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Take 2 seconds when you arrive at your destination.
• Is there any questionable activity in the area?
• Are you parked in a well-lit, visible location?
• Can you be blocked in the driveway by a prospect’s vehicle?

Take 2 seconds after you step out of your car.
• Are there suspicious people around?
• Do you know exactly where you’re going?

Take 2 seconds as you walk towards your destination.
• Are people coming and going or is the area unusually quiet?
• Do you observe any obstacles or hiding places in the parking lot or along the street?
• Is anyone loitering in the area?

Take 2 seconds at the door.
• Do you have an uneasy feeling as you’re walking in?
• Is someone following you in?

Take 2 seconds as soon as you enter your destination.
• Does anything seem out of place?
• Is anyone present who shouldn’t be there or who isn’t expected?

Safety in Just 10 Seconds
It takes just 10 seconds to scope out your surroundings and spot and avoid danger. Make this “ten-second scan” a habit in your everyday work as a Real Estate Professional Then share it with someone else.

(Source: “What You Can Do About Safety,” REALTOR® Magazine, September 2000. Courtesy Night Owl/Vector Security, Landover, MD.)

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

1. If possible, always try to have at least one other person working with you at the home.

2. When a person comes through the office to view a model home, have them complete a guest register that includes their full name, address, phone number, e-mail, and vehicle information.

3. Keep your cell phone and your car keys with you at all times. Keep your handbag locked in the trunk of your vehicle.

4. When closing the model homes for the night, never assume that the home is vacant. 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 familiar enough with each home to know the exits. Be aware of your surroundings. Be prepared to protect yourself.

(Sources: City of Mesa, AZ)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

It isn’t pleasant to think about, but it’s important to know the facts. Experts agree that when escape is an option, that is the route you should take. Remember, your primary goal in any incident is to escape from the danger and call for help.

When faced with menacing behavior, you should first try to find a discreet way of removing yourself from the situation. Try to avoid triggering the emotion a predator might use to justify an attack. For example, you can say that you need to step outside to make a phone call and then don’t come back inside.

If an attack does occur, trust yourself and stay as calm as possible. Think rationally and evaluate your options. There is no single right way to respond to a confrontation, because each situation is different. Your response should depend on the circumstances: the location of the attack, your personal resources, the characteristics of your assailant and the presence of weapons. There are many strategies that are effective, but you must rely on your own judgment to choose the best one.

No resistance: Not resisting can be the proper choice in a given situation. An attacker with a gun or a knife may put you in a situation where you think it is safer to do what he or she says. If someone tries to rob you, give up your property, not your life.

Stalling for time: Appear to go along with the attacker. This might give you time to assess the situation. When his guard is down, try to escape.

Distraction and then flight: Obviously you should try to get away, but whether you can depends on many things, including your shoes and clothing, physical stamina, the terrain and your proximity to your attacker.

Verbal assertiveness: If someone is coming toward you, hold out your hands in front of you and yell “Stop!” or “Stay back!” Criminals have been known to leave a victim alone if he or she yelled or showed that he or she was not afraid to fight back.

Physical resistance: If you decide to respond physically, remember that your first response should be to flee the area or the home. Act quickly and decisively to throw the attacker off guard while you get away. Your personal safety is your first priority. Property can be replaced, but the value of your life and health is beyond measure. Also, you should familiarize yourself with your state’s laws concerning self-defense, including the issue of what is proper or improper use of force to defend yourself during an attack.

Observation: Be sure to make an effort to get an accurate description of your attacker. Even the smallest details may give authorities a clue to finding the suspect.

(Sources: Washington Real Estate Safety Council)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

• Don’t approach your vehicle if a van or other large vehicle with tinted windows is parked next to it. Find a security guard to walk you to your car, or look for a nearby couple walking to their car and say something like, “That vehicle wasn’t there when I parked. Would you mind making sure I get into my car safely?”

• Have your key ready to open the car door. Never stand next to your car searching through your purse. Robbers, car-jackers and sexual predators all watch for this type of distraction.

• Once in your car, lock the doors immediately.

• Get moving. Don’t sit inside of your vehicle adjusting the stereo, rummaging through shopping bags or your purse, or talking on your phone, especially if the lot is not well populated.

• If you have an unlocking button or keyless entry system, make sure you unlock only the driver door. Unlocking all doors allows a predator to simply slide into your car from the passenger side.

• Make sure that your dome light is always functioning properly. As you unlock your vehicle at night, glance into the back seat and make sure that an attacker has not gained access to your car.

(Source: Road and Travel magazine)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

Share this valuable advice with everyone, and you’ll help them learn to protect themselves against crime:

• Remind your clients that strangers will be walking through their home during showings or open houses. Tell them to hide any valuables in a safe place. For security’s sake, remember to remove keys, credit cards, jewelry, crystal, furs and other valuables from the home or lock them away during showings. Also remove prescription drugs. Some seemingly honest people wouldn’t mind getting their hands on a bottle of Viagra, uppers or downers.

• DON’T leave personal information like mail or bills out in the open where anyone can see it. Be sure to lock down your computer and lock up your laptop and any other expensive, easy-to-pocket electronics, like iPods, before your showing.

• Tell your clients not to show their home by themselves. Alert them that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Predators come in all shapes and sizes. We tell our children not to talk to strangers. Tell your sellers not to talk to other agents or buyers, and to refer all inquiries to you.

• Instruct your clients that they are responsible for their pets. If possible, animals should be removed during showings. Make clients aware that buyers and agents are sometimes attacked, and the owner will be held liable.

• At an open house, be alert to the pattern of visitors’ arrivals, especially near the end of showing hours. In some areas, a group of thieves will show up together near the end of the open house and, while a string of “potential buyers” distracts the agent, the rest of the group walks through the house, stealing any valuables they come across.

