Open House Safety for Realtors

September is Realtor Safety Month across North America. This episode is dedicated to helping real estate professionals stay safe during open houses. 

Some of these tips, while highly effective, are counter intuitive, tips such as keeping the door UNlocked, never leading clients into rooms (despite what you’ve been taught), and marking on the sign-in sheet the house has hidden security cameras inside (even if it doesn’t).

Stay Safe. 

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Transcript

Rob Andress (00:00):

Those days are long gone. Leading is the highest risk thing that the real can do, especially inside of an open house. Hi, my name is Rob. Welcome in. Please come on into our open house. I'm going to provide you with some information here on the property in a brochure. And you know what? Home's yours, look around. If you have any questions, please let me know. And hey, can I ask what your name is?

Beth Andress (00:42):

Well, hi Rob. My name is Beth and I'm here at your open house today. What a wonderful welcoming environment you've provided for me.

Rob Andress (00:50):

Well, Beth, there's something I have to tell you about today's open house. You're not going to smell the fresh baked cookies. I'm not going to get to show you the coffee on the counter so you can share some coffee with me. But what we're going to talk about today is open house safety. Beth, you know it's realtor safety month, and I want to really emphasize what realtor safety month should be. This is not just a token for the professional to be mindful about being safe. Safety is something that the professional should maintain with them 365 days a year. And today we're going to talk specifically about open house safety. And not that that's a specific high risk or the most high risk for you, but it is high risk. And you know what, we're going to talk a little bit about open house safety for you.

(01:46):

And as with most of our episodes, when we started off, I had a story that I really need to share with you about a realtor inside of an open house who identified the face. She saw the face before and the man attacked her during her open house. And when the screaming and the swinging and the kicking, all of that happened, he ran out of the open house and Beth, the realtor stayed. She stayed inside the open house because she felt she had some purpose of protecting the home or being responsible to be there at the open house. And the heartbreaking part of the story is this predator ended up regaining his confidence and he came back to the open house and finished the job. So Beth, I'm going to ask you to start us off on open house safety for realtor safety month.

Beth Andress (02:50):

Well, Rob, I love that we are back in the mode of doing open houses and interacting with other and enjoying homes other than online and virtually like we had to for so long. But let's be real here. When you're doing an open house, your focus is on the properties features. You are focusing on creating a welcoming environment. You're focused on the overall ambiance of the home, the sights, the smells, the comfort that you are creating, even your appearance. You're focused on yourself. But do you include your safety as one of the key things that you need to monitor during that open house?

Rob Andress (03:39):

It's a topic. A lot of realtors understand the risk. You had said in one of our earlier podcasts, you're putting out a beacon letting strangers know where you are and what time you're there. And I think far too often realtors understand what the risk is, but they take the safety protocol that it is never going to happen to me.

Beth Andress (04:05):

Well, and let's remember we have several of the realtors that we've met and that we've worked with who say when they see us again, they say, I don't do open houses anymore. I stopped doing open houses. I hate doing open houses. I don't do open houses alone. Even implementing some little safety features, if you are going to do open houses, can change that environment into being one that's a little bit safer. So remembering you are inviting total strangers completely unvetted into a closed environment with you possibly when you're alone. Really, rob, creating a safer open hose environment is something that we really can't compromise on in this profession.

Rob Andress (04:53):

Absolutely not. And you know what? It's changing the little things that we do.

Beth Andress (05:00):

A hundred percent.

Rob Andress (05:02):

I don't want to talk today about picking up the phone when you're at risk and phoning your office administrator and saying, get out the red file for 1, 2, 3, anywhere street because you and I know that's bullshit. Attacks happen against you in three one hundreds of a second. And we've met so many professionals who believe that they can deal with this, that you know what if a man's coming at me or I'm going to be robbed or I'm going to be sexually assaulted, I can deal with this. And the problem that happens here is niceness and deception is used to close space against you. And when they get within striking range of you, the attack happens. And oftentimes you don't even have the opportunity to respond or even know what's happened until after you've been hit or you've been attacked. So it's changing the little things.

(05:51):

And that's really what we try and get across to the professional realtor. And one of those things that we want to give you food for thought is this. Why do you not set up a greeting place inside the home you're doing the open house in and stay there and have that greeting place within eyesight and reach of the exit door where you're holding it. And so often the professional realtor offers open an open house and then people come in and they start leading showings, they start conducting private viewings, and they're walking into bathrooms and they're walking into bedrooms. And they're doing this with people who are total strangers to them. So set up a greeting place and it's really simple. Stay there hand out information. You have invited people to an open house, you have not invited them to a personal private viewing of the home. So that's my first one I think I want to talk about.

