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It's A Sad Day for Realtors and A Family....a Young Female Realtor is Murdered Showing a New Home in Victoria.

Last Saturday Night a fellow co worker in my office Lindsay Buziak was murdered showing a upscale New Vacant House here in Victoria. The first Victoria Realtor murder in our city. It has sent shock waves through our office and the whole community. This 24 year old Lady was a inspiration, very vibrant, positive thinking,excited about her career and a pretty women. She was keen to help,just last year she asked to do open houses for me on a lakefront property,the Sellers stayed home during the Open House.

Way Too Young to die, especially murdered doing her job, no suspect has been announced as of today, I do not wish to say anything more here, but I will provide a link here to the local newspaper story. Please Ladies, be careful in your work, Maybe another good reason to meet new clients in a safe office environment to sign a buyers agency agreement so you get to know a stranger...but not a guarantee,

I have asked Katerina Gasset to write a post on Realtor Safety. no comment is necessary, just give this lady a prayer, thanks. Story in the Times Colonist Victoria, BC http://www.canada.com/victoriatimescolonist/index.html

Update News: Report from the Globe and Mail, appears a women may have been involved.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080204.BCREALTOR04/TPStory/National

Further Update News: Saanich Police do Not know Who Killed our Lindsay

more than 1200 people had written in Facebook in a group called in "Loving Memory of Lindsay Busiak"

Memorial Service Saturday February 9, 2008

CHURCH MEMORIAL SERVICE WAS ATTENDED BY OVER 800

Merry Christmas From Fred Carver

Google Map To Fred's Oak Bay Office

Cheers

Fred Carver
Re/Max Camosun-Oak Bay

35 Years Experience selling Real Estate does make a Difference.. call me today to find out what I do to Sell Real Estate.

2239 Oak Bay Ave, Victoria, BC V8R 1G4
Victoria, BC
250-598-2963

Victoria Homes and Properties For Sale

Posted by Victoria Oak Bay Realtor Fred Carver 250-598-2963 for Victoria Oak Bay Homes on 02/04/2008 11:38 AM

Comments (144)

realtor safefty, buyer agency, murdered realtor in victoria bc, a sad day for realtors and family in victoria bc

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144 Comments on It's A Sad Day for Realtors and A Family....a Young Female Realtor is Murdered Showing a New Home in Victoria.

FEB

2008

Tragic for sure. Safety must always be at the forefront of all we do.

I am very sorry for your loss. What an awful tragedy for everyone in your office and especially for her family. I'll keep you all in my thoughts and prayers.

Fred, this is horrible. My heart is sinking as we speak. I will pull up the link to review. Thank you for the warning and I think we do become complacent in our safety measures. I will pray for her and her family. Deb

We just had a local police officer come to our office to discuss being safe on the job. She did say we have one of the most dangerous jobs and put ourselves into precarious situations daily. This is unfortunately another reminder to be very careful.

I am so sorry for your loss of a friend and co-worker, my heart breaks for all involved.

What a terrible thing to happen; I hate hearing about this sort of thing. My sympathies to her family and friends.

Fred, so sorry that this happened to your friend. Hopefully, they will catch the person responsible.

Kathy

My deepest sympathy to you and her family and friends. This is a horrible tragedy.

god bless the family and friends of this young woman...

Fred~ I am so sorry to hear about your loss and the loss to her family. This type of thing is just senseless and so extremely sad. You are all in my thoughts.

Fred...I am so ver sorry. My prayers to all her friends and family.

Fred- I know that you told me you were going to write this post and I am glad that you did share this with Active Rain members. I am also glad it got featured because this is so important to be aware of. IN spite of it's negativity- it is an issue that so often is overlooked. Female agents take way too many chances. I will write a post on agent safety as this is very timely in light of a story such as this. My prayers are with her family and all who loved and liked her. Katerina

Sad news, I have been asked several times to sit open houses, as I am not a small boy to just be there incase

I am truly sorry for your loss. This type of tragedy is happening more and more. We had two Realtors killed here a few years back, and now we are being threatened by, yet another, sick person these past few weeks during Open Houses. My prayers are with you and the young woman's family. Everyone be safe out there!

