As a realtor, you’re an expert in what you do in real estate. From showing houses to taking care of your clients, your days can stretch long into the evening hours which can leave you vulnerable to harm. Plus, with social media one of a realtor’s best friends, it’s important to keep yourself safe and not let your guard down no matter how secure things may seem.
Here are some tips on how to stay safe as a realtor.
Use the Buddy System
We don’t mean this in the way that you tell your children to buddy up when going around the neighborhood but have someone on speed dial whom you give your whereabouts and can keep a watch out for you if an appointment goes wrong.
This person can obviously be a colleague but just as easily could be a close friend, spouse, or roommate. This tactic is especially important if you’re showing a house or working after hours or at night as many times, this means that you could be by yourself and vulnerable at times.
Use Social Media Wisely
We mentioned it earlier but use social media wisely with your listings and showings. Social media is a great tool to grow yourself and your agency as a brand, get more followers, and generally have more interest in listings, but it can also be a predator’s dream.
That said, leave your personal schedule off of social media. Don’t let someone know where you’ll be or whom you’re meeting with via social media posts as this could very well invite unwanted guests. And while you personally may not be at harm, your client, the home your showing, or any of the belongings inside the home could very well be an easy target for a savvy criminal.
Use Smart Technology
Hopefully, if you’re an experienced seller, turning a home quickly is your forte, but if you think a home may be on the market for an extended period of time and no one will be living there, then it may be worth investing in some smart technology.
Smart tech such as cameras, lights, and speakers will help you monitor the security of the properties you’re listing and can give the appearance at least of someone being home even when there’s no one around. The best part of it is, you can move this smart tech from property to property as needed and generally keep yourself, your listings, and your clients safer.
Update Locks and Keys
Another way to keep a home safe is to update locks and keys for your listings. This could be as simple as having a set of commonly keyed quality deadbolts that you install on every home you list or as complex as having a few locking keypads.
No matter how you choose to do it, this will eliminate someone breaking into a home who may have lived there in the past and may have retained an old key. Additionally, if the existing homeowner or a potential buyer requests access to the property, you have full control of that and know exactly who has been in and out of the home.
Mortgage Safety for More Sales
In order to sell more, you’ll need your clients to secure the right kind of financing long before you start showing too many homes. Get your clients in touch with Tidewater Mortgage Services, Inc., and our experienced loan experts can help them find the right financing for their family. They can apply online today and could get pre-qualified in as little as 24 hours!
