24 Tips to Stay Safe on the Job
Real estate is a high-contact occupation, and with deals that often involve lots of money, it draws scammers out of the woodwork. These tips can help you survive.
Tip: Know what to do if an emergency should occur in the office. Talk to your local fire department about office-appropriate fire and evacuation drills.
Tip: Watch NAR’s Realtor Safety Program Webinar Recording to learn best safety practices that will help you be prepared on the job. Learn more at: NAR.realtor/safety/safety-webinars
Tip: Restrict office keys to those who need them. Maintain a record of keys, including issue and return dates, name and signature of recipient, and an outline of the protocol should an important key be missing.
Tip: Get to know all prospective customers before showing the property. Use your intuition. If you feel uneasy, have someone else with you, or don’t show the property. (Forewarn)
Tip: Choose flight over fight. While every real estate agent should take a basic self-defense course, the primary goal in any threatening situation is to escape from immediate danger and call for help.
Tip: According to the FTC, the first step in securing your business data is to “Take Stock.” Know what personal information you have in your files and on your devices.
Tip: Be on guard at all times during an open house, especially at the end when one or two people may linger in the property.
Tip: Be more alert at the end of an open house. That’s the most dangerous time. Be quiet and listen at the end of your open house and remind the seller to check all the windows and doors.
Tip: Avoid public Wi-Fi. Free wireless networks are convenient, but they can put you at risk of hackers who can access data sent over unprotected networks.
Tip: Social Media usage has an impact on your safety. Carefully consider each item you share, and be aware that old posts, even if they’ve been deleted, may be copied or saved.
Tip: To deter a predator, try to remove the attractor indicators of weakness, subservience, and vulnerability in your marketing, inquiry responses, and showings.
Tip: Distracted driving puts your life and the lives of others at risk. Save the serious discussions for a time when you are not driving.
Tip: Never allow visitors to wander freely around your office. Have the person whom they want to see come to the front of the office area and escort the individual to the meeting area.
Tip: Four absolutes when you should bring someone with you to an appointment: when the property is vacant, there’s poor cell service at the property, you have an uncomfortable feeling before the appointment, and when you haven’t closed a deal in a while.
Tip: Ensure all outside doors and windows are locked when working alone in the office to prevent an intruder from sneaking in.
Tip: Don’t be “too nice” for your own good. Follow your instincts and keep your guard up to potential predators. If you feel unsafe or uncomfortable in any situation, leave.
Tip: Stop. Look. Listen. Before you get in. Pay attention to your surroundings and approach your car with keys in hand ready to open the car door. Always look in the back seat before getting in, lock the doors right away, and get moving.
Tip: During an open house, keep the garage or back door closed to prevent intruders from using multiple entrances, and to be aware of incoming customers.
Tip: Make sure your car keys are on a separate ring from your house and office keys. That way if you misplace a set of keys, you won’t lose all of them.
Tip: Have a weather app on your cell phone that will send a warning in the event of a tornado, hail, hurricane or other weather hazard.
Tip: Have an emergency number, like 9-1-1, on speed dial, and always keep your cell phone on you while meeting a new customer, at an open house or when showing a property. (Enable Agent Safety on your SentriKey Real Estate App)
Tip: Next time you are in a parking lot, don’t stand next to your car searching for your keys. Make sure you have them out and ready to use, and lock your doors as soon as you get in.
Tip: If you are in an unfamiliar area, make mental notes of landmarks, points of interest and intersections. And always know the exact address of where you are going.
Tip: Keep track of your colleagues. Have a check-out employee board at your office, listing your name, destination, customer name, date, and expected return time.
Tip: Inspect your bank account transactions, credit card statements, and credit services for suspicious activity on a regular basis. Identity thieves often test bank accounts with small purchases before making large withdrawals.
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