Dear CENTURY 21® Broker/Owners and Sales Professionals, So often, we celebrate the joy of selling real estate and helping our clients and their families find a home where they can build a lifetime of memories. This week, we were reminded that the role of the real estate agent also carries personal risk as we learned of the tragic death of Beverly Carter in Arkansas. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family, friends and colleagues as they struggle with such a profound and senseless loss. The events in Arkansas weigh heavily on every real estate professional this week as we consider the commonplace scenario of a real estate agent meeting a client and the ways in which our safety may be unwittingly compromised in the course of our fast-paced professional lives. On Monday, Chris Polychron, the President-Elect of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), encouraged our entire real estate community to “honor Beverly Carter by keeping safe and looking out for each other.” I echo Chris’s appeal to each of you and ask that you revisit your personal safety protocols with an intense focus on educating yourself, identifying areas of risk in your daily professional habits and developing strategies to mitigate those risks. There are many strategies and resources available on this subject on NAR’s website, as well as your regional and local REALTOR association or real estate commission websites. In addition, local law enforcement and internet resources are available to assist you in evaluating and improving your approach to personal safety. Among many personal safety tips, you should consider the following: Get to know your clients at the office. Collect personal information about them and create a record for the office. Introduce them to others in the office. Do not share too much personal information about yourself with clients or online. In this social media environment, personal information may seem ubiquitous, but you should be careful about revealing personal details that may expose you or your family to risk. Share your location and planned property showings, open houses or in-home appointments with a colleague, friend or family member to ensure that someone always knows where you are. Keep your phone handy during appointments or showings. Consider a distress code to use with your office or a safety/tracking app to install on your phone. NAR offers a wealth of information, including safety presentations, videos and archived webinars for individuals and offices. In addition, you may be able to schedule safety courses with the local police department or a vendor knowledgeable in personal safety and self-defense techniques. We urge you individually and as a community to make personal safety the highest priority for you and your colleagues. Nothing is more important. Regards, Rick Rick Davidson President & CEO Century 21 Real Estate LLC
Posted on: Fri, 03 Oct 2014 21:00:13 +0000
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