September is REALTOR® Safety Month, making it a good time to revisit something that can easily take a back seat during a busy real estate season: personal safety.
Real estate professionals regularly meet new people, enter unfamiliar properties, work alone and travel throughout the day. From vacant listings and open houses to meeting prospective clients for the first time, the job can put agents in situations where a little extra awareness goes a long way.
The goal isn't to approach every appointment with fear. It's to build simple real estate safety habits into your routine so they become second nature.
1. Let Someone Know Where You're Going
Before meeting a client or heading to a property alone, make sure someone knows where you'll be.
Share the property address, appointment time and the name of the person you're meeting. If your plans change, update them.
Consider establishing a simple check-in system with a coworker, family member or friend, particularly for appointments with people you haven't met before.
2. Meet New Clients Before Showing a Property
When possible, meet prospective clients for the first time in your office or another public location rather than at a vacant property.
This gives you an opportunity to introduce yourself, learn more about the client and establish who you'll be working with before entering a private location together.
It's a small change that can make first-time meetings more comfortable and secure.
3. Stay Aware When Entering a Property
Real estate agents spend a lot of time walking into unfamiliar homes, and it's easy to immediately shift your attention to the property.
Before you do, take a moment to notice your surroundings.
Where are the exits? Is anyone else at the property? Is there anything unusual about the home or surrounding area?
During a showing, consider allowing clients to enter rooms ahead of you rather than putting yourself in a position where someone is between you and the exit.
4. Be Extra Cautious at Vacant Properties
Vacant homes deserve additional awareness.
Before entering, look for anything that seems out of place, including an open door, broken window, unexpected vehicle or signs that someone may have entered the property.
If something doesn't feel right, don't investigate it yourself. Leave the property and contact the appropriate person or authorities when necessary.
No showing is worth taking an unnecessary risk.
5. Have a Plan for Open House Safety
An open house can mean multiple strangers entering and leaving a property throughout the day.
Whenever possible, avoid working an open house alone. Keep your phone accessible, know the home's exits and avoid becoming isolated in areas such as basements, garages or second-floor rooms with visitors.
It's also a good idea to walk through the home before the open house begins so you're familiar with the layout.
6. Keep Your Phone Accessible
A phone buried at the bottom of a purse or left sitting on a kitchen counter isn't much help when you need it quickly.
Keep your phone charged and on you while showing properties. Emergency features and location-sharing tools available on many smartphones can also be useful additions to your safety routine.
7. Protect Your Personal Information
REALTOR® safety isn't limited to what happens inside a home.
Real estate professionals maintain a highly visible public presence. Marketing, social media and online listings can make it surprisingly easy for someone to learn your schedule, location and personal information.
Be thoughtful about what you share publicly, particularly information about where you'll be, when you're working alone or details about your home and family.
8. Pay Attention to Your Instincts
One of the simplest Realtor safety tips may also be one of the most important:
If a situation doesn't feel right, leave.
You don't need to justify staying in an uncomfortable situation because someone is a potential client or because you've already driven to the appointment.
A showing can be rescheduled. Another agent can accompany you. A meeting location can be changed.
Give yourself permission to respond when something feels off.
REALTOR® Safety Should Be a Year-Round Habit
REALTOR® Safety Month is a helpful reminder each September, but personal safety shouldn't be something agents think about only once a year.
Small habits—sharing your location, meeting new clients in public, staying aware of exits, keeping your phone accessible and trusting your instincts—can become part of your normal business routine.
At AmeriSpec of Loganville, we work alongside real estate professionals every day, and we know just how much time agents spend on the road and inside unfamiliar properties.
This September, take a few minutes to review your own safety routine—and encourage the agents around you to do the same.