One of the best sales tactics is to meet the person at your office and ask for their ID. Then make a copy of it and leave it on your desk and make sure someone knows that is who you are going with.

Fred,

This is so sad. Thanks for sharing with everyone and letting them know to be safe no matter where they are. My thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends, including fellow co-workers.

Prayers going out to the family and friends, this is so important to look outside the box and the sell of home and realize there is so much more to our profession than just selling a home.

Just as you tell your kids "safety in numbers" also rings true right into adulthood.

I am so sorry for your loss.

Denise Stuart

Coldwell Banker

So sorry for your tragic loss. It is hard to find words that ease the pain when this happens.Hopefully something good for all will come out in the end. This has occured a couple of times in our area(Seattle-Eastside) in the past few years and has resulted in increased knowledge of safety and awareness.

My heart goes out to her family, friends and co-workers. We had the same thing here and since then our office has set up guidlines to try to avoid such a thing. Some of those are to meet clients in the office, we are to leave the information as to where we are going and any contact info on the client (always call them back to verify the number). We also have a code word to call into the office if we sense something is wrong. We do not do open houses alone, bring a friend, husband, etc. One thing that I think is very important is to always trust your gut feeling and go with it. Again my deepest regret for such a young vibrant life to leave this earth.

How very sad....I admit, I am getting more afraid to show homes to people that I do not know

Thanks you all for your kind words and thoughtfulness, I will pass along your sediments when the opportunity is there.

Please be proactive with dealing with strangers and being alone, if you feel at risk leave immediately and call the police, I'm sure they do not mind if it turns out you were wrong. We understand this lady had a bad feeling and tried for help from her boyfriend, who in turn called the police, but too late.

I'll post any news when we know more.

Thanks again to you all.

I read about this in the Globe and Mail and immediately thought of you Fred, knowing you worked for Camosun. That's such terribly sad news, I sincerely hope they bring the person who commited this vicious act to justice.

Good luck to her family, friends and everyone in your office in getting through this difficult time.

That is so horrible. It is such a shame and hopefully you sharing this information will in turn make us all more aware of how careful we need to be.

I am so sorry to hear this. We all must be careful when dealing with clients and on open houses.

OH MY! THIS IS SO HORRIBLE. I FEEL SO BADLY FOR HER AND HER FAMILY. I am going to share this in our office, so we are all careful when showing homes.

Don

Sorry about your loss!! it goes to show that we all have to be careful in this business!

I heard of a similar story some years back in Arizona.

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Fred - I apologize to her family, friends, and fellow co-workers. This a tragic reminder to be careful out there, absolutely horrible.

News Update:

From our National News Paper.... The Globe and Mail indicated in their news paper story a women made the appointment with our Realtor insisting to buy a upscale home Saturday.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20080204.BCREALTOR04/TPStory/National

My heart and prayers to her family, you and your office. This is a terrible tragedy. My husband is the police chief in our hometown, and he is constantly reminding me of these types of situations. I will withhold my opinion from AR about people who do this and what happens to them. Thank you for sharing, it may save someone's life.

I am sorry to read about this. It must be horrible, and wondering what could have been done to avoid this. I am praying for your office and for her family. It's not fair for things like this to happen.

Terrible to hear... terrible to have happened at all... was it the first time she met this client? Was it the client? Please keep us posted....

So sorry to hear that Fred! Unreal, but a very common occurance these days! I have a permit to carry a concealed weapon, and advise most agents to get one!

Absolutely horrible to hear such a story.

I don't like it when people post their blogs on other's posts, but I hope I don't offend anyone. I wrote a safety post a while back. Always Keep Your Personal Safety in Mind in the Real Estate Industry Please read it and share it with others.

God bless the Realtor and her family.

What a terrible loss and tragedy. It is becoming way too common. Thank you for sharing with us, our thoughts are with you and her family.

Fred, Is is horrifying to hear this but an excellent reminder to try and bring someone with you. I am being more cafeful in my own consultations these days but quite honestly, I really never know who I may be meeting. Someone always knows exactly where I will be and how long....and as impolite as it may be, I now answer my cell instead of leaving it in the car.

Fred,

I am so sorry to here about the loss in your real estate family. Our thoughts any prayers go out to her family. I truly hope someone will read this and remember that we must be careful out there. We try to never show vacant property alone...

