By Coco Clayman-Cook

Showing property is a necessary element of selling Real Estate, but it means walking into empty homes with complete strangers.  There are definite ways to protect yourself during home previews if you are willing to take the steps.  Here are some suggestions:

1. Always have your charged cell phone with you and have a regular schedule of checking in to your office.  I call my office every hour, so they know if they don't hear from me something is wrong.
2. Never ever show a property without having the client come into your office first.  This serves 2 purposes, they meet your staff face to face, so you are not the only one who knows what they look like and it gives you a great opportunity to have them fill out a client information form. Get a copy of their driver's license and ask them to list references.  This isn't going to prevent you from getting someone who is a liar, but people who are liars will usually get nervous if you are incredibly professional.  Twice I have had perspective clients refuse to fill out the form before seeing a property.  They left in a huff and I considered myself lucky.  I don't know what their motives were, but if they weren't interested in filling out an information form they weren't the client for me anyway.
3. If you are showing a property during non-office hours make sure to give a friend or family member the name and phone number of the client you are meeting and set a time to check in with them.
4. Have a code word with your office workers, friends and family.  The code word should be something easily remembered and unique enough that you wouldn't normally slip it into conversation but you could if you had to.  The code word would only be used if you were in distress and needed help.  I have one friend whose "code word" is asking if her sister happened to send a fax.  She doesn't have a sister and her co-workers know if she asks this they are to call the police and have them come to her location.  It takes seconds to devise a code word or phrase and could end up saving your life.
5. Always preview the neighborhood before showing a home.  Make sure you know the area and where the nearest police are.  This will make you a more informed agent for your clients and will also help to protect you in case of an emergency.

Stay tuned for the next Blog and more safety tips.