Realtor’s Safety First: Protect and Serve: An Urgent Need to protect ourselves as we serve the
public
As a Realtor and being in the business a number of years, learning to do things differently requires hard
work, but it is a must for our safety- “Realtor’s Safety First.” This is not a time to be fearful. Information
is Power! With that said, we must become Powerful with Information, Networking and wise actions!
Can we talk?
For many years, while showing homes and during Open Houses, I would have my husband
help put out the signs; but after the signs were out, I would tell him to leave and come back in 3 hours.
Mostly all of the times, I would be in the residence alone welcoming strangers in to tour the property. I
never thought about safety or had an emergency plan, if the unexpected happened. Thank God, no violence
or physical harm happened to my team or me.
Looking back
Now, I know this was not wisdom. Remember: Wisdom is knowing what to do-when to
do it-how to do it-who to do it with and the courage to do the right thing, in spite of what is the norm and
customary. A Realtor (especially a female) making a decision to be alone at any home showing and/or
Open House alone, and even being in the office alone (after hours), is not a wise thing to do.
Cases in Point:
1 . Sarah Ann Walker was brutally murdered while presiding over an open house (alone) in
McKinney, Texas when she was stabbed 27 times. A house hunting couple found her body on the
kitchen floor.
2 . June 2010: Wisconsin: Ann Nelson, a Realtor was murdered while showing a home alone.
3 . September 2010: Youngstown Ohio: Vivian Martin, a Realtor’s body was found (strangled) in a
vacant badly burned home. She was showing a home alone.
4 . September 2010: Kent, Ohio: Andrew Von Stein, a Realtor, was found a few days ago
(murdered) with a single gunshot wound. He was showing property alone.
5 . September 2010: Ohio: A female Realtor (name withheld) was robbed while showing a vacant
apartment building for sale. She was alone. She was held at gunpoint, robbed of her purse and
threatened with death if she called the police.
6 . Casper Wy: A Realtor received a call from a man who wanted to see a property near the
mountain. She went to show the property alone. That man attacked the Realtor and nearly killed
her with a knife he found on the kitchen counter
7 . July 2009: Ricardo Contreras, a Realtor was found murdered inside a Westchester home being
shown to a prospective buyer.
8 . 2008: Lindsay Buziak, A Victoria Canada Realtor: She was murdered while showing a lavish
home in British Columbia. She was alone.
9 . 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. She was alone. 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.
10. Diamond Bar, CA: 2005: Newly licensed Realtor was shot and critically wounded while
canvassing a neighborhood for clients.
11. Baltimore Md: 2004: Female Realtor (alone) was assaulted during an Open House
12, Baltimore Md: 2004: Another Agent was during an Open House. She was lured to an isolated area of the home where an Attacker tried to assault her. In the end, she was able to fend him off. She believed it was intended as a sexual assault.
13. 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. 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.
14. 2003: 2-Realtors Murdered: While Georgia Realtors, Cyndi Williams and Lori Brown were
working in their office after hours, they were robbed, stripped naked and shot in the head.
Note: This list is not to scare anyone but to empower, inform and help prepare a plan of Safety.
This list is not complete
Here are some Common Sense Safety Precautions: It is Time to Think and Act Differently!
Realtor’s Safety Tips
1 . Know your prospects: Never meet a first time prospect at a property based only on a phone call.
Meet at your office: Partner with a colleague: Make a copy of driver’s license: Introduce prospect
to colleagues in your office: Get a copy of Tag License number
2 . Create a distress code: In a phone conversation to your co-workers, for example, the words “Red
File.” The person on the phone will know what kind of action to take.
3 . Don’t be too flashy in your dress: Dress conservative
4 . Be in the driver’s seat: Always use your own car: If client insists on driving-let him drive alone
in his car while you follow with a partner or colleague in your car.
5 . Do not get stranded: Always keep your car’s gas tank filled above quarter tank. Always keep
charged cell phone, a battery jumper, a spare tire, and roadside emergency kit, which include a
flashlight and flares.
6 . Carry Pepper Spray: Spray should be easily accessible on your key chain at all times.
7 . Keep an eye on the exit: During home showings, never walk into a room first. Instead, allow
potential buyers to explore areas of the home on their own, with you following behind to answer
their questions. Avoid escorting prospects into basements or other secluded areas, where you can
become trapped. Always position yourself between the customer and the exit.
8 . Check in often: Let your office and family known when, where, and with who your appointments
will be and when you expect to return. Check in often.
9 . Never say you’re alone: If you encounter an individual while working late at the office, never
indicate you’re by yourself. Infer that your colleague and/or supervisor is nearby to assist you.
1 0 . Go with your gut: If something doesn’t feel right, if anything raises the hair on the back of your
neck, escape the situation immediately.
Colleagues: It is time to be aware of the real dangers for Real Estate Professionals who are exposing
themselves to perfect strangers who may have ill intentions. Most people are kind and do not wish to
bring harm and violence; however, a Realtor’s personal safety must always be top priority on all Realtor’s
minds.
Once we catch the importance of Realtor’s Safety into our hearts and minds, then, the next step is to
become diligent in developing a course of action for Safety. It could really be a matter of life or death.
Let’s work together! What say you? What are you doing as a Real Estate Professional to be
Safe? Let me hear from you.
M. C. Griffin Campbell, Broker License #: 01819507: email: hollywoodhomesmc@aol.com
www.hollywoodhomesbymcampbell.com
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