It's Time to Talk

The appointment began like many others: a potential listing, someone I didn’t know. Meeting at the front door of a 3 story townhome, invited in. The entirety of the first floor was a garage and a small foyer, with only a set of stairs leading up in front of me, and the front door behind me.

The male owner greeted me and invited me in, exchanging an introductory handshake and pleasantries. As I stepped in, toward the stairs, and looked around, he shut the entry door and locked it. And took the key out. There was interior deadbolt with a key, and he had just put it in his pocket. My heart stopped that instant.

Do you choose potential business over your own safety?

I stood there, leather portfolio in one hand, purse over my other shoulder, wearing three-inch heels, and there was nowhere for me to run.

His body language didn’t indicate a threat, but my heart was hammering as I ascended the stairs ahead of him, trying to make small talk and still look for a way out. When we got to the second floor, the main level, I exhaled...his toddler daughter was sitting watching television there. He later explained the lock was because she was an escape artist who could reach a normal deadbolt.

I would have said, up to that point, that I was a careful agent. I always did my homework on potential clients before meeting them: internet research, asking plenty of questions, pre-qualifying. Appointments during daylight hours with new clients, buddy system of checking in with fellow agents, text my husband within a few minutes of an appointment to say all was clear. And yet, I was in a situation that could have taken a horrible turn.

Almost every agent has stories of their own like this, and yet we still go on those appointments, day after day, year after year. But not all of us make it back unharmed, no matter how careful we might have been. How often is safety a topic of conversation in our real estate offices? How much of a priority is placed on an agent’s personal safety over the potential for new business?

The curse of the independent contractor: take care of yourself

September is Realtor Safety Month, and now is the time to talk about this, no matter how uncomfortable the subject may be. Our profession regularly puts agents in the position of having to make a choice: do you take the appointment when there are red flags and something doesn’t seem quite right? Or do you try to dig deeper to ensure it’s a safe situation, with the possibility that the potential client will be offended and move on?

Carl Carter, son of murdered Realtor Beverly Carter, recently penned an article for Realtor Magazine. He’s spent the three years since her murder championing agent safety in our industry, and he STILL has brokers say to him “Agents are independent contractors, so it’s their responsibility to learn about safety procedures and apply them. I don’t want to be involved because I don’t want to be liable if something goes wrong.”

That can’t be good enough for our industry, and for the agents that do their best every day to meet new people and create new business without compromising their personal safety. At some point, we have to insist that ensuring agent safety is a responsibility shared by the whole industry. Associations can help provide education, tools, and guidance. Brokers can invest in technology and processes. And agents can educate themselves on risks and use the systems and tools at their disposal every time they meet someone new.

This isn’t a conversation for only one month out of the year. We have to talk about this in our offices, at our association meetings, in our new agent training. Agents need to be comfortable addressing it with clients, as well. Discussions about safety must be baked into the way we teach agents to conduct appointments and generate business. Taking steps to verify a consumer’s identity before meeting with them, protecting yourself during the appointment, and having safety support systems within your brokerage and with fellow agents is just the beginning.

What are you doing to keep yourself and other agents safe? It’s time to talk.

(There are a ton of resources out there to help agents and brokerages develop processes to stay safe. Inman News has written a ton of excellent articles that include safety tips, personal safety apps, and open house safety. NAR also has a wealth of information for Realtor Safety Month listed on the safety section of their website; look for information on webinars, safety products, and the Member Safety report.)