What To Do Before Meeting a New Client - Realtor Safety
“Sorry About That, He Said, as He pointed the Gun at My Head” - was a quote from this morning’s news. A listing agent in St Petersburg, Florida responded to an innocuous-sounding phone call last week, from a man asking her to show a home. She agreed to meet this “client” at the property and nearly got robbed at gunpoint (the man got interrupted). Could’ve been worse.
This was the perpetrator’s second attempt that day. The first time, he established contact the same way, met a different realtor, alone, then put her in handcuffs, put on his gloves... and called the agent’s husband, demanding $50,000. The husband refused; the realtor panicked; luckily the man got spooked by someone and left; the agent was shaken, but unharmed... this time.
Realtor safety is an ever present subject. Nearly every realtor most likely has fallen for this technique, that is, showing up at a property alone, to show it to a completely unknown individual. Most of the time, it’s okay and we justify it by believing that we are serving two clients’ needs - the seller’s and the potential buyer’s. Or perhaps the realtors are simply lured by the prospect of being on both sides of a transaction and the caller sounded oh, so “normal” or even "nice and polite". But are we being fair to ourselves?
Several basic, sensible steps, outlined below, are generally recommended by safety professionals, to be implemented either as part of an office safety action plan, or simply as one’s modus operandi:
FIRST TIME MEETING WITH POTENTIAL CLIENTS
It is advisable that all agents arrange to meet all new prospects and customers in the OFFICE, rather than agreeing to meet them at properties, out of doors, or at home.
CLIENT ID’S
All first-time clients should provide some sort of official photo ID, such as a driver’s license or state-issued ID. The office or the agent should retain a copy of this ID for any possible security purposes.
DISTRESS CODE SYSTEM
Each office should establish a coded distress message to be used by agents calling in if they feel threatened in any way. All persons in the office, including any assistants or administrative personnel, should be alerted to this distress code message, should be able to recognize it readily and know what to do if they receive one.
BUDDY SYSTEM
One of the best ways to protect oneself or to feel safer, is to invite another agent or office colleague to come along for a meeting with first clients or when hosting an open house.
SAFETY FIRST is not a bad philosophy to follow, in all situations. Don't wait until you have a gun pointed at your head.
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