1. Real Estate Safety Seminar in support of 2011 REALTOR® Safety Month
State of Our Safety
Real Estate Safety Seminar in support of 2011 REALTOR® Safety Month
September, 2011

2. Outline Part 1: Thinking About Your Safety
Why Should Real Estate Professionals Care About Safety?
2011 Real Estate Safety Survey Results
Using Technology To Stay Safe
Part 2: Planning and Maintaining A Safety Strategy
Staying Safe at Open Houses
Staying Safe at Vacant Properties
Fundamental Safety Tips
Closing Thoughts

3. Real Estate and Safety
The aim of this presentation is to ensure real estate professionals think about their safety every time they are meeting a potential client or assessing a vacant property.

4. Thinking About Your Safety
Part 1
Thinking About Your Safety

5. Why Should Real Estate Professionals Care About Safety?
Real estate agents are constantly meeting complete strangers, some of whom have questionable intentions. Headlines often remind us of this exposure:
August, 2011: Nebraska REALTOR® assaulted while hosting an open house.
July, 2011: Georgia REALTOR® bound and robbed while showing a vacant property.
April, 2011: Iowa REALTOR®, Ashley Okland, murdered while she was showing a model townhouse.
December, 2010: Texas REALTOR®, Janice Tisdale, brutally attacked while showing a multimillion dollar listing.

6. 2011 Real Estate Safety Survey Results
Thinking About Safety
2011 Real Estate Safety Survey Results

7. What aspects of the job make REALTORS® feel unsafe?
12/7/2018
What aspects of the job make REALTORS® feel unsafe?
Source: Real Estate Safety Survey conducted by Moby

8. What are REALTORS® doing to protect themselves?
12/7/2018
What are REALTORS® doing to protect themselves?
Source: Real Estate Safety Survey conducted by Moby

9. What tools do REALTORS® use to protect themselves?
Source: Real Estate Safety Survey conducted by Moby

10. Using Technology To Stay Safe
Thinking About Safety
Using Technology To Stay Safe

11. Using Technology To Stay Safe
There are numerous technologies, such as smartphone apps, specifically designed to ensure the safety of real estate agents.
Easy to integrated into your day-to-day schedule.
Cost and time effective.

12. Smartphone Apps To Stay Safe
Apps that teach you first aid skills:
Useful when you or someone with you needs immediate medical attention.
Emergency First Aid Guide App for Android gives detailed what-to-do illustrations and guides.
iPhone alternative: Professional First Aid App

13. Smartphone Apps To Stay Safe
Apps for mapping you surrounding areas:
Mapping Apps allow you to answer:
Is the house in an isolated area?
What are the quickest exit routes?
Apps such as Google Maps enable you to check maps even when you are offline.
Available on BlackBerry, Android, and iPhone.

14. Smartphone Apps To Stay Safe
Moby is a safety application designed specifically to keep real estate professionals safe.
Alert: Notify your contacts or emergency services with your status and GPS location.
Check-in: Let clients, colleagues, and loved ones know you are OK, along with your location, with a touch of a button.
Location Sharing: Privately share your location with the contacts you choose, and the time limit you set.
Available on BlackBerry, iPhone and coming soon for Android

15. Planning and Maintaining a Safety Strategy
Part 2
Planning and Maintaining a Safety Strategy

16. Safety On The Job
Two of the most common dangers real estate professionals face:
Hosting an open house
Showing vacant properties
The following section will outline principle safety tips that every real estate professional should be familiar with.

17. Planning and Maintaining a Safety Strategy
Staying Safe At Open Houses

18. Safety & Open Houses Preparation
Questions to ask yourself prior to hosting an open house:
Do others know where you are hosting
the open house, and for how long?
Do you have safety apps installed
on your smartphone?
Is your phone charged?
Does your car have enough fuel?
Have you arranged for someone to check-in on you?

19. Safety & Open Houses Arrival at the open house
Important reminders once you arrive at the property:
Park on the street so that your car cannot be blocked-in.
Place a business card with the date and time in a kitchen cabinet.
This will ensure your last location is known if you were to ever get in trouble.
Is the house empty?
Pay special attention to your safety while checking the property.

20. Safety & Open Houses Arrival at the open house
Important reminders once you arrive at the property:
Inform a neighbor that you will be showing the property. Ask them to inform you if they see anything suspicious.
Check which parts of the house have cell phone reception.
Place all valuables, except your cell phone, in the trunk of your car.

21. Safety & Open Houses Hosting the open house
Important reminders while hosting the open house:
Always let the prospective clients lead the way.
Ensures that you cannot be attacked from behind.
Avoid basements, attics, or tight spaces.
Ensures that you cannot be cornered or trapped in an area.

22. Safety & Open Houses Hosting the open house
Important reminders while hosting the open house:
Make sure your phone is always within reach.
Check-in with the office or make use of Moby’s check-in app.
Closing: Make sure that every guest has vacated the property.

23. Planning and Maintaining a Safety Strategy
Staying Safe At Vacant Properties

24. Safety And Vacant Properties
Preparation
Get familiar with your prospective clients:
Meet new clients in your office for the first time, not at the property.
Verify the client’s identity and make a copy of their driver’s license.
Ask the client to complete a Prospect Identification Form.
Place a copy on your desk, and give a copy to a colleague.
Introduce the prospective client to a colleague.

25. Safety And Vacant Properties
Preparation
Having a Safety Plan in advance will provide you with much needed peace of mind!
Let others know where you will be showing properties, and for how long.
Arrange manual check-ins with a colleague or automate check-ins with Moby.
Prepare a distress code with a colleague so you can discretely call for help during an emergency.

26. Safety And Vacant Properties
Showing the Vacant Property
Important points to remember prior to venturing out to the vacant property:
Make sure to drive your own vehicle when showing properties.
Ensures that you are in complete control if you need to leave during an emergency.
Inform the prospective client that you have another appointment after meeting them.
Illustrates to the client that someone will know if you go missing.

27. Safety And Vacant Properties
Showing The Vacant Property
Key safety reminders while your prospective client is viewing the property:
Make sure you are not distracted with a phone call when showing the property.
Attackers usually wait for moments of distraction to make their move.
Make sure the back doors are locked while you are at the property.
Be actively aware of your surroundings and listen for unusual sounds.
Keep an eye on the street to see who is entering and leaving the neighborhood.

28. Fundamental Safety Tips
Defend yourself: Learn a few key self- defense moves.
Don’t be a walking target: Never wear expensive jewelry or accessories to show properties.
Trust your instincts: If you feel uneasy with a client, have an excuse ready to leave the property.
Always be aware of your safety! No sale is worth risking your safety.

29. Closing Thoughts and Resources
Thank you for taking time to review this presentation.
While most of our lives are safe day to day, it’s important to remember that real estate can be a dangerous profession. The best way to stay safe on the job is to be prepared and actively thinking about our safety.