Mainstreet HQ, Downers Grove – September is National Safety Month for REALTORS®, emphasizing the importance of personal well-being while conducting business in real estate. Safety out in the field is important but just as important are preparation and cybersecurity.
REALTOR® safety is a phrase heard often because of how important being cautious is in the real estate world. Speaking to both field work such as open houses and property showings as well as cybersecurity. In the field it is crucial to verify as much information about your client as possible. Online, such as with social media or customer facing marketing, there is a fine line between accessibility and vulnerability.
We gathered testimonials from actual Mainstreet REALTOR® members to illustrate and highlight what can
happen and in some cases what did happen. For their safety, we have redacted their names and identifying details. Each one of the testimonials is paired with a safety tip you should apply to your own business practice. See below for more information as well as our resources linked at the bottom.
Tip #1: Open House Safety – Know Your Way Out
“A Mainstreet member shared a terrifying experience about an open house she was conducting to assist someone in her office. A stranger entered the home alone as a would be interested party, quickly looked around and upon entering the lower level of the home, the REALTOR® became concerned and left the lower level. As she attempted to exit the home to move the man outside, she was tased. She was able to break away from the suspect, only to find that he had locked the door upon entry. The REALTOR® managed to get outside and called 911. This interaction only took six minutes. The suspect was arrested and charged with multiple felony accounts.”
Tip #2: Cybersecurity - Trust and Verify with FOREWARN
“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming more and more prominent in our society, which means that bad actors will most certainly attempt to use it negatively. If you ever receive a phone call from a prospective client asking you to click on a link or read a text message back to them over the phone, stop to consider the reasoning. Use FOREWARN to ensure that the prospective client is who they say they are and follow your normal protocol in working with clients (i.e. requiring a pre-approval, formal consultation, etc.). Trust your gut if you feel something is wrong and contact your Designated Managing Broker immediately.”
Tip #3 – Crime in the Open – Notify Authorities About Any Suspicious Activity
"We placed our home on the market and put up a for sale sign. Shortly thereafter we realized our home had been targeted and utilized as a “drop-spot” for stolen goods. The suspects were staking out our home and waiting for various delivery services to leave items on the porch. At first, the items had just been stolen by a man who was pursued by one of our family members. While being confronted, the culprit said the item was his and had an invoice for it from Wayfair with his name on it plus our mistaken address. He claimed to have used the wrong address. We let it go but called Wayfair. The package had been purchased with a stolen credit card, as confirmed by Wayfair. As it turns out, these individuals are using recently posted for sale homes as a place to send fraudulently purchased items away from their own residences; hence the phrase “drop-spot.” We contacted the local authorities to make sure they knew of what was happening. The police took this matter seriously to the point of being able to gather surveillance footage of the culprits from our neighbor’s front door camera. The vehicle they used to watch our property sat outside all weekend before the packages being stolen had arrived.”
As part of the larger initiative to ensure REALTOR® Safety awareness in September, please review and use the resources below. Mainstreet REALTORS® remains completely committed to offering you, our members, as much information as possible when it comes to your personal safety as well as helping protect your businesses.
On September 11, Frank Panzek is coming to Mainstreet REALTORS® to teach a self-defense class. Learn more and register today, click here for details.
Following the self-defense class, Annette Panzek will be teaching Cyberblunders 2.0, a technology-centric CE Course addressing cybersecurity in real estate. After learning how to defend yourself with Frank, learn how to protect your business with Annette. Click here for registration details.
Mainstreet REALTORS® has a safety page that is accessible all year long. We have resources abound, from residential safety reports to instructional videos to in-office PowerPoint presentations for the people you are responsible for each day. Click here to view Mainstreet REALTORS® Safety page.