Friday, July 1, 2011

Real Estate Agent Fights Off Attempted Rapist

A Cobb County real estate agent fought off a man armed with a gun who attempted to rape her, Cobb County, Georgia police said.

More and more stories of attacks on real estate agents doing open houses, showing properties to strangers, meeting strangers in vacant properties and land.

We tell our children to be aware, be careful of strangers and people we don’t know. Yet, real estate agents do this each and every day, and it is becoming an increasingly dangerous situation for some of us in the industry.

As a broker, I encourage safety, safety, safety. Rules will keep you safe, perhaps even save lives.

1.  Always make a copy of a potential client or customer’s driver’s license and / or other photo documentation and leave it at the front desk with the receptionist or broker.

2. Never take a buyer client or customer without pre-qualifying them with a lender, period. If the potential buyer refuses to qualify, there is a problem. Red flags, anyone.

3.  If your not comfortable, follow your instincts and give the buyer to another or take a friend or fellow realtor, give a referral fee and keep safe. Never avoid that inner voice or prompting, inner warnings will save your life. If you have a bad feeling, don’t go out alone.

4.   Women should never do an open house alone, period. More attacks on women, rapes and robberies happen in open houses where no one is around but the realtor and strangers who frequent them. We are in a dangerous world, adapt and survive.

5.  Realtors should look into arming yourselves, whatever is legal and will prevent attacks should be considered. Tasers, Pepper Spray, even a handgun which is legal in most states for the time being. If more people would realize that realtors are prepared, armed and protected, less and less attacks would occur.

The word should be "Realtors Armed And Dangerous."

Keep safe my fellow brokers and realtors, have a blessed New Year in 2012.