suspect won’t know and it might be too late before they come looking.
Take a self defense course I highly recommend you take a local self defense course. Even a 110 pound woman can throw a 200 pound man if you learn how. A quick pinch and a swift knee to the nuts goes a long way in stopping a man in his tracks.
Plus, let’s be real. After a firearms course and a self defense class, you’ll be a friggin super hero. You can fly around at night appraising houses. There’s probably a dozen different courses you can take in your local area. Take the time to complete one. If you ever need it, you’ll be glad you took it.
Show up first Half the battle is showing up. Right? In this case I recommend showing up first. If you’re going to meet a prospect at a location, make it to the location 10-15 mins early. This way you can case the place, get the layout, come up with a safety plan, and keep from turning your back on them at the door, with the lock box.
The bright side of showing up first, is that you can also make the house look showable. See, you win. Two birds – one stone.
Your safety is important to us here at the Lighter Side. We love the real estate community and want everyone to stay safe. Following any and all of these 5 suggestions will help you. You have nothing to lose by following our advice and a lot to lose if you don’t. We love our readers and wish you all happy house selling experiences.
Share this with your fellow agents and brokers so they too can become aware and stay safe.
