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How does your office help protect you?

After just posting about the new security service, My Mobile Witness, I started wondering - what procedures does your office have in place to help keep you secure?

Procedures need to be consistent, so that they are not discriminatory. Some offices have a small sign posted on their reception desk regarding what they ask for. Some offices have procedures; some agents and teams have procedures. What are yours?

Do you make a copy of their drivers license? If so, does it go in your file, the office file, to the receptionist for the day?
Do you ask for their car license plate number, or check it?
Do you take a photo of the prospective clients?
Do you ask for their signature on anything? Agency disclosure, or guest log? One or both parties?

First time they come to the office, or before an agent leaves with them or to meet them?

As an agent, how do you account for where you're going?

Do you leave a copy of the homes you're showing or previewing? Where? With whom?
Do you call in from stops along the way?
Do you arrange for someone to call you from time to time?
Do you instant message when you arrive at or leave a property?

Have you taken any self-protection classes?

We do need to be proactive, so we don't wind up as the latest news story about a real estate agent who was harmed or killed. Let's share what we do to keep safe.

Posted by Sharon Simms St Pete FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS on 10/26/2008 02:08 PM

Comments (42)

Agent Safety Procedures in the Training Channel

agent safety, office safety procedures, client identification methods

Originally posted at: Real Estate Views from St Pete: How does your office help protect you?

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42 Comments on How does your office help protect you?

OCT

I carry and I have pepper spray on my key ring. And their license is on fact copied at the office. And we also have to check in by cell at least every 2 hours.

Sharon~ It is getting scary out there! (You heard about the killings and attack on a family whose home was on the market in Hopkinsville, KY?) I guess we should all at least take a self-defense class. You know carrying a hand gun may not be a bad idea either.......

Our office does not have a safty policy. I do also carry pepper spray and try to let someone know

but not every time. My family just thinks I am never home and would have no clue where I am

most of the time. This is really something we should do to protect ourselves.

Gosh, I'm gonna get some pepper spray today.

Thanks for sharing "My Mobile Witness"...what a Great service!

We always tell our staging clients to remove all knives and weapons from sight as a safety measure for the agents who will be alone in the home with clients. Most of the realtors we know haven't heard of this precaution, either. Spread the word in your listings, too!

Sharon - Thank you so much for encouraging these safety policies. We sometimes become too complacent and think it could never happen to us when the reality is that our security must always be our top priorty and we should take the necessary steps to put these policies in place.

Sharon, I would have to say pretty lax. Agents are left to do whatever they think is necessary. I still see so many agents getting a call on desk duty and than going out and meeting customers at a vacant property.

Sharon, these are great ideas. It is important to be consistent with them.

Sharon - These are steps we should take. iIhave never given any thought to taking a safety protection class but this is something that should be a consideration.

Tammy - that's a caring office that has you check in.

Vickie - my concern about a gun is whether it could be turned against us. No, I hadn't heard about Hopkinsville.

Sandy - whether it's family or a colleague, someone should know.

Rhonda - good for you.

Thomas - I thought it was a great service, and offered for free as well.

Laurie - good precautions, but it can be brute strength sometimes.

Donna - we're constantly taught to be outgoing - we should receive equal time for staying safe.

Richard - some of the more experienced agents develop a gut feeling that's often undeveloped in new agents.

Richard - yes, indeed.

Jennifer - years ago we had them at office meetings, but it's been many years.

Actually Sharon- It's me that has them checking in with me. When I personally am out showing I check in with my husband if he is off and with my mom if he is working. I also NEVER leave the office when one of my agents is out with clients. If they show property until 9:00 p.m. I'm at the office when they come back.

And of course I've broken my own rules a couple of times over the years. I once went off in a boat with 4 men to show them a house. They called, I met them at the marina. They were fine, actually one of them turned out to be a buyer of a house. But that one uncomfortable moment was the "creation" of the "rules".

I also keep a back up cell phone. I'm not sure if everyone is aware that you can call 911 from a phone that doesn't even have service, so I keep an old cell phone charged in the bottom of my purse. It could save a life in an emergency.

Tammy - obviously you're a great and caring broker. Good for you!

Sharon - I take my retired husband with me. I feel much safer that way and besides, he does all the driving. :-)

You bring up some great points. Being a 6'4" guy, I usually do not think about safety.

Hi Sharon, I think today more than any other time in our industry we all need to focus here a bit and take the proper care that serves the clients interest and also protects are lives. Well done!

OCT

Sharon, even when I go on a listing appointment, I give our receptionist the phone number and address of the property that I will be at. When I go into the home and sit with the sellers, the receptionist will call me to make sure that I am safe. I'm sure there is a better way of handling it but that works for me.

