Real estate is no doubt a satisfying career for agents due to the freedom of making their own schedule. Every agent knows that setting your own hours and often working around client’s work schedules can lead to some unusual working hours. Combine odd hours with meeting strangers regularly and you have a recipe for risk. It is important to know what to do to minimize risks and keep as safe as possible, so we put together a list of 25 Safety Tips for realtors to make sure they are a step ahead of danger.

Personal Profiles

These are good rules of thumb for your social media profiles.

1. Never post pictures that display your valuables. No jewelry, electronics, or flashy tags.

2. Have a work profile (or Page, for Facebook) for clients and potential clients to connect to as opposed to connecting to your personal profile.

3. Only list your work phone number. (Whether it is a cell or an office phone)

4. Only list your work address. Never give your home address out.

5. Have a separate work email address to use for all your profiles, don’t connect them to a personal email address.

6. Think about sending out a private invite to an open house event that way you can still advertise the open house to clients and friends of client, but you won’t be left at risk for strangers knowing when you may be alone.

Open Houses and Showings

These rules apply more specifically to when you are Showing a house. They’re easy to do and can protect you (and your clients) in the future.

7. Take a self-defense class. Realtors should at least know the basics of protecting yourself.

8. Make sure to let one person, both professionally and personally, know where you are at all times. Thanks to the beauty of texting this is an easy step to take.

9. Try to meet all your clients in person at your office before agreeing to a private showing

10. Get clients to fill out an information form during open houses and prior to scheduling a private showing. The form should include standard information such as name, email, phone number, address, and employer.

11. Bring a co-worker along to showings when possible

12. Always let the client lead you during a private showing. Try to keep them in front of you, especially if you haven’t done #8.

13. Scout out the neighborhood before a showing to make sure you are aware of any sketchy parts or Safety concerns.

14. Know your exits! Identify all the possible exits in a home and keep them unlocked during a showing.

15. Only let clients ride with you if: You are very familiar with them or you have a coworker also riding along.

16. Keep your expensive jewelry at home. Wear your costume jewelry to a showing if you need to accessorize.

17. If you carry a purse leave it in the trunk of your car. Same goes for backpacks or briefcases with ipads, laptops, or personal files in them. The less visible the better.

18. Look into personal security apps for your phone. Emergensee is available for Android and iPhone with various levels of security to use including one for realtors.

19. It’s important to bring something to defend yourself. There are plenty of tools you can buy for key chains, purses, or pockets. Think pepper spray, stun guns, batons, or self defense knuckle key chains.

20. Always park in well lit areas.

21. Take time to talk to the neighbors before an open house so you have someone close you can go to in case anything happens. It’s also a great way to find future clients.

22. Put some up sort of alert (like little bells) at all the possible entrances so you aren’t caught off guard and no one can sneak in.

23. Avoid identifying properties as vacant when possible.

24. Try to keep showings before dark. If it can’t be helped turn on all the lights in the house and keep the shades open.

25. Don’t ignore your instincts. If you have a bad feeling about a showing or a client, don’t ignore it. A sale isn’t worth your safety.

These are only some of the safety tips for realtors. These should cover the basics but you can never be too safe. We’d love to hear any we may have missed. What are some safety tips we should always go by?

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