How to avoid dangerous situations and stay safe.

by Ward Lowe   The August armed robberies of four Dallas-area agents hosting open houses provide a harsh reminder that personal safety remains a serious concern in the real estate profession. It doesn’t matter what your listing is, how much it costs, or which neighborhood it’s in; REALTORS® should always exercise caution.

However, staying safe requires planning and forethought. Don’t wait until you’re sitting alone at an open house or riding to a secluded listing with a prospective client in your car to worry about your well being. Make yourself less attractive as a victim by taking preventative measures before a potentially dangerous situation presents itself.

What do they need to know?

While your personal marketing should be polished and professional, limit the amount of personal information you share. List your cell-phone number and office number, not your home phone, and use your office address. Concentrate on promoting your professional proficiency on business cards, fliers, and advertisements.

Guard against giving out too much personal information verbally when you first speak with a potential client, whether in your office or over the phone. Getting to know a prospect may be good business; however, revealing information about your kids, neighborhood, and hobbies during your first meeting makes a potential attacker’s job easier.

Concentrate on learning more about your prospect. Ask him questions and see how comfortably he responds. If your customer seems reluctant to talk about himself, it doesn’t make him a criminal, but it should put you on your guard.

Don’t look too good

Avoid glamour shots in any personal marketing. The Washington Association of REALTORS® reports in its safety guide that criminals in Washington have actually circled photographs of would-be victims in newspaper advertisements. These victims were targeted because of their enticing appearance in those photos.

Dress for success–carefully. Look professional, but avoid flashy clothes and expensive jewelry. Criminals will scout homes and real estate practitioners for items, like jewelry, that are easy to sell. Wear clothing and shoes that enable you to move quickly, if the need arises. Would you be able to run across the lawn in your high heels?

Know before you go

It’s not enough for you to know the person riding in your car; you need to leave that information with someone else. The easiest way to do that is to meet a prospect at your office before going to a property.

At your office, ask the prospect for an ID and to fill out a short personal-information form. That form should include space for his address, phone number, car make and model, and the car’s license-plate number. You can also add spaces to list the properties you’re showing him and how long you expect to be gone.

After your potential client fills out the form, photocopy his ID and leave the copy, along with his completed form, with someone in the office and introduce your prospect to someone in the office. If no one’s around, call a coworker and leave the information with her or on voice mail. The important thing is to leave your itinerary and the prospect’s information with someone you trust, and make sure the prospect knows that you’re doing this.

Criminals looking for targets don’t want to draw attention to themselves. By introducing them to people in your office, asking them to fill out a form, verifying their car’s make and plate number, and letting them hear you leave this information with another person, you’ve put them in the spotlight and made it much tougher for them to get away with a crime.

Listing toward safety

Take your car to a listing and make sure your cell phone is fully charged. Decide ahead of time whom you would call for help and set up a prearranged distress signal with that person. Make your signal something innocuous-sounding–"I need the yellow disclosure file"–so as not to alarm your would-be assailant.

Once you reach the listing, let your prospect lead the way through the house–don’t let him get between you and the only exit to a room. As you pass through doors, leave them open and unlocked. If you’ve shown the property before, mentally map out escape routes from various points in the house as you walk around.

Don’t make your open house too open

An open house can compromise your safety perhaps more than any other duty you perform as an agent. However, taking a few precautions will significantly lessen your exposure to dangerous situations.

• Try to bring someone with you to an open house. Whether it’s a coworker, spouse, or friend, there is safety in numbers.

• When possible, schedule your open houses together with several other agents who have listings in the neighborhood. The Greater Dallas Association of REALTORS® has made available to its members a list of retired and off-duty police officers available to patrol open houses, but their fees can get expensive ($30-$50 per hour). Clustering open houses is a good way to share the cost of having a security officer patrolling a neighborhood for three or four hours.

• Don’t park your car in the driveway or somewhere else it could easily be blocked in. Consider parking on the street next to another house’s driveway; this will ensure one end of your car is free.

• When you arrive at the property, pause for 10 seconds and take a look around the house. Is there anything unusual? Consider contacting a neighbor ahead of time, explaining that you’ll be showing the house next door, and asking her to keep an eye open for anything unusual.

• Always keep your fully charged cell phone on and carry it on your waist or in your hand. Do not put it in a pocket, purse, or leave it on a table. When you need it, you won’t have time to fish around for it in your jacket or run back to the entryway table.

• Before anyone arrives, enter the house and check all rooms to make sure they’re empty. Decide on several escape routes–just in case–and be aware if any of your routes out of the house could lead to a dead end. For example, if you run into the backyard, is there a high fence with locked gates surrounding the property that would complicate your escape?

• Once you’re confident the house is empty and secure, lock the front door. When people knock and want to come in to view the home, greet them on the front steps and ask for an ID. Then call someone in your office or your own voice mail and read the ID and characteristics of the prospect’s car aloud: "I’m going to let Joe Smith of 21 Walker St., Austin, into the listing at 34 Concord St. He drives a blue Ford pickup, Texas license plate 186 COV."

  If you’re up-front with homebuyers and explain what you’re going to do (call your office and give a coworker their name) and why you’re taking these measures (for your safety and the security of the property owner), most serious homebuyers will have no objections. In fact, you may impress them with your thoroughness and round up additional business. If someone doesn’t want to cooperate, do not negotiate or make an exception.

Fight or flight?

After taking the preceding precautions, it’s unlikely you will be faced with a dangerous situation. However, in the event you do end up in a bad spot, trust yourself and remain as calm as possible. There is no single right way to respond to a confrontation, because the response depends on you and the circumstances of the attack.

Perhaps the most important weapon agents possess against criminals is experience. You’ve shown hundreds of properties, hosted many open houses, and dealt with countless clients. Trust your instincts. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s probably not. It’s better to run first and get a little embarrassed later than become a victim because you ignored your gut.

Criminals look for easy targets. Take a few safety measures and make it harder for them to get to you. They will recognize your efforts and move on to easier prey.

Photo © PictureQuest.

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Find out what to do when a predator gets in your car.