[Linda]

Every Sept. is Realtor Safety Month. So every Sept. we get to be told how to get out of a choke hold, how to stomp the bad guys foot, etc. I find it all very frustrating in that concealed carry is never mentioned as a viable alternative to our self protection.:banghead: Real estate is inherently a very dangerous occupation if you think about it.

I've written an article that has gotten rave reviews from like minded Realtors across the country.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3273.html

[atlctyslkr]

This is a great article. My wife is a real estate agent. She's going to send it around her office.

[LSCurrier]

Fantastic article!!

Luke

[bumm]

>This is a great article. My wife is a real estate
> agent. She's going to send it around her office.

I agree. Any job where a potential bad guy can choose a time and place to put you in a vulnerable position can be very dangerous. Many years ago, I delivered pizzas. I never got into trouble, but I certainly wouldn't have recommended the job to a female.
Marty

[22-rimfire]

I think concealed carry is the way to go with a realtor. Problem is that you routinely get very close to people in your car which limits your abilty to defend yourself. Knives are the problem as I see it. I would not transport someone as a realtor that made me nervous. Life is too short.

[Linda]

It's a rarity that I ever put someone in my car, unless I know them personally.

With Ohio's "plain sight" rule, it makes it even more of a rarity that I will volunteer to drive them.

[hso]

Good article.

Is there anything that can be done ahead of time to screen and ID potential buyers/renters so that the realtor can improve their safety?

[Linda]

hso, I really don't think anything we do prior to meeting them for the 1st time will be fail safe, beyond making them submit to a full background check, and that won't happen. We can make them meet us at the office or take a copy of their ID, but to me, that's not realistic. I would have to drive 20 miles into my office, to potencially drive back 40 miles in the opposite direction. Generally (I will admit not always) I will give my husband the address of where the house is I'm meeting them.

We take a great risk that first meeting. Beyond that, we can take control somewhat by making them have preapproval before meeting them the 2nd time. If they go that step, at least we can assume they are serious.

So I guess my best option is to ALWAYS take my best friend with me. His name is "Colt" and he's .45 today, and he loves having one in the pipe. I hope I never have to introduce him!:eek:

[SiG Lady]

Over the past many years I've assisted estate agents (one in particular) with photos of their homes for routine publication and have seen many female agents in potentially vulnerable situations. It occured to me along the way that conducting an "Open" by yourself (if female) was obviously dangerous, and picking up someone in your car was simply unheardof. :eek:

I think the idea of a tag-along friend/loved one/hubby/bodyguard is an EXCELLENT idea all 'round and should be recommended to all female agents.

And carrying a gun on your person at times like these is a VERRRRY good idea even it no one publicly recommends it. Obviously, that buckeye article supports this.

[usp9]

My wife and I stopped in to look at a model home recently. The female sales person greeted us with " Hello, nice to see you, I'm not alone, someone else is here with me." A sad commentary on the times. If she's that afraid she needs a new job. In the '70s and '80s I worked in a company with around 800 employees. In a nine year period there were seven people killed during robberies and dozens of injuries. Some jobs come with inherent risk. One does what one can to protect oneself, or finds new employment.

[snub1]

When we were looking at model homes, I thought about this issue as well. One we went into was on a quiet, deserted, street, and the way it was built, there were not even any windows to the front of the house - mostly taken up by a garage. I hope the female worker inside was packing something, because the setup made me worry for her safety. And she WAS alone.

A realtor I know will sometimes take her dog with her if she is unsure of the person. I suppose this can work if your dog is well-behaved and trained well.

[Cesiumsponge]

My friend is a realtor and utilizes his CPL with an HK USP 45.

Meetings can be at mutually agreed upon, and convenient places such as a mall food court, a coffee shop, some place public, etc.

[Andrew Rothman]

As an NRA and carry permit instructor, I've had several real estate professionals in my classes.

Unfortunately, their companies are more concerned with political correctness and perception than with their contractors' safety!

[hso]

snub1,

Welcome to THR.



