September is REALTOR® Safety Month!!

As you know REALTORS® across the country are threatened, robbed, physically or sexually assaulted while fulfilling the everyday requirements of their jobs. Some even have lost their lives.

This message is designed to help to educate you in ways to ensure your personal safety and avoid risks – on the job, at home and on the road.

Being safe in all areas of your life is first and foremost. This brief summary of how to handle situations where you may be in danger is a reminder to be alert and be prepared.

• Rely on your mobile phone – keep it charged and with you at all times.
• Pre-program emergency numbers in your cell – 911
• Remind sellers that strangers will be walking through their home. Tell them to put valuables in a secure hiding place. This includes prescription drugs.
• Check the property before you leave the house – be sure everyone is out prior to locking the doors.
• When describing a listing never say that the property is vacant!
• Do an initial walk-through with escape in mind. Upon entering an open house property for the first time, check each room and determine at least two “escape routs. Make sure all deadbolt locks are unlocked for an easy access to the outside.
• Always let someone know where you are going; leave the name and phone number of the client you are meeting and schedule a time for your office to call you to check in.
• If you carry a purse, lock it in the trunk of your car before arriving at an appointment. You should carry only non-valuable business items (except your cell phone), and do not wear expensive jewelry or appear to be carrying large sums of money.
• At an open house, be alert to visitors’ comings and goings, especially near th e end of showing hours. Police have reported groups of criminals that target open houses, showing up en masse near the end of the afternoon. While several “clients” distract the REALTOR®, others go through the house and steal anything they can quickly take.
• When showing the property always let the buyers lead.
• Avoid closets, attics and basements – let the buyers view these areas while you wait outside the door.
• Don’t park where you can be boxed in. Never park in the seller’s driveway. The assailant can park behind you.
• Keep you head in a car-jacking situation. If you’re car-jacked in a parking lot and forced to drive, don’t leave the area. If you’re in a crowded area, run your vehicle into another car, a building or a tree. If you’re confronted at your car, throw your keys in one direction and run screaming in the opposite direction.
• Remember you can greatly reduce the risks you face as a REALTOR® b simply knowing the danger you face every day, being aware of your surroundings, and empowering yourself with precautions and preparations to avoid risky situations.

NAR has a great deal of information about REALTOR® safety available online at www.realtor.org/safety