This is horrible news. i have two daughters and they are in there twenty's. I know that twenty year old spirit. I feel so bad foe the friends and family . To lose someone so young is almost to much to bear.

I will say a prayer for the family and co workers . I will ask god to help you with your pain...

What a terrible loss and tragedy for you and your friend. My prayers are with you.

This is a terrible thing, our thoughts and prayers are with you her friends and family. Please take care in showing homes to people.

I am very very sorry. We have had some warnings in my town of suspicious callers, but never anything like this. My heart goes out to the family.

Sincere sympathy goes out to your co-worker family.

Reading the story it sounds like a simple request to meet at the office first might have averted this tragedy. This should be a somber wake up call for anybody in the Real Estate industry to never go to a house where you dont know who you are meeting.

My condolences. And it's not just women. I think you would find quite a few men get hurt, as well. We are often alone with people we don't know.

This is another time an agent has fallen victim to a violent predator. Violence is not gender specific. It was only a few months ago that a male real estate agent was murdered locally while showing an empty home. Our profession is the only one that promotes us with our picture and cell phone and our job includes being asked to show up at an empty house and meet a stranger. All the warnings in the world will not prevent agents from responding to potential clients.

This is a nightmare. It is hard to protect yourself when showing vacant, new construction. I had a condo project on the lake and in the winter hardly anyone was around except the workers and I am sure a lot of them were ilegals.l I am licensed to carry a firearm and I did!

This is so terrible. This is a warning to all of us to be careful. Be sure to have people come in and sign and copy their driver's license. They might think it is asking too much, but in this case- our lives are more important! So sorry this happened.

I am sorry for your loss. My thoughts go out to your office and especially to her family.

Thank You All for your comments and Support.

Stay safe.

Oh sooo sad and tragic...I am so sorry for your office and her family and friends. I will say a prayer for all of you. This is extremely frightening. You can never be too cautious.

Very sorry to hear about your co worker. My deepest condolences go out to her family.

At our office, we have been talking about this very subject recently. Where I live, the police department has an awareness and self defense course for women. This is a nine week course where they meet for a couple hours per week in the evening.

That is tragic and am sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts and prayers to her family and your office.

How tragic that is. I am sorry for your loss Fred. Katerina, when you do write a post on agent safety I wonder if you could address or speak to those who stay in an office late alone. Many people work late, especially real estate agents. Safety is a concern in this scenario as well.

How terrible that is. We too lost an agent to violence in Washington State; also in an upscale area. Sadly it has never been solved.

Fred,
This is terrible and my condolences go out to the family, friends and co-workers. We must be pro-active and not take our safety for granted.

Terrible, I sure hope they catch the one responsible. What a waste of a good person.

My heart-felt sympathies go out to her family, friends (sounds like she had many) and co-workers. It makes you certainly stop and think of all the calls and times I and others have shown vacant properties.

Wow, what a horrendous thing to happen, my heart breaks for her family. It does go to show that no place upscale or otherwise is exempt from violence. I think men and women have to be very vigilant.

God bless the family and your office...This is a horrific thing to have happen....Really makes you take a second look at the way we can be so careless in our day to day jobs. My prayers be with all

Fred, it's just totally unbelievable the kind of predators that are out there. I'm so sorry for this young woman and her family.

I am sorry for your loss and my heart and prayers go out to her and her family. We must all learn to be cautious when on the job.

What a terrible tragedy. A seasoned Broker in Santa Fe just had an experience with a woman who held her up at gunpoint and had her empty her checking account. What we learned from it is that we must meet first time clients at the office, and photocopy their drivers license, as do so many professionals these days, including doctors, dentists, lawyers, etc. It's not uncommon and may deter a would be attacker. My heartfelt condolences for your loss. Nancy Avedisian, www.SantaFePlazaRealty.com

You know, I think Realtors are a close knit bunch, especially here on Active Rain and anytime something tragic like this happens, it strikes at the heart of all of us. But, this one is just too close to home when it happened to one of your own in your own office. I just can't even imagine what you all are going through. It is darn time everyone, the public, law enforecement, NAR, our local boards and Realtors of course, get fed up but good with this and start fighting back. The public is going to have to understand that we are just trying to do our jobs and if we have to take extra measures to insure our safety, then so be it. I'm so sorry for those of you in your office who have been affected by this and my prayers are with this young lady's family.

