This week marks the 6th annual REALTOR® Safety Week (September 13-19, 2009) and the National Association of REALTORS® has given us wonderful articles to read to educate, make us aware and to empower us with the safety tools that we need in this profession. Well, along with those articles for the REALTORS® came a wonderful piece that will be beneficial for our clients as well! I hope to take the time to read and to perhaps, pass along to your clients!
Thanks for reading!
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Clients Need Safety Tips, Too!
The NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS® and this organization have worked hard to keep REALTOR® Safety foremost in everyone’s minds. But what about your clients? They, too, face some dangers in allowing strangers into their homes or visiting other people’s properties.
Share this valuable advice with everyone, and you’ll help them learn to protect themselves against crime:
• Remind sellers that strangers will be walking through their home during showings or open houses. Tell them to hide any valuables in a safe place, including prescription medications and alcohol, as well as personal information such as bank statements that could be used for identity theft.
• Warn your clients that not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Strangers who stop by a listing unannounced should be asked to make an appointment with the listing agent. Stress that your clients should never to show a home without an agent present.
• Inform your clients that they are responsible for their pets. If possible, animals should be removed during showings. Make clients aware that buyers and agents are sometimes attacked, and the owner will be held liable.
• At an open house, be alert to the pattern of visitors’ arrivals, especially near the end of showing hours. In some areas, a group of thieves will show up together near the end of the open house and, while a string of supposed buyers distracts the agent, the rest of the group walks through the house, stealing valuables.
• When you leave a property, whether after an open house or a showing, make sure that all doors and windows are locked. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves.
• Let your clients know that you will take all of the above safety precautions, but that when they return home, they should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for.
(Sources: Nevada County Association of REALTORS® (CA); Realty Times)
Visit NAR’s REALTOR® Safety Web site at www.REALTOR.org/Safety
This article is part of the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®’ 2009-2010 REALTOR® Safety Resources Kit.
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