Even when we meet someone for a showing or even a new buyer, I've got all of their information in a folder for the file and the office knows where to look. Front desk knows where I am. I am extra precautious as I am also legally deaf so I can't hear someone coming from behind, etc. so I take photos from my cell but now I have a place to forward them to.

Thanks so much again, for sharing this as I will be passing this info along to our office for implementation.

Shirley - that sounds like a double win.

Randy - then can I take you with me when I'm concerned?

William - yes, it needs to be a win-win - or a live-live.

Barb - you have a very proactive approach. I hope this supplements it.

OCT

Sharon--Lizette emailed me this a few days ago...Looks like an interesting program. I call my husband whenever I meet someone I don't know well. He knows where I am and how long it will take....I even take people along sometimes. Scary to think we have to do this kind of stuff but we do!

Teri - we're very fortunate that associates will generally readily agree to accompany us to a showing that makes us feel funny.

In our office we also leave our showing schedule when working with new buyers. I also took a self defense class which gave some great pointers.

My big safety thing is to not yak on my cell phone and drive at the same time.

OCT

Melody - good thinking on your part to take the self defense class.

Patricia - and you don't even need suspicious buyers to use that safety means!

Thank you for your post. It is important to us all. Although statistics are sketchy, at least 206 real estate professional were murdered on the job between 1982 and 2000. This does not include the number of real estate professionals who were the victims of sexual assault, non-fatal shootings, beatings, and stabbings, robbery, and car jacking. Misiu Systems, Ltd which provides security products to the industry lists news articles about 74 incidents including murders, police alerts to agents, sexual assaults, and robberies. Among the reports reported at http://realguard.com/news.htm included the following:

McKinney, TX. July, 2006. An agent presiding over an open house at a new housing development was stabbed 27 times. A house hunting couple found her body on the kitchen floor.

St. Petersburg, FL, March 2006. A neatly dressed young man posing as a relocated Drug Enforcement Administration agent spent over four hours looking at houses with a real estate agent before asking to return to one of the first homes he had seen. There he attacked her, took her car keys and purse while threatening to kill her with the gun and the 12-inch hunting knife he had concealed on his person. The agent was hurt but not seriously.

DeKalb County, GA, May 2006. Within 11 days, three female real estate agents in DeKalb County reported being robbed at gunpoint by a man and woman. Police said the incidents appeared similar because each happened in the evening hours, involved a female real estate agent and was allegedly committed by an armed man and woman fitting similar descriptions. "The perpetrators would contact the realtor, usually by phone. In one incident, the realtor actually went to the MARTA station and picked them up, took them to the location, showed them the home, and as they were concluding their walk-through, they were robbed," said Officer Davis. In each case the agent was tied up and her vehicle was stolen. A month earlier another DeKalb County agent was abducted and forced to withdraw $1,500 from an ATM machine then taken to a jewelry store where she used credit cards to purchase a $7,500 Rolex watch for the robber. During the incident he frequently threatened to shoot her or "dismember" her if she did not cooperate.

Diamond Bar, CA, November 2005. A newly licensed real estate agent was shot and critically wounded while canvassing a neighborhood for clients. The victim had apparently appeared to be acting suspiciously and a homeowner shot him after he knocked on his door. Police thought the agent may have been mistaken for someone the homeowner had had an altercation with earlier in the week.

Baltimore, MD, July 2004. Maryland State Police warned realtors about a man who allegedly injured one agent and could be stalking others. In the first incident a female agent was assaulted during an open house by a visitor who looked around the house then picked up an object and struck the agent on the back of the head. Police had first viewed it as an isolated incident but other agents reported a man matching the description had attended open houses in the area and in one case tried to lure the host agent into an isolated part of the house. The agent who was hit was able to fend off her attacker but police believe it was intended as a sexual assault.

Other examples reported include: 02/5/2007 - San Diego, CA Police Capture Man Suspected In Killing of Lakeside Agent, 01/12/2007 - Greenwood, IN Police Seek Man Who Attacked RE/MAX Agent, 09/22/2006 - Dallas, TX Police Seek Violent Home Invasion Robber, 09/21/2006 - Minneapolis, MN Realtors issue warning after woman allegedly raped , 09/06/2006 - McKinney, TX Dallas man arrested in killing of real estate agent, 08/26/2006 - Grandview, MO Man abducts, robs real estate agent, 07/08/2006 - McKinney, TX Model Home Rep Stabbed 27 Times, 06/23/2006 - Napa Valley, CA Real Estate Agent Assaulted in Vacant Home, 06/19/2006 - Wiggins, MS Real Estate Agent Injured in Triple Shooting, 03/13/2006 - South Daytona. FL REALTOR attacked by man with a hammer and escapes, 03/05/2006 - St. Petersburg, FL Seemingly interested home buyer attacks REALTOR , 01/14/2006 - Westchester, PA Police Man Raped Real Estate Agent, 01/12/2006 - Chelmsford, MA Chelmsford Police Warn of "Fake" Agent, 01/09/2006 - Hudson, CO Woman allegedly Raped While Showing Homes Speaks.

