Most real estate professionals, whether they are agents, appraisers, inspectors, or the like, typically spend the majority of their work hours alone. They’re either inspecting vacant buildings, meeting with property owners at a property they are generally unfamiliar with, as well as going into remote locations, or (foolishly) meeting a buyer or tenant prospect they’ve never met and know very little, or nothing about. Then, there are the agents who hold a public Open House, where any member of the general public, including calculating criminals, have free and open access to the home. All of these circumstances present a very real life-threatening danger.

And, this danger isn’t necessarily limited to being from strangers.

In Woodbridge, New Jersey, a real estate agent was asked by her long-time client to meet at his house; a house she was in the process of selling. When the agent arrived, the property owner beat her to death, then set the house on fire, and in the process, also burned himself to death. It seems he wasn’t pleased with the sale price.

Then, there was the recent case of an older man in Glendale, Arizona who had his home listed with an agent. One day, the homeowner was approached by a couple who rang the door bell and said they saw the sign and were very eager to see the inside of the house. Although his agent warned the homeowner to never allow anyone in without being accompanied by an agent with a prior appointment, the homeowner, just as eager to sell, let the couple in. Once inside, the couple beat, tied up and robbed the homeowner; he was lucky; he lived.

In fact, I had an incident where I was inspecting a vacant industrial building in New Jersey when I was cornered by a pack of 8 dogs. It was a very ugly and frightening situation. However, I managed to slip into a dispatcher’s room that was essentially a 10 foot square room with fixed glass windows on all 4 sides. I remained there for nearly 3 hours before I felt safe enough to take the chance on leaving. Keep in mind, this incident occurred prior to the common availability of cell phones.

These are just a few examples of thousands of dangerous situations that have resulted in robbery, assault, rape, and murder.

So, what should real estate professionals do to protect themselves?

1. Don’t create or contribute to the creation of a dangerous situation.

What does that mean?

DON’T meet unknown buyer or tenant prospects at a property before meeting and interviewing them in your office, or (at worst) in a public place, such as a restaurant, coffee shop, or some other populated place.

DON’T go anywhere without telling at least one other person exactly where you are going, who you are meeting, and when you expect to return.

DON’T enter a vacant property on the spur-of-the-moment without first calling someone to tell them exactly where you are, what you are going to do, and when you will call them back to confirm you are okay.

2. Set up back-up safety systems and signals in case you find yourself in a bad situation.

ALWAYS call your office or assistant when you first drive up to a property or a place where you are meeting someone to tell them you’ve arrived; even if you know the person you are meeting.

ALWAYS tell your office or assistant the latest time you will leave the property and call them back to verify your safety status.

ALWAYS require your office or assistant to call you back no longer than 15 minutes after you first call in, to check on your safety.

ALWAYS use a code system to alert others that you are in danger. This is one example:

Create a verbal color code system to use during a phone call, where:

i: if you say “red” you are saying you in danger and they should immediately call the police, or

ii: if you say “yellow” you are telling your assistant you’re unsure and call back in 5 minutes, or

iii: if you say “green” you’re outside of the building and are okay.

When you get the call from your office or assistant, the conversation should go something like this: “I left the (red) file to (the address you are at) on my desk, can you check it for me?” Which means, I’M IN DANGER – CALL THE POLICE RIGHT NOW!

ALWAYS call your office or assistant when you are safely secured in your vehicle and have already left the property.

ALWAYS have your office or assistant live by the rule, that if you do not call in to notify them you have left the property by the time you stated, that your office or assistant is to call your cell and verify your safety using the color code system.

ALWAYS have your office or assistant call the police if you do not answer your cell when they call to verify your safety.

3. Carry personal protection to defend yourself in the event of an unexpected dangerous situation.

This is the topic on which it is most difficult to provide advice, since the advice is driven more by where you live, than by anything else.

For example, by far, the best defense against such a threat is to carry a personal firearm, be well trained in its use, and be a committed suspicious observer of everyone and everything.

Sound paranoid? Maybe. But, it will very likely keep you alive by giving you the opportunity to eliminate that danger should it present itself in spite of your best efforts to avoid it.

Many states, including the State of Arizona, actually recognize and respect the 2nd Amendment to the US Constitution. Arizona and many other states also make it simple for a non-criminal citizen or legal resident alien to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon; the best of all possible methods of defense.

However, if you live in a state that prevents you from carrying a firearm, you are very limited in your choices, since most other defensive tools are far less likely to overcome a criminal who probably will have a firearm. Further, many states and cities (primarily in the northeastern US) even make it unlawful to carry a tazer (a/k/a stun-gun), mace, or many other non-lethal personal defense tools. To real estate professionals working in those areas, I can only say, “good luck.”

AS FOR THE RESIDENTIAL HOMEOWNER, you must recognize, that you are the most vulnerable of all criminal targets, regardless of where you live. This is especially true in situations of conducting an Open House, or showing your vacant house, or if you live alone, or have young children in the home, because all of these circumstances are very “soft” targets for criminals.

So, what is a homeowner’s best defense?

A competent and conscientious real estate agent.

Sound self-serving?

Well, consider this: If experienced real estate agents take such extensive precautions against the real dangers they face, don’t you think it’s reasonable that you are exposing yourself, your home and your family to a far greater likelihood of becoming victims of a serious crime?

Think about it.

I’d like to hear your comments.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 9:16 am and is filed under Safety. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.