REALTOR® Safety
Safety is Job #1
As REALTORS®, you must be aware of threats to yourself, your client’s property, and your clients. GPAR is committed to increasing REALTOR® safety awareness by helping to educate and empower members to make good choices and practice personal safety on the job. The following are some helpful tips and resources that you can utilize to improve your safety awareness in the field, at the office and at home.
Be prepared
Find out as much as you can about new clients prior to taking them on home tours with you. Too often agents don’t take the time to properly screen their clients before taking them to showing appointments in vacant homes.
Bring a flashlight to all of your showings
A large, bright flashlight that fits in the palm of your hand (not the miniature keychain flashlights) can surprisingly serve as a deterrent to would-be predators. You can use it to shine a light on objects that you want to point out in a home to potential buyers. But it’s also something in your hand that is recognized by bad people as a “weapon” that a prepared professional carries with them.
Use your cell phone for safety
Another great weapon to help keep yourself safe: Your cell phone. Keep it handy and not hard to reach (i.e. your hip or hand, not a pocketbook). Also, strongly consider having a “security partner” that you can call/text to give a secret code word (say “red folder”) when you feel you may be in danger.
Slow down
Stop being in such a rush. When considering REALTOR® safety, many professionals just associate it as prevention of being a victim to a crime such as robbery or an assault. But REALTOR® safety also means taking precautions so you don’t become a victim in other occupational hazards on the job, too, such as car crashes, trips and falls, or even being bit by a dog or other animal.
For additional tips on safety at the office, in the field and at open houses, please access the following resources from NAR: