Realtor® Safety Reminder - Start 2020 with Safety in Mind At All Times

There’s a lot of value in all those aspects and I wish all the more connection and all of it, for lack of better terms.

Debe Maxwell, CRS It’s sad but maybe that valuable to know all of this. We can learn from all the sadness or regrets

Safety First at all times...

we live in a fairly secure area but every now and then we get the scammer or the person with a creep factor. 

not sure what the purpose of 12 people showing up and acting like they were going to buy something and then disappearing means or the purpose of it

Maybe its a new reality show Candid camera for real estate 

Hi Debe!

Safety is on my mind too. I visited NAR a few days ago and learned a lot. They have a lot to offer for Agent Safety. I shared a lot of information with my Board about how we can incorporate safety into training programs. I planned to write a blog on it but now I won't. You did an excellent job promoting Agent Safety!

To you, I wish you a healthy, safe, and happy 2020. 

Good morning Debe Maxwell, CRS ,

You can never be too safe out there and as my Geno always said you always must watch your six! Agent safety is so important you just can't be too careful with all the scam artists out there! Great post and glad to see it featured!!

I have learned to be very cautious in this business.  I had a "buyer" a few years ago wanting to look at vacant homes and I just felt like something was off.  I had enough info on him to research him as he actually used his real name and his real phone number.  Turned out he was a convicted sex offender so obviously I chose to pass

Great reminder to keep us all safe as we start the new year. Sometimes we can get too comfortable to remember these safety musts.

You know what they say, "Safety is no accident." Be aware at all times of what's going on around you. Smart move on your part this time for sure.

When I park for a showing or open house...I ALWAYS try and leave an escape route for my vehicle so that I am not blocked in. I rarely park in the driveway. That escape route might mean driving right through the grass but so be it...I can fix the yard and the vehicle.  

When doing an open house, I park in the street and ask the owners to park their nicer car in the driveway near the street. 

This is for two primary reasons: 

1. It helps calm those who are fearful about stopping and getting "trapped" by the agent or not wanting to be alone with the agent. I want it to look busy.

2.  Bad guys and bad gals are looking for Loners...2 or more vehicles usually means more than one person is at the open house.  They only want to deal with one person.

Thanks for this very important post! I know I used to always tell all the agent from the local MLS.....Safety....Safety, and always think safety first...

Good for you for being proactive and alert to this scam.  Very scary stuff!

I think a big mistake is that many agents who are men don't think about safety enough. It is so often focused towards women to be safe, but we forget things can happen to man as well.

Congratulations on your feature recognition. This is important advice to share.

Real Estate Safety is a must for all of us and this reminder was well timed as we start the new year ... let us all have 2020 VISION ... be aware at all times ... keep your eyes and senses open. Stay Alert.

You can never be too safe out there...

It is something we all have to pay attention to these days, man, woman, young or old. New or experienced.... Safety starts with us.

Yes, what was the point? Years ago some local agents wasted a lot of time on 2 men who came to town and made offers on fixers. Once the offers were accepted, they'd disappear. They did close on one, and convinced the closer to take a personal check. She waited for about 10 days to close out the file - and on the 11th day got notice that the check had bounced!

I never had a really bad experience as an agent, but if I was nervous I either took another agent or my very large teen-age son with me.

Hi Debe:

We have been warned in our area about this same scam. You just cannot be too careful these days, and regular reminders about safety are important!

Have a great weekend!

Jeff

Good for you for not meeting someone who wouldn't even talk on the phone. You never know.

As for staying safe, it has to be a priority for all of us.

No opportunity to make a sale is ever worth risking our safety. I have seen this video and it is a great reminder to all of us. You were wise to skip meeting this prospect. D 

Hello Debe Maxwell, CRS - My heart breaks every time I read about another real estate agent being killed - typically as a result of hosting an open house. 

I just don't do them anymore.  Our safety must come first.