How to show Property Safely!

Everyone has done this from time to time: you are in a rush and pull up to a showing appointment running late, pull into the driveway and see your customers waiting by their car. They follow you into the house while you are busy unlocking the door and saying your apologies about how heavy the traffic was... You enter and realize they are a large family, some of them go left and some go right. You flap and just say "take a look around and let me know if you have any questions". After they are gone you may realize how unsafe this showing was for you and how it could have gone better. 

1. Arrive early, that is approx. 10-15 minutes before your customer or client arrives! Be sure to park on the road, not in the driveway, in that way you cannot be blocked in and your car has an easier exit. 

2. Once you arrive early you have time to enter the house without people right behind you, you can turn lights on, familiarize yourself with the floor plan and locate all the exterior doors. You may want to unlock the back door if it is a fairly "safe" neighborhood providing you with a quick exit if needed. Keep the front door locked at this time. 

3. When your people arrive and knock on the door, go outside and holding the door shut behind you, ask the people if everyone is present in their group and if they are all ready to come inside? If there are not then wait until they all gather together, but if they are then invite them inside as one group. If there are several people present, keep the group together and do not let them follow you, instead they should go ahead of you while you direct them politely but firmly where to go. Otherwise, if it is more comfortable you could walk backwards but this can be tricky to master, and you have to make sure you have a clear path behind you throughout the home. 

4. Try to keep an exit close to you, and get used to positioning yourself so that the customer is not between you and an exterior exit. Just in case there is an altercation  you can make the quickest possible exit to the nearest exterior door. 

5. Whenever possible, have a new customer meet you at your commercial office so you can greet them in a professional setting and make a copy of their ID for the office records. Be aware of any suspicious behavior. This may include inappropriate body language, suggestive remarks, or odd requests such as the person wanting to meet a female-only agent (this request may have a valid reason, but you could take another colleague with you and have them sit in the car and come in after a few minutes to check on you). If you are in any way suspicious about a prospect's intentions over the phone, take another colleague with you or just don't meet with them at all. Safety should always be a top priority. 

6. The question about arming yourself for protection may be off-putting to some, but one that many people take seriously. There are many products on the market from alarms, pepper sprays, stun guns and of course firearms. If you choose to equip yourself with one of these devices, ask your employer or broker if they have any rules regarding this, and make sure you are complying with your state laws and licensing. Whatever device you use, be extremely familiar with how to use it, so that if you ever felt your life was in danger you would immediately know how to react and use it correctly. The worst thing you could have happen is have your attacker take a stun gun or firearm from you and use it against you. Therefore I only recommend these for agents who are able to use one safely and can practice regularly with it. 

Happy showings and be safe out there!

Oliver Overton-Morgan
Oliver Overton-Morgan is the Broker of Absolut Realty Inc, an Orlando-based investment real estate and property management company.