Take steps to ensure safety in your business

While we work in an industry we love, it’s easy to forget that there are perils to our business. Take some time to pause and review a few steps to ensure safety in your business.

It’s always a good idea to keep safety at the forefront of everything you do. The National Association of Realtors® designates September as Realtor® Safety Month and provides many informative videos to remind us how to be safe — and keep our clients safe throughout the year.

Here are a few important tips to ensure a safe work environment:

• Create a check-in policy. We all know it’s a bad idea to meet new buyers away from the office for the first time. When you have new buyers, ask them to stop by the office and complete a Prospect Identification Form, remembering to copy their driver’s licenses and retain the information at your office.
• Touch base with someone. Have a routine of telling someone in your office or at home where you’ll be, whom you are meeting and when you will be back. Leave the name and phone number of the client you’re meeting with your contact in the office. Don’t forget to set check-in times if you have multiple appointments.
• Daylight is better. Try to show properties in the daylight; it’s safer. But, if you must meet someone in the evening, make sure you notify someone and set a contact time. Arrive early and turn on all the lights in the house, leaving the blinds up.
• Set a distress code. Your office should predetermine a distress code that all agents can use when they believe they may be in danger. If someone arrives at an open house and something puts you at unease, you can call the office and say, “Hi, this is Kim. I’m with Mr. Smith at the home at 22 Main Street. Could you email me the RED FILE?” This doesn’t alarm the person you’re with but it does alert your office that there could be a problem.

I believe September is a great time to review your office safety procedures and take an overview of some of your own practices to make sure you stay safe.