Beth Andress (07:04):

Well, let's really expand on that a little bit, Rob, because you said something that is extremely important. You as the realtor, should never lead your client. Don't lead them into the home. Don't lead them when you're inside the home. Don't lead them into a bedroom. Never go into a closed room first. Don't leave them into the basement. Don't lead yourself into a closed environment.

Rob Andress (07:32):

No. As soon as we start leading in our job, we lose entire perspective of what's happening around us. And as being a professional realtor, I used to be guilty of this myself a long time ago, I would walk into, and don't laugh at me when I say this. I would walk into a kitchen and I would go, and there's new cabinets and look at the brown granite countertops. You know what buyers know they're new cabinets and they're granite countertops. You don't need to go around and tell them that If you have an adequate information sheet for them, give them the information sheet, let them go. Let them enjoy the home. If you start leading, and I don't care whether it's an open house, a showing or a property listing, you have lost all perspective of everything that's going on around you.

(08:29):

I'm going to tell you right now before we get too on too long, everyone who is listening understands about the distance measurements for safety during covid. Well, the frigging government stole that from Beth and I. Beth and I were preaching the two meter safety rule long before the governments in North America and the rest of the world grabbed a hold of the shit that we tell people and they took it from us, but it doesn't matter. We got to let 'em use it. But here's the reality of it. You do not have an ability to respond to high speed movement if you are standing closer than two meters to anyone. So don't lead. Stay two meters behind them if you have to go through the home with them and let them enjoy the property. And remember these attacks, I don't care. You know what? If you're Bruce Lee's third cousin removed and you're a pro and whatever it is that he styles he's into, I don't care how good you are, I don't care how good you think you are, you are not that good. Anything under two meters, you are going to get hit before you even know you've been hit. So don't lead.

Beth Andress (09:50):

And one of the things that we know that we've learned is that most of these attacks or incidences that the professional realtor is experiencing actually do happen from behind.

Rob Andress (10:03):

Oh, absolutely. And if you think about a predator mindset, I mean, we had an amazing guest on the other day who shared her story with us. And the predatorial mindset is one of this. These individuals are not highly confident people. There's three things that they don't want. They don't want get caught. They don't want to get hurt and they don't want to be identified. And one of the safest ways for an attack to happen to ensure that a predator doesn't get hurt is from behind. And that's the majority of how all attacks happen against the real estate professional. We see safety protocols and we meet people who talk about carrying frigging shoe horns and knives and perfume spray and all of that kind of stuff with them as a self-defense tool. You know what folks? Here's the fact you're not going to get an opportunity to use it.

(11:05):

And if you do deploy it, understand what you're dealing with, you're understanding or you're dealing with a predator who has made a conscious decision to hurt you, they already know they can hurt you if they don't know that they wouldn't be there. You introduce a weapon, you introduce something to try and protect yourself, there's a higher than, well, you know what? There's a 90% chance they're going to take that weapon from you and use it against you. So the simple thing is just don't lead. Just don't lead. Give them two meters in front of you. Let them go through the property and let them enjoy it and elevate your safety you've never been safe before.

Beth Andress (11:57):

So I think that is two in one, two tips in one where we're going with maintain your location in a greeting area where you can view the people coming into the home, greet them and encourage them to enjoy the home without number two, leading them through the home, turning your back and not understanding what they're doing behind you.

Rob Andress (12:22):

It's the biggest risk in this profession. Professionals feeling they have to lead during every aspect of their job. And when I was licensed, and again, Beth, don't laugh. I believe there may have been dinosaurs rolling around when I was licensed, but I remember our instructor standing in front of this classroom of people and like, what the hell did I know at the time? And he's telling us that you should walk into the room in front of people and explain to them what they're seeing and offer up information about each and every room. We don't have to do that. And those days are long gone. Leading is the highest risk thing that the real can do, and especially inside of an open house,

Beth Andress (13:20):

A hundred percent. So two tips in one now, but within that, one of the things you said was that these predators, these criminals, they don't want to be identified. They certainly don't want to be caught. So I'm going to use that kind of as an intro into one of my very favorite open house kind of tips and tricks we give you for your safety. And that is along with being in your greeting area, you need to have a sign-in sheet. You use your sign-in sheet to capture, people are writing down their names, their addresses, their phone numbers, and you're using that sign-in sheet for contact purposes for the future. The homeowners want to know who was in their home, maybe your leads. It's a lead gathering mechanism for you for prospective clients. But let's figure out how we can use this opportunity to create a little bit of a safer environment. And I'm going to suggest that on the bottom of your sign-in sheet or on the top, wherever you can put it, wherever your clients, your visitors are going to notice it when they pick up that pen and sign The sheet is a little note there that says, please note that this home is equipped with indoor security cameras and your activity through the home may be recorded.