That is so sad. I wish the best to you and everyone that knew her.

It really can happen to anyone. We had a Realtor murdered here in Albuquerque a couple of years ago, and, in this case, it was an older (not elderly) gentleman.

Our prayers are truly with this poor family.

Fred,

I'm so sorry to have read this news. I sent the link to my company as a reminder to be safe. I think I'll also suggest a safety seminar in one of our offices.

Oh how terrible, I feel so bad for you and our profession. Not enough can be said on Realtor Safety.

This is so, so sad. My heart goes out to her family. I hope for everyones sake up there they catch who did it soon.

Wow, That is terrible news. My prayers are with those who were close and I hope they catch them soon.

Hi Fred - what a horrible tradgedy to read about. I'm so sorry to read this, and my thoughts and prayers to her family and friends and all of you who were her co-workers.

Unfortunately this is yet another reminder of the danger that lurks in our job. And as John Novak said, it's not just females who need to be alert about this. Men have been murdered as well, and have been attacked just as women have. We are viewed as easy targets, and we need to be ever mindful that the world we live in is full of sick and evil people in it, and we need to keep ourselves as safe as we can.

We had an agent raped and left for dead here in NH a few years ago. Thankfully, she lived, but that hit us hard here. We've had stalkers prey on agents, and there was an agent murdered in Maine not that long ago while showing vacant seasonal cottages. When these things happened, I started making sure my partner got an email from me on my appointments for each day, and I usually email him when I leave the office and call when I finish up appointments most of the time.

"People ask why it takes so long to view a house. You're dealing with people you don't even know, a complete stranger, and you have no idea of their qualifications. There's going to be a lot of scared realtors out there and it may disrupt service."
This quote came from one of the articles you linked to - and you bet the agents in that area will be just a bit more leery and afraid - I sure as heck would be.

Ann

Fred

Please extend my deepest sympathies to Lindsey's family , friends & colleagues.This is a senseless act of violence that has taken the life of a vibrant and beautiful young woman much too soon

With so many vacant properties in our area , we require all clients to come to our office at the first appointment, we make a photocopy of their Drivers License or picture ID.

We have instituted a "SAFEWORD" , so that if we do get in trouble we can call our front desk and they will notify the police immediately. But always let someone else know your schedule and list of properties you are showing that day !!

Laura Gray

Fred,

What a tragic story, my thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends. A reminder to all to be safe out there.

My heart and prayers go out to her family, friends and coworkers. Our police department offers self-defense courses for agents, but it isn't always the answer.

What a tragedy!

I was reading a book the other day that had a quote from an old book.

A rabbi, called the Baal Shem Tov, is watching Jews being slaughtered in Russia. He is heard to say, "I wish I were God."

A student turns to him and says, "You'd stop all this?"

He replies, "No, I wouldn't stop or change anything, but I'd understand why."

Our prays go out to her family...

My prayers and thoughts are with the family and office staff. Such a young life to lose so violently.

My prayers are with the family and her as well

My thoughts and prayers to you, your office and this young lady's family.

Kelly

Fred- I am so sorry to hear of the tragic & senseless loss of your fellow colleague and friend. My deepest sympathy goes out to you, her family & friends.

Fred,

Thank you for sharing this tragic story with us in hopes of preventing a similar situation. It's terrible that it sometimes takes such a horrible incident to remind us of the safety issues that we need to be aware of. She sounds like a wonderful young woman, and I'm sure her zest for life, and compassion for others will live on in the people who knew and loved her. She will never be forgotten by the people whose lives she touched.

Thank you all for your support and comments...so far the police do not have a suspect. It seems according to the news a guy had been staking her to sell her a web site, so far the rumors are flying. I'll let you all know when we know more. Right now we're concerned about her family.

Thanks again for all your support, the flowers and cards to our office are pouring in, Many seem to know we're hurting with the loss of one of our bright young stars. My Broker owner and I spoke tonight, we're still in shock over this horrible murder of one of our fellow Realtors, and we're all wanting to be strong and give support however we can to one another and for the family.

