Sandy, we MUST BE CAREFUL! I won't meet a buyer at the house without some sort of prior meeting, or I refer them out to an agent who should have a buyer meeting with them (since I couldn't represent them as a buyer's agent on my listing anyway)...

Though negative/scary, we MUST be prepared, you are VERY RIGHT. You can never be too cautious, especially with how much information about each of us is out there on the web!!!!

Sandy...

Agent safety is always a top priority. If a potential client doesn't want to play by your rules, it's probably not worth it!

Sandy -

Timely post - unfortunately we had a female on-site agent attacked just a few weeks ago - she did survive and they were able to make an arrest - it was certainly a wake up call in our area.ume

Here is the local news report.

Hi Sandy. Specifically for open houses my husband always goes with me to host them as a matter of safety. ~ Lana

We have a framed poster in a conspicuous place in our office that says: "it is standard procedure to photocopy the Buyers ID's before an Agent shows them property".  We meet all our leads at the office and go from there.  Just taking a license tag is not safe enough.  You should never do an open house by yourself.  Vacant homes are also risky.  Never show property without taking proper precautions ALWAYS!  The one time you don't adhere to the system is the one time you could be...  DEAD!

Good subject; good post!  Now featured on the Optimist Group.

Sandy: We just have to stop and think about what we are doing BEFORE we run out and do something risky.

Sandy, We can never be 'TOO CAREFUL' when it comes to our safety. Trust your gut feeling.

Sandy, these are great points and something Stagers should follow as well. One thing I always recommend to my clients is that they put their knife blocks (which are usually left out on the countertops) away into a cabinet before open houses and showings. This is for the safety of the listing agent.