September is REALTOR® safety month. As you might imagine, this month my newsfeed and inbox are filled with statistics, tips and safety training opportunities. Why do you care? Maybe you don’t, but most people never really think about the potential dangers of being a real estate agent. Would you want your loved one to go to a job interview in a vacant house in the woods? Seems absurd right? Yet, many agents meet potential new clients in this exact way every day.
What difference could you possibly make? Well, there are 2 ways you can help.
First, if you ever see something that seems off, PLEASE, say something. You just might save someone’s life. Carl Carter, Jr. is a REALTOR® whose mother, Beverly, (also a REALTOR®) was kidnapped & violently murdered in 2014. Since then Carl has created the Beverly Carter Foundation to try to increase awareness and safety for real estate agents. I’ve been fortunate to hear him tell his sweet mother’s story more than once. It’s heart breaking as you would expect, but the unbelievable part is how he tells the horrific story of his mother’s murder with very specific detail. The criminals backed the car up to the house, opened the trunk and put something inside, etc. How does he know these very specific details? No, he didn’t make them up. The police learned these details because they interviewed the neighbors after they realized she was missing. Carl knows these details of that evening because the neighbors witnessed it. They literally saw the kidnappers taking her. Of course, they didn’t realize what they were seeing. But did they think it was a little odd? Probably. Did they think it was none of their business? Apparently. If they had chosen to call the police then day, or taken a picture of the vehicle, could they potentially have saved Beverly’s life? Definitely.
I am Not asking you to be in charge of solving all real estate crime. I’m just asking that if you see something, say something. If you happen to be near a property that’s for sale (especially if it’s vacant) and something seems out of place. Please tell someone. Please, please, please.
The next piece is just me asking for your understanding. As real estate professionals, we will ask potential clients a lot of questions. Ask you to sign some disclosures and maybe even want to see your driver’s license. We are Not being nosey. It is not unreasonable for us to get some personal information from you if we are putting ourselves in a vulnerable position. This is one of the reasons we may ask to see your pre-qualification letter. Yes, we want to make sure you can afford the house you’re looking at (also not an unreasonable request). But it also provides another layer of protect if we don’t know you. Because a lender has also “checked you out”. And keep in mind that if we require a pre-qualification letter for one (for example someone we don’t know) we must do it for all (someone we do know). So, if your agent knows and still asks for a pre-qualification letter, please understand the position that they are in. Most homes are the largest purchase a person makes in their lifetime. We don’t take that lightly and you shouldn’t either.
Visit the Beverly Carter Foundation website for more information.
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