What a sad horrible story. Everyone should be aware of the safety issues invloved in real estate.

That is so sad. It's definitely a horrible thing we all have to contend with. Hopefully, they catch whoever did it quickly before he strikes again!

Fred, I am so sorry to hear about this terrible loss. My prayers and thoughts are with your office and her family and friends. I pray they find the guilty very soon!!!

Fred,

Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry to hear about this. We all need to do everything we can not to become a target. I see/hear things every now and then that just make me cringe.

My heart truly goes out to her family/ Thanks for letting us know.

My prayers go out to her, her family, and friends. I am sorry for your loss.

How terribly, terribly sad. My heart goes out to you and your office. It can't be stressed often enough how important our personal safety is.

FEB

2008

This is the one extremely sad possibility of being involved in this service industry. My heart goes out to her family and loved ones.

This is truly a sad day when something like this happens. I am sure she was an inspiration to all she knew in her life. Our thoughts and prayers go out to her family and friends.

This is a tragic story, my thoughts and prayers go out to all family and friends. In todays age this is a more common problem then we know. It is truly becoming more dangerous to be a Realtor. Here in the Atlanta area we are always having training for Realtor safety, meet the person in the office get a copy of there drivers license, let someone know were you will be showing homes, never meet a stranger at a vacant home alone. However, everytime someone convience us they are ready to purchase right now we throw all caution to the wind. Try and remember you can't close on a home in one day, and piss poor planning on there part does not necessarily constitute and emergency on your part. (they need to see the house today because they are catching a flight out tonight) who showed them homes the last few days? where are they? This, believe it or not comes down to you as the Realtor staying in control from beginning to end......

Fred,

Very sad news.....my condolences to all of her family, friends, clients and co-workers. This career is becoming more and more dangerous all the time and we can never be too careful.

What a trajedy. Ed and are are about to change our phones over to Helio..they have a GPS set up in the phones so that if I am trouble he has an immediate take of where I am.

Anne

Very sad to hear this news. May God be with her family at this time. Hopefully justice will be served.

My heart goes out to the family of this young lady. I hope others understand the importance of safety in a profession where you are meeting people for the very first time.

"They" say being a real estate professional is one of the top most dangerous occupations for a woman. My personal policy is all buyers to meet me at the office, get a copy of their drivers license and let the receptionist know of my route for the day. Sometimes it is inconvenient for the buyer, often it is safe for me. Most buyers are happy to accommodate.

Fred, in this day and age every one should be more careful.

My husband is always worried about me, meeting strangers to show property even after a casual buyers meeting at the office, and sitting open houses in vacant homes. I have mase and a taser but a bad it wont happen to me attitude. I now see you can never be to careful............

In todays Victoria Newspaper Police are saying they do not know who murdered our fellow Realtor Lindsay Buziak. Thank you all for your comments and support.

Lindsay was active on Facebook and wrote this about herself.

EXTREMELY adorable. Loves to joke. Very Good sense of humor. Will try almost anything once. Loves to be pampered. Energetic. Predictable. GREAT kisser. Always get what they want. Attractive. Loves being in long relationships. Talkative. Loves to party but at times to the extreme. Loves the smell and feel of money and is good at making it but just as good at spending it! Very protective over loved ones. HARD workers. Can be a good friend but if is disrespected by a friend, the friendship will end. Romantic. Caring.

We'll miss your smile Lindsay...

Sad but true. This world we live in. Whoever did this will pay dearly. Maybe not in this life but surely the next one. May God put a hedge of protection and prayer around her family.

Fred - So sorry to hear about this terrible event and the loss to those who knew and loved her. There is no other industry where we are at risk as often as in ours. It is a sign of our troubled times.

Fred, I've written a post on my blog at biggerpockets.com to be posted tomorrow. I had previously planned to write such a post about the Bellevue Realtor killed, but instead headlined it with this tragedy. Upon researching I learned that in 20 years, 200 agents were killed in the field. I really had no idea it was that bad. http://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/2008/02/06/the-perils-of-being-a-realtor/#comment-54412

Fred,

It's a sad reminder that safety should always be at the top of our radar. My condolences to you and your office staff.

