This week in support of REALTOR® Safety month, we would like to highlight safety practices within the office. Many of us assume that the risks in real estate lie solely while meeting clients or viewing vacant properties, when in fact offices are also areas where we should pay special attention to our safety. From late nights at the office, to walking back to our vehicle through a dark parking lot, we expose ourselves to risks that we can reduce by following a few simple safety steps.
Document Safety
Many of us store confidential documents, both paper and electronic, in our brokerages/office that can be of value to identity thieves.
- Make sure you always keep sensitive paper documents in filing cabinets that have a lock:
- Make sure the cabinet is locked prior to having any clients in your office. Criminals only need a minutes freedom, like while you are photocopying a document, to go through a cabinet.
- Make sure the cabinet is locked whenever you are not in the room.
- Do not keep the key of the cabinet in your desk.
Many of us use multiple devices to check our e-mails, dropboxes etc. Make sure all of these devices have password protection, whether it is your iPad, iPod or cellphone.
Late Night Safety
With unconventional working hours, we are sometimes forced to spend late nights/weekends at the office. This can be a safety risk, when neighboring businesses are no longer open, reducing your safety support network, while also exposing you to criminals who may plan to break into one of these closed offices.
- Always make sure the front door is locked if you are the only one in the office, especially if it is late at night.
- If someone knocks at the door, do not open it by widening the door an inch in a move to inquire what they want. Your defense point will significantly reduce as they try to push the door open, as it causes you to stumble back. Either open the door fully or ask them what they are here for behind a closed door.
- Keep the office lights on in numerous rooms. This may warn burglars that there are more people in the office than just you.
- Make sure your blinds are closed so that they cannot see you in the room. This will ensure they are not tracking your moves from the outside.
Parking Lot Safety
Attacks can occur at parking lots as many criminals see late night isolation as an advantage as they can hide behind the dark with minimal exposure to pedestrian traffic.
- Never get distracted by a phone call as you walk to your vehicle.
- Look around the parking lot prior to leaving the office. If there is something that looks suspicious, simply remain in the office a while longer.
- Check inside the vehicle from the outside to see if anyone is hiding in the back seat.
- If possible park your car under a well-lit area. Train yourself to look for these points even if you are parking during day-light.
- Carry a defensive tool in your hand. This can range from pepper spray, to umbrellas, to even car keys that are held tightly in your hand.
- Have safety apps that have an alert or panic button installed on your smartphone. Apps such as Moby will ensure that you can instantly alert your loved ones if you are ever in a compromising situation.
How do you keep safe at the office? Please help us share as many safety tips as possible with the ActiveRain community so that we are all safe and alert on the job. And, as always please feel free to ask us any questions about REALTOR® safety.
These are simple tricks that can keep you safe as you are hard at work at the office. For more in-depth safety resources, be sure to download our free Safety Toolkit, by filling in the form below.
Take care and be safe!
The Moby Team
Moby's Real Estate toolkit:
In support of REALTOR® Safety Month we have compiled an all-in-one safety resource kit you can directly download by filling in your information in the form below. The real estate safety toolkit includes all the resources you will need to create a safety presentation at your office, or if you are simply curious about real estate safety.
If you are involved in a Real Estate Association, or help to manage an office, we can help! Just contact us now, and we will get right back to you!
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