REALTOR Safety Is Not Academic

With the position of vulnerability real estate professionals often experience, safety must be a daily consideration. It’s so important the National Association of REALTORS® has designated September as REALTOR® Safety Month, posting a wealth of resources on safety on Realtor.org.

But even the best tools won’t help if your attitude is, “It can’t happen to me … I’ve never had a problem, why should I change the way I do business?”

It doesn’t take a deep Google search to find a scary list of real estate pros who have been attacked or killed, and they aren’t all women.

If you are a broker, please take a true leadership role with your agents and staff and set office policies to ensure their safety – and enforce them without fail. If you are an agent, ask your broker to be proactive with best practices for safety – and follow them yourself.

The REALTOR® Safety section of Realtor.org includes excellent office forms, resources, articles, videos and more. (There are even tips for showing and managing commercial properties.)

Many of the suggested procedures can be implemented by an individual, but many require an inside-the-office component, a partner. For instance, having a distress code system won’t help unless you have someone to call who understands it and can call police to help you.

If you think safety concerns are overblown, please consider the impact on your family and your clients if something happens to you.

Homes don’t often burn down or flood, but we emphasize prevention and good insurance protection to our clients anyway. Don’t be the equivalent of a child playing with matches when it comes to your safety in pursuing your real estate career.

We found this article in the wonderful newsletter from Susie Hale of FrogPond. You can learn more at FrogPond.com.