- What to look out for:
- Be careful of clients calling you and asking to call back because they have no airtime.
- Be cautious when potential purchasers viewing property change the location of a meeting at the last minute for no reason.
- Do not be influenced into helping someone who appears vulnerable.
- Be cautious of people who want to see properties at odd hours.
- Be cautious of people who want a lift or want to drive with you.
- Take note of what questions potential purchasers ask.
What you can do:
- If you are showing a property later than usual – try and take someone with you.
- Let the client walk in before you and direct them from a position slightly behind them – “the bathroom is to your right.”
- Always try and know two potential exits in the property that you are showing and if possible, leave the doors unlocked or open so that you can get out if you need to;
- Try and have a safe word or phrase that you can easily convey to the office or a contact person in an emergency.
- Have someone on speed dial.
- Have the office keep records of the agent’s car – make, model, year, colour and registration number.
- Try and always drive yourself to appointments and have clients do the same.
- Do not get parked in – try and park behind the other cars or in front of the property rather than in the driveway.
- Know where you are going and try to have an alternative way of driving home should the appointment make you feel uncomfortable.
- When you arrive, take two seconds to just observe your surroundings and make sure that there aren’t any suspicious acting or potential obstacles.
- Try and park in a well-lit spot.
- Try not to go to appointments with expensive jewellery or watches etc.
- Carry less – if you can, lock your handbag and valuables in the boot and carry only the necessities.
- If you can, verify the identity of the person you are going with (credit checks through TPN);
- Get a safety app:
Cell 411: allows users to quickly contact groups of friends and family members. It provides GPS coordinates to your group to the current location, directions to the location and live streams video.
Watch Over Me: you can alert the app when you are in a vulnerable position so it can watch over you and track your location. If you don’t tap ‘I’m Safe’ before the time runs out, your loved ones get an alert and your exact location.
Find Me: allows you to send friends your GPS or network location and provides directions to you. It has an aerial or street view mode to help friends find you and shares your speed, altitude, longitude, and latitude.
Be Safe: lets multiple family members and friends see where you are at a time of your choice and send alerts to them when you arrive at your destination. It will also notify your loved ones if you are running behind schedule.