I am truly shocked that this would happen in Victoria! It seems like such a nice place, where this could never happen. Thanks for bringing this to our attention. Please accept my sympathy.

Howdy Fred

That is truely a same for this to happen. My condolences to you and Lindsay family.

Dale

I'm shocked and horrified. My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in your community that this affects. I'm so sorry for her family's loss.

I always tell my fellow Realtors that God gave men physical strenght / /and God gave the women intuition

If it doesn't feel right. . .RUN!

Fernando

Be careful out ther. Open houses are not productive enough to take risks, and never meet a stranger by yourself.

How terrible and sad. I do hope they catch the person that did this and soon.

FEB

2008

My thoughts and prayers are with you and with all who worked, lived, laughed and loved with your coworker.

FEB

2008

Thank you all for your support and comments.

Update: Still no suspect, the Police are being very quite, until they make an arrest.

The funeral has been announced :

There will a Memorial Service for Lindsay Buziak this Saturday February 9, 2008 at 1:00 PM at St. Andrews Cathedral, 740 View Street, Victoria, British Columbia. In lieu of Flowers donations in memory of Lindsay maybe directed to the Alzheimer Society of British Columbia or the Canadian Cancer Society.

How sad. I just emailed the story link to my broker to share with others in the office.

We discussed this horrible event in our sales meeting the other day and I know some offices in our area have implemented new security procedures as a result. Our board has circulated an article with ten safety tips article today as well. (People may want to read some of these.) If we all listen and act, then we add to Lindsay's life legacy. Fred, my heart goes out to all of her family, friends and collegues. I can't even imagine.

Wow, this is happening too often. My husband begged me to buy a tazor gun. I recently showed some vacant land with a man that I had only spoken with over the phone. I kept telling myself how stupid I was to not have Mace or that darn tazor gun. So I continued to pray for protection. Turns out the man is a Christian and a great client. Thank you Lord.

Fred, my deepest sympathies to you and your co-workers. What a tragedy for that young woman and her family. Thank you for posting this.

FEB

2008

What a tragedy - such a lovely, vibrant young woman. My thoughts and prayers for her and her family.

Thank you for your support and comments here on AR we all need to find ways to protect us from the unknown in our business.

All of us at ReMax Camosun will miss Lindsay she touched us all over the years she spent with us,...especially her pleasing Smile.

FEB

2008

The Memorial Service yesterday was attended by an estimated 800 mourners, friends, family, Realtors and the general public to show their support and respect for 24 year old Realtor Lindsay Buziak.

Still No arrest has been made in this senseless Killing of a charming and very popular young lady.

Thank you all for your support here on AR.

My thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope they catch who did this.

god bless her. tragic loss. hope this moves some realtors to obtain CCW permits

Fred.... This is very tragic.... ALL realtors need to stop and think about what we do on a daily basis and always be aware of our suroundings. You never know who you may be showing on our next appointment. If you don't feel comfortable, take someone with you. I have another realtor in my office that we both do BPO's and Loss Mitigation.... We have both asked each other to tag along at times. Last Friday I'm glad he asked me along. We went to this one house and could see someone looking out but would not answer. Keeping in mind this was also after dark. Upon calling and leaving a message, the husband called back on Saturday Said his wife was alone inside with a Rotweiler and a 45. Luck for us she didn't pull the trigger.

Fred - sorry for your loss. It's a sad story, but inspires me to more conscientious about what I'm doing. I posed a question to all, just for opinions on the subject of our safety.

My thoughts and prayers to Lindsay's friends and family. Hopefully something good will come out of this tragedy.

FEB

2008

My prayers go out to the family. I just had two loan officers leaving a closing this even. I called to make sure that they we safe and make sure they call me when they got home.

FEB

2008

To Lyndsay's family and coworkers;

At Century 21 in Saskatoon we were all very saddened to hear of your loss. We all too often take our safety for granted and, while people are always looking for the good that comes out of the bad, I think the only good here is that other agents will be more careful and realize that we need to put our saftey above all else. We all get busy and don't want to put other people out, but we need to trust our instincts and have a buddy anytime we feel unsure.