Linda,

I'm just wondering about 'out of the box' ways to stop trouble before it happens. What about a telephone number from them with a reverse search performed before going out? If they don't answer a call to that number then something could be up. Could you request a driver's licence number, name and address for ID purposes for "their security" so that some other agent doesn't meet them or someone pretending to be an agent "Y'know folks, there have been a couple of instances in which someone pretending to be an agent turned out to be a mugger"? That information alone would give you a big advandage in IDing folks before-hand. It would also make potential BGs reluctant to show since there'd be a trail to them. You don't have to run a full background check, but a couple of minutes on the computer might be very valuable.

[snub1]

hso-

Thanks for the welcome, although I have been lurking for a very long time. :) My fiance has been a member here for awhile as well. He even posts once in a blue moon, LOL.

[johnbarth]

I am a real estate agent and never conduct business without carrying a concealed weapon. We also have some inter-office policies that help if one of our agents gets into a sticky situation. I think I have a responsibility to protect my clients as well. Male or female, I think it's always better to be safe than sorry.

[psyopspec]

http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=136283

Here's another thread with an article I found in my local paper a little while back. In it, there's a couple incidents discussed and one real estate agent points out that after a particularly nerve-wracking situation she carries.

[Linda]

Thank you everyone for your input. I will be on NRAnews Wednesday night, 10:20 eastern time. All the great input I've had will help me wrap myself around what I will want to convey.

http://www.nranews.com

[Tom Bri]

I am a realtor too, but in Illinois. We can't legally carry here, of course, the best option we have legally is to carry an unloaded gun in a zipped case. I'll let you guess whether I do that or not.

Our office has codes we use if we feel trouble is imminent. We can call the office with an innocent-sounding message that alerts the office we feel something is up. The office then calls back with an 'urgent message' that we have to meet someone somewhere. The idea being that an attacker will see that we are never out of communication and will hesitate to attack, and we have an exuse to leave immediately. Better than nuttin. I guess.

We also get updates from the local association when someone, usually a small gang, is making the rounds of open houses or predating on realtors/homes for sale.

None of this is much help if the bad guys are normal-looking and attack by ambush.

By the way, to the guy who doesn't like realtors. Complain to the state board that oversees licensing. Here in Il the fines/penaties for bad practice are severe, and enforced. I imagine the same is true in your state. Sueing isn't much of an option, most of us realtors aren't making a lot of money...

[JohnKSa]

Given that you don't want to be attacked and you don't want to have to shoot someone, deterrent is the best approach.

I would be "talking on my phone" when the person approached, take their picture with the camera phone and send it to an associate or friend.

Wrap up the "call", inform the person what you have just done, show them their picture on the phone and then proceed to show them the house.

A bodyguard would be nice, but having to pay two salaries instead of one might make it hard to make a profit...

[PinnedAndRecessed]

Unfortunately, their companies are more concerned with political correctness and perception than with their contractors' safety!


I, too, am a realtor. I work for the largest real estate company in our area. I was required to sign a contract, the second item of which stipulated, no guns on company property.

It said nothing, however, about off company property and certainly said nothing about carrying in the process of showing homes.

Our office has codes we use if we feel trouble is imminent. We can call the office with an innocent-sounding message that alerts the office we feel something is up.

As does ours. But I tried to explain to my manager that this is useless. If a madman is intent on rape/murder, how is the above code a deterrent? Even if the police were dispatched, how is it the case they will arive in time? That's a placebo, at best.

What I've learned is that it quite literally is every man for himself. These companies care little for the safety of its contractors.

[Sheldon J]

Although I am not fond of Realtors (don't ask) they are not the only one's at risk, ever sell a car, motorcycle, RV, TV, any one who ever lets a stranger into their presence, yard sale, garage sale, even the trash man is at risk from freaks. Always be on the alert, and on condition yellow. Well enough of that you get the idea,
Now about what ifs you are selling a anti's home and you defend, are you like the pizza guy and get the ax for staying alive?
This will obviously vary by state as each has different laws, MI just passed a new versing of "Castle Law" effective Oct 1, you have a right to defend any where you are "Legally" allowed to be. But were you in say the Chicago area well you all know of that mess. So what do you do, carry and stay alive or be a nice legal citizen and face grievous injury?
Linda's article could easily be re-written to cover a broad area of "I'm alone un-armed, and selling something to a stranger" game, so be carefull everyone Not just Realtors.