Safety Tips for Clients
Your personal safety is crucially important-and so is the safety of your clients. As you become more aware of practices and perspectives that help keep you out of danger, share that knowledge with your buyers and sellers. They, too, can be vulnerable as they allow strangers into their homes, or visit other people's property.
Share this valuable advice with everyone, and you'll help them learn to protect themselves against crime:
- Remind sellers that strangers will be walking through their home during showings or open houses. Tell them to hide any valuables in a safe place, including prescription medications and alcohol, as well as personal information such as bank statements that could be used for identity theft.
- Warn your clients that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Strangers who stop by a listing unannounced should be asked to make an appointment with the REALTOR®. Stress that your clients should never show a home without an agent present.
- Inform your clients that they are responsible for their pets. If possible, animals should be removed during showings. Make clients aware that buyers and agents are sometimes attacked, and the owner will be held liable.
- At an open house, be alert to the pattern of visitors' arrivals, especially near the end of showing hours. In some areas, a group of thieves will show up together near the end of the open house and, while a string of supposed buyers distracts the REALTOR®, the rest of the group walks through the house, stealing valuables.
- When you leave a property, whether after an open house or a showing, make sure that all doors and windows are locked. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves.
- Let your clients know that you will take all of the above safety precautions, but that when they return home, they should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for.
(Source: Nevada County Board of Realtors (CA); Realty Times)
This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS'® 2008 REALTOR® Safety Week Kit.
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