• Finally, when you leave a client’s property, whether after an open house or a standard showing, make sure that all doors and windows are locked. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves.

• Let your clients know that you will take all of the above safety precautions, but that when they return home, they should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for.

(Source: REALTORSafety911.com; Realty Times; ThinkGlink.com)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

You can help safeguard your business’s (and your personal) property, and the safety of all who work in the office, with a few procedures and precautions:

1. Know staff in other nearby businesses and be aware of their schedules.
2. Ensure that all doors other than the main entrance are secured.
3. Make certain windows are not obscured so that passersby can see in.
4. Make sure there is a clear exit route from the service desk to the door.
5. Never allow visitors to wander freely about the business. Have the person whom they want to see come to the front office area and escort the individual to the meeting area.
6. Have a visitor log book and policy on issuing visitor tags that limit access to certain areas and hours of the day.
7. If you encounter an individual while working late or alone, indicate to that person that you are not alone. Say something like, “My supervisor will be right with you and should be able to assist you.”
8. Keep personal information private. Avoid discussing where you live, after-work or vacation plans in front of customers, new coworkers or anyone in general with whom you are not comfortable.
9. Never leave valuables, purses or wallets tucked behind counters or on desks.
10. Lock away personal letterhead and business cards to avoid use by unauthorized people.
11. Mark equipment for easy identification in the event of theft or damage. Maintain an inventory of all marked items.
12. Lock up audio/visual equipment when not in use.
13. Secure spare and master keys in locked cabinets.
14. Protect client information. Most offices keep sensitive personal information on their computers and/or in paper files—names, Social Security numbers, credit card or other account data—that identifies customers or employees. If this sensitive data falls into the wrong hands, it can lead to fraud or identity theft.

(Source: Sonoma County Crime Crushers)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

• Be sure to use the lockbox property-key procedure that has been established to improve real estate agent safety. A reliable, secure lockbox system such as those made by REALTOR Benefits® Program partner SentriLock (www.sentrilock.com) ensures that keys don’t fall into the wrong hands.

• Show properties before dark. If you are going to be working after hours, advise your associate or first-line supervisor of your schedule. If you must show a property after dark, turn on all lights as you go through, and don’t lower any shades or draw curtains or blinds.

• Try and call the office once an hour to let people know where you are.

• If you think it may be some time before a property sells (and you may, therefore, be showing it often), get acquainted with a few of the immediate neighbors. You will feel better knowing they know your vehicle, and they will feel better about the stranger (you) who frequently visits their neighborhood.

• Prepare a scenario so that you can leave, or encourage someone who makes you uncomfortable to leave. Examples: Your cell phone or beeper went off and you have to call your office, you left some important information in your car, or another agent with buyers is on his way.

• In showing a property, always leave the front door unlocked for a quick exit while you and the client are inside. As you enter each room, stand near the door.

• It is better to not display purses while at a property. Lock your purse in the car trunk before you arrive. Carry only non-valuable business items (except for your cell phone), and do not wear expensive jewelry or watches, or appear to be carrying large sums of money.

• Park at the curb in front of the property rather than in the driveway. You will attract much more attention running and screaming to the curb area. It is much easier to escape in your vehicle if you don’t have to back out of a driveway. Besides, parked in a driveway, another vehicle could purposefully or accidentally trap you.

(Sources: Louisiana REALTORS® Association; Washington Real Estate
Safety Council; City of Albuquerque, NM; Nevada County Association of REALTORS®; City of Mesa, AZ)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

1. Try to plan your visits to automatic teller during the day, rather than after dark.

2. Choose an ATM location in a busy public place.

3. If possible, take along a friend who can watch the surroundings while you are conducting your transactions.

4. Pre-plan your transaction carefully, and don’t spend too much time at the machine.

5. When you make a withdrawal, quickly place the money in your purse or wallet and leave as soon as you finish your transaction.

6. Watch out for suspicious-looking people waiting around an ATM – they may not really be customers. If someone offers to let you go ahead of them, decline politely and leave.

7. When visiting a drive-through ATM, keep your doors locked and be prepared to drive away quickly. If anyone approaches your car on foot, roll up your window and drive off.

8. If you have not finished your transaction, and a suspicious character approaches you, press the CANCEL button, receive your card and leave quickly.

(Source: Louisiana REALTORS)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.

• If you are being harassed or stalked, report the offender to your employer and the police immediately.

• All of your marketing materials should be polished and professional. Don’t use alluring or provocative photography in advertising, on the Web or on your business cards. There are many documented cases of criminals actually circling photographs of their would-be victims in newspaper advertisements. These victims were targeted because of their appearance in the photograph.

• Limit the amount of personal information you share. Consider advertising without using your photograph, home phone number and/or home address in the newspaper or on business cards. Don’t use your full name with middle name or initial. Use your office address—or list no address at all. Giving out too much of the wrong information can make you a target.

• Install caller I.D. on your telephone, which should automatically reject calls from numbers that have been blocked. This will provide you with immediate information about the source of the call.

• Be careful how much personal information you give verbally as well. Getting to know your client does not need to include personal information about your children, where you live and who you live with.

• 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 or current client asking for you by name.

• Meet weekly or monthly with co-workers and other area brokers to discuss business and safety issues. Share any concerns! If you are dealing with a suspicious customer, take extra precautions to avoid isolation or vulnerability. Discontinue your services for that customer if necessary.

• Maintain a file on past and present suspicious customers and homes.

• Report harassing phone calls to your employer and to the police immediately.

• It’s important to tell the caller “never call here again,” in order to meet the letter of the law regarding telephonic harassment.

(Sources: Washington Real Estate Safety Council; Louisiana REALTORS® Association; City of Mesa, AZ)

Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety

This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.