This Could Have Been Much Worse.

Have you ever walked into what's supposed to be a vacant listing and found people living inside? This past weekend my team leader was out showing property to some buyers. Everything was going great and the buyer liked the properties we had selected for her.

At the second to the last home of the showing my team leader entered the property only to find evidence of people living in the home. As she went further into the home there was drug paraphernalia in the kitchen and she observed that some of the bedroom doors were closed. Who ever was in the home started to rumble aroundand make noise and that's when she decided the her clients' safety and her safety were more important than a potential concentration with a stranger vwho's mental physical state cannotbe ascertain.

She got the clients in her car, left the property and immediately called me to inform me as to exactly where she was and what had just happened. she asked me to call the listing agent and inform them about what was going on at the property. Thankfully nothing happened but this situation could of had a different ending.

This reminds me of two handy safety hints when showing property. The first is to use a buddy type system but always let someone know when you're out showing property. You might not have to go as far as giving the clients information but it would be good to have that information jotted down somewhere. Your buddy should hear from you when you're done to ensure things went okay.

The second tip that came to mind was to preview properties whenever possible. Being even just a bit familiar with your surroundings is so helpful in an emergency. Knowing the best escape route could make the difference when things go bad.

Female agents account for the larger percentage of our industry and they should exercise more caution but this doesn't mean male agents can't benefit from this. Recently two agents we assaulted in Ohio with grave results and one was female and other was male. So let's all make it a point to be as safe as possible and let's all watch each others backs.