Rob Andress (14:48):

Awesome, awesome.

Beth Andress (14:50):

Now it's just a simple statement and it may only be in front of their face for a few seconds, but I guarantee you when they see the word security cameras, that is enough of a deterrent for someone who really is not a genuine prospect or someone who has bad intentions to change their mind about choosing you or your open house today. They don't want to get caught. They're there measuring their risk against you. They do that constantly and knowing that there is the potential for them to be captured on camera that provides a risk.

Rob Andress (15:30):

And you know what? For those of you out there who say, well, that's lying, that's not true. How could I do that? You know what? The first understanding of reality self-defense is prevention. It's not physical violence is not physical contact is prevention. And if you can do something to prevent an encounter and elevate your safety, do it. So putting down that there's C, c, C cameras within the house, big deal. What does it matter? You know what? And if someone turns and says to you, well, where's the cameras? Just say, well, I don't know. They've been professionally installed and I'm not sure, but the sellers told me that they're here and I just want everyone to be aware. Big deal.

Beth Andress (16:17):

I really have to bring you back to that, Rob, because I really want to reiterate that little white lies, little things that you have to say to get yourself out of a situation that may be dangerous to your safety or something that you have to do to ensure your safety. That is always okay in self-defense. Always, always, always. Don't ever let anybody tell you you've done something wrong when you are implementing something in a safety mode or self-defense mode.

Rob Andress (16:48):

And just before we pop to the next one, you know what? I want to share this. And a lot of professionals may question this, so I'm even going to invite you to look it up. You have a right, you as the professional conducting an open house, have a right to request photo ID from anyone who enters that property. It's called a seller property direction. When you list the property, ask the home seller about open houses and get their direction to request photo id. You have the right, you know what? You couldn't walk into a lawyer's office, a doctor's office, a dentist's office, an accountant's office. I mean, restaurants are almost getting to the point now where they want id but our industry, oh no, I will offend you. I wouldn't dare want to ask somebody for id. You have a right to do it. Look it up. You'll see it. It's there. Seller direction.

Beth Andress (17:57):

And speaking of your home sellers, if you're doing this open house, you've already instructed your home seller to put away all of their valuables. There are jewelry there, the small electronics, any personal information, medication, all of that stuff. You've advised them that you are respecting their home and that's what they need to do in order to make sure that everything goes smoothly. But if you explain to your homeowners that you have included this statement on your sign-in sheet, you really are reinforcing that element of trust that you're creating with the homeowner. You are showing them your commitment. You are creating a safe, secure environment. So whether it's a true statement or not, just that one sentence on that form is a huge deterrent.

Rob Andress (18:50):

Huge. And you know what? Before you pop to the next one, just a heads up, if you put this on your sheet, someone sees it, acknowledges it, signs it, and then they go and you see them walking around looking in corners of rooms for cameras or under curtains or that kind of thing for cameras. Understand this is a pret attack indicator. It's called scanning. They're looking for items that are going to identify them and open them up to risk. So yeah, we know all kinds of stuff. And scanning is an issue when predators are put into an environment where there's cameras inside of the home. So be mindful of it, just something else to think about.

Beth Andress (19:31):

All right. And the last safety tip that we're going to leave you with today is one that we believe very strongly, 100% in. Even though we have heard that in the past, the opposite advice was popular, Rob, unlock all doors.

Rob Andress (19:50):

Unlock all the doors. And a crazy thing, Beth, we have heard from professionals who are hired to provide safety information to real estate boards and offices that they advise their members to lock doors. Can you imagine being inside of an open house and locking the door when you're inside of a home with a total stranger that you don't know and you've never met?

Beth Andress (20:24):

I really think that when we started hearing that, that advice has been around for a long time. And I know that we've heard it from a few people who have taken self-defense courses and tactical training from police or other safety professionals,

Rob Andress (20:46):

The kung fu guy down the street or whatever.

Beth Andress (20:49):

Absolutely. Absolutely. But you and I know that these people do not have to sneak in the garage door. They don't have to climb in the basement window. They don't have to try to slip in through the patio when you're not looking because that creates a risk for them. They could get caught or they're going to be recognized as someone who didn't sign your sign-in sheet at the front of the home. These people, let's go back to it. They are invited into the home. They are strangers, they are unvetted. Do not lock yourself into a closed environment with these people.

Rob Andress (21:30):

And please don't do this on personal and private showings either. Of all the years that we've been doing this, and of all the professionals that we've worked with, and sadly some of the victims that we've met, I have never heard a realtor say to me, we were inside the property and this crazy individual broke in and started beating everybody up. That's not how these attacks happened.

