You’ve heard a lot about the importance of digital security in real estate, but today’s message from Premier Closing Services focuses on a different kind of safety. After all, September is Realtor Safety Month. You’re likely using some of this advice on how to stay safe in the field already, but we want to keep encouraging good habits.
Don’t be too public.
We all know much of real estate is about making connections and being social. However, that doesn’t mean just throwing caution to the wind. Be careful regarding your promotional information on social media and even in conversations with others.
Gather as much information as possible about people.
Much of the advice on this NAR tipsheet centers on confirming identity (making copies of a client’s driver’s license) and relying on caller ID. This helps ward off bad actors of multiple kinds.
Open house safety is important, too.
Before an open house starts, make sure each room has “escape routes” and move furniture to create a clearer path if needed. Consider limiting the number of people inside a home at a time, too. Finally, when the public showing is done, have a friend or colleague check all the rooms (and the backyard) for stragglers.
Always be in control of the situation.
This means driving your car to showings and appointments whenever possible, ensuring you have cell service beforehand if a property is in an unknown area, and only showing properties when there’s light outside. We know that the last one will get more difficult as the year marches on, so we thought it would be good to mention it now.
The bottom line is that we love our Realtor friends and want you to stay safe. Thank you for trusting the PCS team to always do the job for you. Security is always one of our top priorities, whether we’re talking about our transactions or the physical well-being of our customers and partners.