Searching for "safety" at REBGV

When I type in "safety" at the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver (REGBV), I get this...

Grow-ops and tree bylaw. Important, but not exactly on-point. I shall have to send them a recommendation.

BC Realtor Victim

Lindsay Buziak - 2008

Still unsolved

read the safety entries...

The Safety Talk with Clients (for their open house) - Buyers and Sellers

Safety For Clients' Open House (Buyers and Sellers)

From the National Association of Realtors


Originally: September 2014 | By Melissa Dittmann Tracey
Edited
 

 1. Prescription drugs: Remove or lock them up prior to showings. 

A growing number of real estate professionals are reporting theft of prescription drugs from sellers’ homes during open houses. Indeed, nearly half of 164 real estate professionals recently surveyed at the Greater San Diego Association of REALTORS® Expo reported knowledge of prescription drug theft taking place at open houses. 

Real estate professionals are being encouraged to have their home sellers remove prescription drugs from the homes prior to showings or to properly dispose of expired prescription drugs (DO NOT FLUSH THEM DOWN THE TOILET!!)

2. Stow away valuables: Remind clients that you can’t be responsible for thefts.

Valuables include everything from the mail left on the countertops (which may contain personal information and bank statements) to such items as jewelry, artwork, cellphones, and gaming systems.

Agents need to do their part, too. In capturing virtual tours or photographs of the home for marketing purposes, make sure such valuables are not photographed, like a seller’s priceless coin collection, wine cellar, or equipment in a fully outfitted media room.

“Too many people fail to consider that criminals nowadays can case houses from the comfort of their computer,” says Hawkins, who offers safety training for real estate professionals through her Consumer Safety and Security Specialist program. “They can see all the person’s valuables when you put them in fliers and on a website. If the valuables are not being sold with the house, why do they need to be shown anyway?”

Also, Hawkins urges agents to tell their clients at the forefront of their relationship: “I can’t protect your valuables.” Remind them that as a seller’s agent you won’t often be present at home showings, and if you are, you likely won’t be following prospective buyers all around the house, particularly if you’re hosting an open house.

“Before sellers leave the house for a showing, they need to be responsible for walking through the house and making sure everything of value is out of sight,” Hawkins says. “Then, if that antique ring or camera ever goes missing, you won’t get that angry phone call from your client. You already warned them. But if you didn’t say anything to them, they may assume you’re responsible.”

3. Remove family photos: It’s for your clients’ safety.

Many real estate professionals advise sellers to remove family photos from their home. But the conversations are often framed around staging and making it so prospective buyers can imagine themselves living there. Instead, Hawkins says, focus on the safety of their family.
“Clients may be reluctant to remove their family photos just because you say it will help new owners envision it becoming their house,” Hawkins says. “I tell agents to tell sellers: You don’t know who’s walking through the house. You have photos of your wife, teenage daughter, children displayed, and you could have a pedophile or stalker walking through your home. Who would leave their family photos up after you say that?”

4. Make a house safe for the buyers and the agent. 

Turn on the lights prior to showings — whether it’s daytime or evening — so that agents and buyers can move safely through the home and not have to face any dark unknowns. (During the initial safety check of a listing, practitioners should ensure all rooms have adequate lighting as well.)

Also, sellers should make sure there are no potential hazards in their home, like loose floorboards or carpets. They don’t want to risk someone tripping and falling in their home and potentially open themselves up to liability.

Hawkins says it’s important to tell sellers to remove not only weapons like guns before showings but also not-so-obvious weapons too. For example, many home owners may have a block of knives on their kitchen countertops; remove these for the agent’s safety as well, Hawkins says.

5.Keep the house locked: Consider extra monitoring. 

Another safety reminder for your clients: Doors need to be kept locked at all times. A home is being presented to the public, and it may attract intruders.

Hawkins tells real estate professionals to talk to their home sellers about deadbolt locks and explain to them why they’re safer. Also, sliding glass doors can be secured with bars and extra locks. Motion-sensor lights can be a good option for outdoor areas for added security. Windows should be checked to make sure they are locked securely.

Some real estate professionals are taking an extra step with some of their properties, particularly vacant ones, and talking to sellers about installing a wireless security system.

6. Beware of unexpected visitors coming to your doorstep. 

You may need to warn your clients that when their house is for sale, they may also get some unexpected visitors who ask to see their home.

“I’ve heard agents talk about clients who have had homes on the market, and a couple may knock on the door and just hand them a business card and ask to see the house, and the seller lets them in,” Hawkins says.

Instruct your clients of the proper procedures for showings: Only real estate professionals using the lockbox should gain access to their home.

What’s more, a growing rental fraud scam is causing more home sellers to report renters who are showing up at their doorsteps, too, ready to move in. Real estate professionals say their for-sale listings are getting scraped from websites by scammers who then place them as a rental listing on sites like Craigslist.

