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Mission: Critical - Your Safety
3rd Annual REALTOR Safety
Week September 11 – September 17
Sunday September, 11th marks the beginning of REALTOR Safety Week
2005. In the upcoming week, you may be invited to attend an
informational meeting or event at your office or association. Many of
these gatherings will include materials provided by the National
Association of REALTORS designed to help you work confidently and be
safe. Following are some helpful tips and advice to help you
understand how to prevent a potentially dangerous situation.
REALTOR Safety DOs and DON'Ts
DO take the safest and best-lighted route -- day or night --
while driving to appointments, keeping the car windows up and doors
locked. Never pick up hitchhikers, male or female.
DO always inform your office of where you will be, who you will
be with and when you will next be in touch. Make sure the person you
are meeting knows that you've given your office this information.
DO be aware of the neighborhood in which you are showing a
listing. If the neighborhood poses any possible threat to your
personal safety, take another person with you.
DO allow the client to proceed ahead of you while showing the
property. Make sure you have previewed the property and know all of
the accessible exits. Leave the doors unlocked for easy exit. Carry
your cellular telephone with you at all times.
DO establish a method of being able to relate an emergency
situation to the office or a contact person. Establishing a "distress"
code word or having a "panic button" in your possession to use, if
needed, will give you alternate ways of alerting the office of your
situation.
DON'T hold an open house alone, if at all possible. Working
with a partner allows you the luxury of having someone available to
call or go to for assistance, if needed, and someone to help monitor
how many people are in the house. If you must do an open house alone,
stay near the door and let the prospect look through the house alone.
Keep all valuables in the home -- jewelry, money, guns, etc. - locked
away.
DON'T host an open house at a property you have not already
previewed. Know the location of all of the exits and how to contact
the closest neighbors. Make sure that if you use the backyard as an
escape route that there is an exit out of it. make sure all of the
exit doors are unlocked during the open house.
DON'T wear expensive jewelry and, if at all possible, keep your
handbag locked in the trunk of your vehicle while you are hosting an
open house. Have your car keys readily available by keeping them
either in a pocket or clipped to a belt.
DON'T assume everyone has left the premises at the end of an
open house. Check all of the rooms and the backyard prior to locking
all of the doors. Be prepared to defend yourself, if necessary.
DON'T show a property alone at night, especially if it is
vacant.
Additional Safety Tips
• Each office should keep a file on each agent's vehicle -- make,
year, model, color and license plate number.
• Each agent should leave a daily schedule of outside appointments
with their office showing client names and times.
• Always meet your client, prospect or buyer at your office and have
them complete an information form, taking a photo of their driver's
license. The information form should contain vehicle information also.
• Have each agent carry a log to write down prospective client's name,
driver's license and vehicle information.
• At open houses, a guest registry should be kept for all persons
viewing the house. This registry should include vehicle information.
• Never show a property as a result of only a telephone call. Always
meet them in the office and have them complete an information form.
• Do not list your home address or telephone number on business cards.
• All agents in your office should use only their first initial and
last name on their "For Sale" signs to conceal gender and prevent
anyone other than a personal acquaintance asking for you by name.
• Any behavior that makes you feel uncomfortable should not be
ignored. Your safety, or even your life, may depend on you listening
to your instincts!
Danger Signals
New client refuses to meet at the office first. Always meet a new
client at your office, never at a property. Make a copy of their
driver's license and have them fill out an information form.
Suspicious Behavior. If you have any suspicions or uneasiness about a
client, DO NOT got to the showing alone, no matter what time of day.
Ask another person to accompany you. If you are at an open house and
you feel that you are in danger, leave the home and seek assistance.
Client wants you to ride with him/her to property. Always drive your
own vehicle to the property. Keep your car locked while driving to the
property and after you park it. If your client will not ride with you,
make sure that the completed information form contains the client's
vehicle information. Once at the property DO NOT park your vehicle
where it can be blocked.
The buyer wants you to lead the way through the home. Always follow
the prospect through the home and never let them get behind you. Your
attention should be focused on the client, not on the house.
Are You a Realtor at a Model Home?
Here are a few tips that might help keep you safe:
• When a person comes through the office to view your model homes have
them complete a guest register that includes making a copy of their
driver's license. FAX the information back to the main office.
• Keep the keys to your vehicle and your cell phone with you at all
times. Keep your handbag locked in the trunk of your vehicle rather
than in your desk.
• When closing the model homes for the night, never assume that the
home is vacant. Be familiar enough with each home to know the exits.
Check the interior of the house prior to locking the doors, working
from the top floor to the bottom, back of the house to the front,
locking the doors behind you. Be aware of your surroundings. Be
prepared to protect yourself.
• Enroll in a self defense education course to assist you in
protecting yourself until someone can respond to your call for help.
Never assume that you can talk your way out of a situation. Look for,
and take, the first opportunity to escape.
Safety Tips Courtesy of CityOfMesa.org Crime Prevention Unit, used
with permission
Remember! Criminals aren’t the only ones who can compromise your
safety. You play a role in your day to day well being. Be sure you are
cautious when talking on your cell phone while driving by using a
headset or earpiece. If you do not have a headset or earpiece, pull
over to speak on your cell phone; an accident can occur in a split
second.
REALTORS® Relief Efforts for Hurricane Katrina
For more
information about how to donate, please visit the following links:
REALTORS Relief Effort News Page
Contributions
Now Being Accepted to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation
You may make contributions online through NAR's secure Web site:
www.realtor.org/relief
You may wish to add
a section to your website about the NAR Relief Fund. With 100% of any
contributions going straight to disaster relief, make every penny
count.
Advanced Access has created the following banners that you may
use with our compliments. Please “right-click” to save the image you
wish to use to your computer and then upload it to your File Library
on your website. You may then add the image to your Home Page Manager
(or any other section) with information on where to donate to ‘make
every penny count’.
After you upload the image to your website, be sure to hyperlink it to
the Realtor Relief website. If you have another donation of
choice, please visit the link located under these banners to select an
image that is not specific to any one organization to add to
your website.
The staff and
management at Advanced Access would like to express our sincerest
condolences to all who have been affected by this tragic natural
disaster. To our Advanced Access family in the affected area – some
of whom we have not yet heard from – our thoughts and prayers go out
to you and we wish you the very best.
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Advanced Access
8101 East Kaiser Blvd, Suite 300 Anaheim, CA 92808
Toll Free: (866) 518-1571
Monday - Friday, 7:00 am - 6:00 pm (Pacific)
Saturday & Sunday, 7:00 am - 4:00 pm (Pacific)
Email:
Support@AdvancedAccess.com
Website:
www.AdvancedAccess.com
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