I know our office has already come up with a client identification sheet for us to send clients we have never met in light of this tragedy, which will hopefully turn away any threatening people. We have to band together as an industry and make it impossible to be taken advantage of.

FEB

2008

This is so tragic. My heart goes out to the family.

I don't think we should jump on the band wagon though and assume it was a predator. This was a wake up call to real estate agents who should renew their safety methods and be more careful which is the only positive that came out of this terribly sad event.

The truth will come out eventually and in my opinion she was targeted for other reasons unrelated to her job.

There is something very fishy about this case and that is why the police are not talking. We will hear shortly who the murderer is.

FEB

2008

It is a shame about this young lady. It is tragic to lose someone so young no matter what industry or part of the country.

No one is safe these days and it doesn't matter where you are. This is such a tough industry for many starting out in it and still trying to build their book of business. especially for younger agents. Many of us do not consider the risks that we take when going out to vacant and deserted areas to meet strangers in the dark of night. Bad things can happen to anyone and especially women and younger women who might be more easily targeted. More offices need to set up policies to protect their members from becoming victims of misfortune. Sometimes it is an innocent accident that they need to protect against. I worked in an office a few years ago where a female agent (could have been a male that it happened to) went to a new construction site to take some inside photos for an out of town buyer. While she was there, she backed up to get a better shot of the kitchen and fell down the stairs into the basement hitting her head and knocking herself out. No one knew where she was or when to expect her as she was single and lived by herself and the accident occured in an unheated building in the dark of a winters evening and the cold of winter. This could have ended much worse but luckily the inhouse mortgage broker needed to call her on a deal and the agent was coherent enough by then to flip open her phone but could only moan into it. It took a number of phone calls by several people to uncover where she was and get someone to check the new subdivision. She had short term memory loss for many months.

Thanks Everyone for your support, still Arrests...Mike that's quite a story I hope she is alright now.

FEB

2008

Update...Sorry to report still no arrests...everyone is uneasy especially dealing with strangers wants to see properties in short notice.

I had a couple arrive last week from Cranmore AB, call me from a listing on my web site to say they need to start looking while they are here as they have listed their home...Price range 900,000 to 1.1 million. Yes I drooped what was doing rescheduled and showed them homes...so far no response since they left town to my calls or automated home search...Lindsay did the same, a lady called wanting to buy a million dollar home.

We want to please people and put our best foot forward trying to make a new client happy with our services and of course make a commission. All I can think about is Lindsay did the same as we all do everyday, trust people.

Thanks all for your supporting comments here.

Fred- So sorry for your loss. I will certainly think twice about the way I do things. Safety first, is the message and I received it loud and clear.

Hi Dana...We have a office policy to meet all new clients at our office first, the Men are doing this too to show support for ladies.

Thanks for your comment.

That is the saddest thing I have heard in a long long time. I work across the border in Washington, so please keep us up to date for any news that we can pass along to the rest of our offices.

Hi Patrick...Thanks for your comment, Yes I'll post any news when it happens...hopefully soon!

MAR

2008

My sympathies to her family, friends and coworkers. It is a tragic situation. Personally, I meet potential buyers at the office. Last time I checked we Male agents aren't bulletproof or stabproof :) So it really doesn't matter if you are a male or female REALTOR when it comes to safety. It is not worth the paycheque to put yourself in harms way. By the way, the majority of buyers that won't meet you at the office normally turn out to be controlling and a massive pain in the butt. I'd rather be home with my family instead of waiting at a vacant house at 8pm for a "buyer" to show up when their cell phone is off and they never even give you the courtesy of a cancellation call. It isn't just about safety, it is about keeping your sanity and being in control of your career as well. In my experience the good buyers always manage to find a way to come into your office first.

This is very sad! We are in the united states and can not go to work and be safe......my prayers are with her family and friends. I never go out alone and I always alert someone that lives near the homes that I am showing...... plus I have a gps and it can be tracked...... It's a good idea to carry a weapon that is not visible to your clients....... you dont want to scare them but remember your safety is important. I never allow my clients to walk behind me . I let them lead the way somewhat while I talk and explain the features in the home! but I try to focus on their motions/ body language as well.