Consider putting up a "not for rent" sign (especially condos in downtown or Metro Vancouver.

For Your Buyers: 3 Safety Lessons for Home Shoppers

Safety needs to be an added component in your discussions with buyers, too.

1. Educate yourself on the safety of an area. 

You may quietly have some concerns over the safety of a neighborhood, and your buyers might express concerns of their own. As a real estate professional, you can’t be viewed as steering them to avoid certain communities. But you can tell them the importance of educating themselves about neighborhoods. For example, you might advise them to drive by the property at different times of the day to get a better sense of the neighborhood for themselves and to talk to neighbors.

(This one is important - as I remember buying a home and we didn't know that the train could be heard rumbling through in some evenings)
 
Some real estate professionals provide a list of third-party resources for their buyers to check on crime statistics in an area, such as Family Watchdog to locate registered sex offenders in an area; CrimeMapping.com’s mobile app to uncover crime activity near your current location; and sites like DiedInHouse.com that reveal if any deaths occurred at the property in the past.

Of course, you can try checking with the City files.

2.Take extra precautions in distressed, vacant homes. 

As real estate practitioner, you’ve been told to take extra precautions in viewing distressed properties, but you may need to warn your buyers too.

First, when showing an REO, make sure it’s safe to go in, Hawkins says. Do a perimeter search around the property before entering. Do you see broken windows, a kicked-in door, or any signs of someone living there through the windows (such as a sleeping bag on the floor or food left out)? If you see such signs that a squatter may be present, don’t go inside.

Also, homes that have been vacant may have maintenance issues. Buyers and agents may need to watch their footing as they tour the house, navigating away from any loose floorboards, steering clear of a rotted deck, and avoiding loose railings. Loose gutters or lighting fixtures may pose added dangers.

Abandoned animals might be inside too. In an REO, pets can sometimes be left by the previous owner, or wild animals may find a way in. Never approach an animal. It can become hostile. Contact your local humane society or shelter.

“These are not things you usually need to worry about in a home,” Hawkins says. “But in a distressed home that may have sat vacant, you need to be careful and prepare your clients to be more careful too.”

3. Prevent buyer regret — and illness. 

Another growing concern reported with REOs: drug contamination, and how a home’s tainted history can get lost if it sits in foreclosure limbo. The number of meth- or clandestine drug-contaminated homes is growing, according to the Drug Enforcement Agency. These drugs can seep into a home’s surfaces, and unsuspecting buyers who move in may face not only a range of respiratory illnesses or neurological problems but also a costly decontamination process of the home.

The risk from meth and clandestine contamination in homes is a rising concern that has prompted more real estate professionals to raise the issue to their clients. For example, homes where marijuana was produced may be more prone to mold damage. Rewired electrical work also can present fire dangers too.

No federal disclosure law exists for meth or marijuana grow houses, and the disclosure regulations vary greatly by state. Oftentimes, standard home inspections won’t turn up drug contamination problems either, but requires extra testing by specialists.

Some real estate professionals have been trained to look for the signs, like the strong smell of urine or chemical smells like ammonia or acetone; trash filled with products like paint thinner, lighter fluid, drain cleaners, and cold tablet containers; and chemical stains on the toilets and bathtubs. 

Or, buyers and agents sometimes may feel some of the signs when they step inside the property, such as a burning sensation in the eyes or throat.

Buyers can be encouraged to check the Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Clandestine Laboratory Register, a searchable database of addresses that have been uncovered by law enforcement agencies to have clandestine chemicals or drug labs. Some counties and states also have databases to track such homes. They can also purchase meth-testing kits or have a professional test for contamination.

Remember, It’s For Your Safety Too

Having a safety talk with your clients is an important element in REALTOR® safety too. If sellers keep valuables out and prescription medications out in the open during showings, you may find yourself in that potentially dangerous situation of having a criminal in your midst and being unsure what to do.

In those cases, do nothing, Hawkins says. “The person is a criminal and they could attack or assault you if you confront them,” Hawkins says. “That puts you in a bad situation.” Let law enforcement later handle it.

Educating buyers and sellers about safety issues helps avoid trouble and, in the end, keeps everyone safer in a transaction.

Open House Safety

http://www.abr.org/Resource-Center/~/media/Files/Common/safety/OpenHouseSafety.ashx

Useful list for Open House safety

An open house can be a great sales tool, but it also exposes you to numerous unfamiliar people for the first time. Stay safe by practicing these guidelines.

1. If possible, always try to have at least one other person working with you at the open house.
   
2. Check your cell phone’s strength and signal prior to the open house. Have emergency numbers programmed on speed dial, and keep your phone with you at all times.
   
3. Upon entering a house for the first time, check all rooms and determine several “escape”routes.
   
4. Make sure all deadbolt locks are unlocked to facilitate a faster escape.
   
5. Make sure that if you were to escape by the back door, you could escape from the backyard. Frequently, high fences surround yards that contain swimming pools or hot tubs.
   
