We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you of a few safety best practices and share some of the safety resources available to REALTORS®. We encourage you to share these tips and tools with your colleagues and agents (if you have them).
- Report any suspicious activity to the proper authorities. We encourage members to notify the authorities with detailed information and share general information with BRR so we can send a safety alert to members. Please understand the association cannot file a report on someone’s behalf, cannot run background checks on individuals, nor can we share contact information about an individual with other members.
- Utilize background check apps made for real estate. Vendors* such as Kleard, Forewarn, and Real Safe Agent, among others, allow real estate agents to verify a prospective client’s information, which could alert you to potential safety issues. Many of the apps also have features to alert someone if you find yourself in danger.
- NOTE: If you choose to use this kind of technology, you should use it with every prospective client as part of your intake process. And work with your legal counsel to create policies about how information obtained through this technology will be used to guide decisions to work with someone or not to avoid any fair housing discrimination issues.
- Don’t go it alone. If you’re unsure about meeting with a prospective client for the first time, pick a public location (vs. a vacant property) or connecting virtually. You might also consider bringing along another agent, letting the prospective client know ahead of time.
- TIP: This is also useful for open houses or even door knocking. For open houses, you might partner with a mortgage lender, so while you talk about the house, they can discuss rates and loan options, and maybe pre-qualify a prospective buyer on the spot.
- Access safety resources from BRR and NAR. Access articles, presentations, webinars, videos, and more from NAR and BRR, to create policies and plans for yourself, your brokerage, and to share with your agents (if you have them).
Take care of yourself, your clients, and your agents, and thank you for keeping safety top of mind!