Such a sad story. My heart goes out to her family and friends. I just recently posted about an agent that went off with a young couple in their truck without coming in and telling someone in the office. All was well, but not a safe thing to do.

Sincere sympathies,

It makes us all more aware of our surroundings. It also reinforces to meet potential buyers in the office, where someone else is aware of your contacts with future buyers or sellers.

Again, my GREATEST SYMPATHIES are with your famiy and friends.

MAY

2008

My condolences go to Ms Buziak's family and friends. I am a Realtor in Virginia and our Realtor community has been affected with murder and assault, too. Security is so important, more so than ever and most of these incidents seem to be happening in upscale neighborhoods.

Some may disagree with what I'm about to say, but having been the victim of a near rape, and a stalking(not related to my current career), I now have a concealed carry weapon permit and I do carry on my person at all times when I am in the field. I have trained long and hard in the handling of a firearm and now teach other women. Three women in my office have trained and tested in the use of firearms and currently carry a concealed pistol when they are doing open houses or showing. When I'm alone hosting an open house, I am not really alone.

It's a good idea to consider having another agent with you when hosting an open house. If a customer walks in and eventually becomes a client work it out so it benefits the agent who sat with you. Your safety is worth it.

I do not take strangers out in my vehicle, they either follow me or meet me at the property. If it's a situation where they are from out of town and don't want to use a rental to drive all over, I take another Realtor with me or a friend comes along. Friend sits in the back and Client will sit in the front. I will not drive in my vehicle with a total stranger. I just will not do it.

As for my concealed weapon, there are companies who make beautiful leather handbags, briefcases and Day Planners that can conceal a good sized weapon. I carry a Glock 19 and no one is the wiser for it. If I don't want the larger pistol, I also carry a North American Guardian which is the size of the palm of a small hand. It fits in a pocket and it can do the job if necessary.

It's sad things have come to this, but at least I feel I will have a fighting chance if a situation ever happens. Ours is a dangerous business, please do your best to remain safe.

One other suggestion: for those of you with ON STAR in your vehicles - please give your office managers the phone number to your car that ON STAR assigns to your vehicle. Also give them your ON STAR account number, your license plate and VIN number. If something happens and you go missing, your office manager can contact ON STAR and they can search for your vehicle and very likely locate it. In the case of Mike's friend, that would have been a way for her to be located if her car had that equipment.

I wish everyone in our national and international Realtor community safety on the job.

I did not sign my name, for the sake of my concealed carried weapon status and did not wish to be recognized. The point of concealed carry is the concealment of it all.

MAY

2008

Thank you all for your comments and Support. The police still have not made an arrest yet. Hopefully Soon.

JUL

2008

They will find him. He did this in the dark and it will come to light.

Hi Robert...the feeling is the Police know who it is and are waiting to arrest him/her. The Police have something like 9 detectives working full time on the case even today.

Thanks for visting.

Your post is very sad and I can understand how it received so many comments. There are some real crazy people out there, and now with the world the way it is with gas, grocery, etc. prices it's getting worse.

Me and my wife live in Las Vegas and run several different businesses and we went out and got Permits to Carry Concealed for our safety.

The gangs are moving from LA and paying cash for forclosed homes and making our city a sespool of crime. When will it stop? I believe we need a more painful punishment for these criminals.

My prayers go out to her family and friends!

Robert Swetz

I am so sorry for the loss of your colleague. I have started doing Open Houses with a partner especially the luxury homes which have so many entrance/exits. It is so easy to get too comfortable doing this job and to be too trusting. The posts above have good tips to remember. Let's make this our profession's Last Loss.

I hate the way some of the people in this world disregard the lives of others. It's difficult to wrap your mind around the twisted minds of these predators. My prayers go out to her family and friends.

Hi Robert.... thanks for visiting and your comments...capital punishment was a great deterrent in it's day.

Hi Christine....we all miss Lindsay, good idea, they say if you have a bad feeling or hunch some is not right listen to your instinct's.

Hi Latonia....I agree, people with violence on their minds aretoo numerous, especially the ones that enact their thoughts against humanity.

Thank you all for visiting and your support.

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It's A Sad Day for Realtors and A Family....a Young Female Realtor is Murdered Showing a New Home in Victoria.

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