6. Place one of your business cards, with the date and time written on the back, in a kitchen cabinet. Note on it if you were the first to arrive or if clients were waiting.
   
7. Have all open house visitors sign in. Ask for full name, address, phone number and e-mail.
   
8. When showing the house, always walk behind the prospect. Direct them; don’t lead them. Say, for example, “The kitchen is on your left,” and gesture for them to go ahead of you.
   
9. Avoid attics, basements, and getting trapped in small rooms.
   
10. Communicate frequently with the office, your answering service, a friend or a relative that you will be calling in every hour on the hour. And if you don’t call, they are to call you.
    
11. Inform a neighbor that you will be showing the house and ask if he or she would keep an eye and ear open for anything out of the ordinary.
    
12. Don’t assume that everyone has left the premises at the end of an open house. Check all of the rooms and the backyard prior to locking the doors. Be prepared to defend yourself, if necessary.

If you are at a show home (but some of these tips are good for any showing)

1. If possible, always try to have at least one other person working with you at the home.
   
2. When a person comes through the office to view a model home, have them complete a guest register that includes their full name, address, phone number, e-mail, and vehicle information.
   
3. Keep your cell phone and your car keys with you at all times. Keep your handbag locked in the trunk of your vehicle.
   
4. When closing the model homes for the night, never assume that the home is vacant. 
   
5. Check the interior of the house prior to locking the doors, working from the top floor to the bottom, back of the house to the front, locking the doors behind you. Be familiar enough with each home to know the exits. Be aware of your surroundings. Be prepared to protect yourself.

Sources: Washington Real Estate Safety Council; City of Mesa, AZ; Georgia Real Estate Commission)

Videos at realtorsafetyfirst.com

Here are some videos 

1. Why realtors are targeted
2. Things to be aware of
3. Safety when doing showings

From the West Des Moines Police 

http://www.realtorsafetyfirst.com/

Top 10 Real Estate Agent Safety Tips

The National Association of Realtors Offers these tips: (with my comments)  and my suggestions.

Top 10 Real Estate Agent Safety Tips - really?

  
1. Careful with personal info - really? which? whose?
 We're going to have to break this down into the information that you get from customers/clients; and best practices for entry into MLS, and your own personal info.

2. Verify customer information - will a driver's licence do?
OK, show me something that you actually own this house - make sure the address on the licence is the same as the house. Great - is there a hydro bill I can see too?

3. Enlist a coworker - how? to do what?
How about you write down where you are going, who you are going to meet, their contact info, and what time you are expected back - and email it to someone?

4. Announce your showings - to who? how?
What if it's your own? Sure you tell the listing agent. But do you remember to tell them if you aren't going to show up? Just 'coz he says he's coming with his wife, doesn't mean he actually will. What then? Do you still go into the apartment/house alone with him? Depends.

5. Scout locations early - time spent on recce is seldom wasted (army mantra)
This is probably more about physical safety - watch out for things to whack yourself or clients with - or wiring, or lights that don't work, or mold, or loose or broken floorboards. For goodness sakes - please don't break the window trying to open it for fresh air.

6. Keep phone in hand - yeah? what are you going to do with it?
Tell someone that you will check in after 10 minutes when the showing starts, or have the phone set to an alarm sound - really loud.  He's not going to wait for you to swipe your cellphone to dial and finish calling 9-1-1.

7. Keep customer in sight - probably in more ways than one.
You don't have to lead them around - let them walk in front (this is why you need to scout out the property first, so you know if there are pitfalls) and your voice carries ahead anyway, less need to keep turning around to talk and risk walking into something. No need to walk directly past a small closed room or closet - the client can easily look at those for them-self.

8. Pay attention to exits - know how you are going to get away if you need to and they are between you and the door. Obviously jumping out of a 3rd floor window isn't going to be good either. Maybe get to the patio and start screaming for help. Oh yes, leave them an exit.  Don't corner them - people get aggressive when they're cornered.

9. Take a self-defense class - well, yes, but use yours words first ("what will your wife, GF, family think?") obviously, but be careful - it is a closed area. Start with a kick - it's impersonal, and your legs are stronger than your arms, and anything you can hit will hurt lots (shins, knees, genitals). Don't bother with arms - just start kicking. 

You will likely not be able to out-wrestle them. They've already thought about how to subdue you. They are not expecting to get a sharp kick.  

If they fall down, don't keep kicking. Turn around and run. Start yelling "help" or "fire".  If you keep kicking in the area, they might just grab your legs and now you are on the ground - bad.

10. Trust your gut - easier said than done. Best not to get into the situation, true. But know what you are going to do if you suddenly find yourself in one. "oh, let's reschedule when your wife is free to come", "oh, let me make a call to update the office - it's just a safety thing".

Source: House Hunt Network, (House Hunt, June 17, 2014).