Here are some of our office policies:

Written Safety Policy
Mandatory Safety Training
Procedures for Verifying Identification
Use of Showing Itineraries
Call In/Call Out Requirements for Showings
Provision of Safety Equipment - Whistle, Pepper Spray, etc.
Use of Emergency or Distress "Codes"
Mandatory Reporting of Incidents
Strict Enforcement of "No Rides" Rule
Restrictions on Personal Marketing & Advertising

Here are some tips from our safety manual:

Safety Tip #1 - Know Who You Are Dealing With When You Have New Clients or Customers

Safety Tip #2 - Tell Someone

Safety Tip #3 - Keep a Cell Phone at Your Side

Safety Tip #4- Conduct a Safe Open House

Safety Tip #5 - When in Doubt, Use the Distress Code

Safety Tip #6 - Don't Make Personal Marketing Too Personal

Safety Tip #7- Know Your Buddy... Be a Buddy

Safety Tip #8 - Dress for Success and Safety

Safety Tip #9 - Danger is Not Always Easy to Identify

Safety Tip #10 - Practice Car Safety

Safety Tip #11 - Be a Follower, Not a Leader

Safety Tip #12 - Fight or Flight?

Security Tip #13 - Display Security

Safety Tip #14 - Use Personal Safety Equipment

If anyone wants a copy, send me an e-mail.

Some other personal safety devices:

Jet Scream Whistle. Loud whistle draws attention when you need help. $8.50. www.besafeinc.com, 888/990-7233.

Mobile Callback. System calls your cell phone at pre-set intervals to ensure you're safe. Activation fee, $50; monthly fee, $21.95; 10 percent discount for NAR members. http://mobilecallback.com, 866/756-7233.

The Mugger Slugger. Pepper spray that shoots up to eight feet. $30; $25 for real estate practitioners. Protective Concepts Inc., 800/926-1625.

Personal Alarm. Warning siren alerts people you need help. $7.95-$38.95. www.selfdefence.com, 540/622-2848.

Safeshow Adaptor Unit. Attach this combination flashlight and pepper spray unit to your Supra electronic lockbox or use it separately. $29.95 for lockbox adaptor unit; $24.95 for keychain unit. www.safeshow.com, 877/935-3520.

Ryan - what a great series of suggestions and information. I'd certainly like to have a copy of your Safety Manual.

Sharon - I apologize for hijacking your post. But my agents are like family to me and so I am real sensitive regarding this issue. We have had two minor issues - demand for ride along and sex proposition. In both cases, our systems worked - albeit imperfectly. Thanks for raising awareness on this important issue.

Sharon I guess there quite a few who are taking precautions which is great. I am thankful that I am in an area with a very low crime rate.

OCT

Ryan - I look at your comments as enhancements, not hijacks. Thanks for e-mailing me the information.

Bill - I'm glad you're in a low crime rate area - for the victim, however, it only takes one crime to make it significant.

OCT

Hey Sharon - Another excellent helpful post. Thanks for the awareness...we all take safety for granted. Every office should review their practices on a yearly basis and post tips routinely. I have carried a can of pepper spray in my car for years. As a broker owner, I also made sure the staff all had a can at their desk in case a nut walked in from the street. I've also suggested to my agents never to show real estate after dark...just best practise. Hugs.

Our office has had most of those procedures. Agents get lax after a while and are their own worse enemies. Safety should always be first. Great post!

Greg - that's a good suggestion to have a can of pepper spray at our desks. You never know when a crazy may walk in.

Jim - we ALL get lax on a lot of things and take them for granted.

NOV

Thanks for sharing, I have passed this along to all the agents I work with.

NOV

Valerie - you're welcome.

Better leave a paper tail or some clue as to where you will be. Luckly I live in a pretty laid back area.

NOV

Steven - paper trails are good, even when they point to a digital trail.

We always schedule all appointment by a system so they are logged into the data base, so we have names, numbers and locations recorded but do not card them yet. I hope the days does not come were I feel I need to do that. We have a video camera at the office front door and a TV monitor in each private office so we all know and see anyone who comes into our office.

NOV

My partner and I always meet a new client together and make sure that either the office, my husband or her husband knows where we are going and when to expect a phone call. So far that has been sufficient, but we are living in a scary time aren't we?

NOV

Sharon - Safety is such a big issue no matter where you are. It's just plain smart to be a bit cautious.

NOV

I have never heard of anyone doing some of the things you suggested. Taking your clients photos? things must be more different than I thought in big cities vs. smaller towns. I am always safety conscious, and let my gut instincts rule.

NOV

Thank you!! I had never heard of my mobile witness. I am signing up this week. You are helping us stay safe.

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