Be Smart and Be Safe!

This message is for all Realtors but specifically for those ladies that are out showing properties. 

Recently in our town, a woman Realtor was showing property to a "prospective buyer" when she was brutally attacked and left for dead.  The prospect had telephoned her about seeing a vacant home and she arranged to meet him there...alone.  This horrendous story has one good outcome, the Realtor survived.  But it begs the question, "how often do YOU do the same thing?"

In today's challenging market, it's easy to jump at the first caller and do the same thing this Realtor did.  But resist!  Don't meet a stranger at a vacant property.  Take someone with you at all times.  And remember, you are not a tour guide for folks who want to look at properties.  Anytime you show a home, that prospect should have already met with your lender and supplied enough information to be pre-qualified as a bona fide buyer.  No one gets in my car or takes up my time without first proving to me that, 1) They have the means to buy, and 2) They're serious about buying.

All too often we catch ourselves working for nothing.  It can be very tempting when the phone rings for the first time in a long time.  But remember what can happen if you do.  And don't let this happen to you.  Be smart and be safe!

To read the whole story, click on the link below or cut and paste it into your web browser:

http://cbs2.com/local/Rape.Real.Estate.2.672952.html