Beth Andress (22:03):

So let's talk about why we don't unlock the doors because you know me, I always like to fill that toolbox with not just instructions, but the reasons behind it so that people can really understand what happens here.

Rob Andress (22:17):

It's the human response to fear and it's empowering or it's very powerful for so long, people believe they've heard this term, fight or flight, the fight or flight response. And so I'll grant it. A lot of my experience with people is it's fawning. They freeze. And then when the adrenaline releases and they understand what's happening now they have to deal with a huge amount of carbohydrates being burnt, adrenaline dumping, and then cortisol shooting through to levels that most people have never experienced before. And then you have to go and unlock a door, which becomes a very, very high finite movement. And when you unlock the door, then you have to turn the door handle. And this becomes a psychological overload. When you're in a state of fear, your hands are shaking, you're trying to run, you need to get out. You're in a panic state, just leave the door unlocked.

Beth Andress (23:40):

And it's that adrenaline surge through your body, like you said, the cortisol and everything else going on that impacts your fine motor skills. And those things that are usually effortless, that are nothing, they become so challenging. And unlocking the doors is one of those things. And we really need to stress that. The physiological effects of panic affect everybody. No matter how in shape you are, no matter how agile you think you are, that adrenaline dump affects you in a way that you are completely unprepared for. And you see it in those movies all the time where you kind of hold your head and you go, ah, don't go in the room. Don't go in the room. They panic and they run for the door and the door's unlocked. You see them slam their hands on the door and run to another location. They don't even think I have to unlock this door. They just think, oh my gosh, I can't get out here. And they turn and they look for another exit. So please, we know that you've heard the opposite advice. We want the doors unlocked. This is an open house. The people are coming, they're walking in the front door, they're invited guests. They're not sneaking in the windows.

Rob Andress (25:04):

The only time that I would ever recommend a professional to secure a door is when they have such a high influx of attendees at the open house that it kind of becomes difficult for them to keep an eye on and understand what's happening in the environment. And at those times, I am a big proponent, you know what? Put a little sign up in the door, close it. Let them know that you've got a lot of people inside. And as soon as some people leave that you'll reopen the door. But that's the only time you should ever, ever lock a door. Don't put yourself into that position. And Beth and I, I'm going to ask you to share this because people are hearing me share attacks that have happened against realtors. And I just kind of want you to go through this. So open houses, we understand as professionals that people come up, strangers, they walk in, they sign the piece of paper. Do they always give their real name?

Beth Andress (26:19):

Absolutely not. That's one of the other things about they don't want to be identified. They don't want to be caught. They don't really want you to know who they are. And just time for one little story. I participate in a group that talks about cottage rentals and things like that. And one of the posts that I saw was somebody who had been given an ID and they looked at the id, it was an Ontario driver's license. They looked at the ID and they thought, yep, that's a normal Ontario driver's license and looks good to me. And it turned out in the end that the photo was of the original owner of the driver's license, but the name on the driver's license had been altered and changed to one that was clearly of another ethnicity. And the signature sure did not match the name and the numbers on the driver's license had clearly been altered as well. So people will go to great lengths if they don't want you to know who they are. They may or may not sign the correct name on that log. And that's just the way that goes.

Rob Andress (27:42):

And with that too, I just want the professional to be aware of individuals who go through an open house leave and then return. We know a couple of incidences of this happening where

Beth Andress (28:02):

Rob, we know that happened in Calgary.

Rob Andress (28:04):

Yeah.

Beth Andress (28:06):

We also know that happened to a realtor who was actually a martial artist who was attacked from behind and was very fortunate to survive. And in that case, the client actually came to the open house, signed the log, went through the home left, and then came back just before the end of the open house

Rob Andress (28:29):

And attacked her with a reg. So be mindful of that. And you know what, Beth, I think we're kind of timing out here. And I want to put a challenge out and I want to challenge every broker of record across this country. I want to challenge every office manager across this country at your next sales meeting. Do me a favor. Spend five minutes, three minutes, two minutes, one minute talking about your employees or your private contractors or professional contractors and talk about safety. If we bring this up every week, even if we talk about it for one minute, it elevates the understanding of the importance of safety. And I know I was a business owner, I understand bottom lines are important. I understand sales are important, and I understand motivating salespeople to go out and do their thing and hit the hustle and make it happen. I understand all of that's important, but nothing's more important than their safety.

Beth Andress (29:53):

Absolutely. Rob and I will see you next time. We're going to ask you to share the podcast, rate the podcast, educate your fellow realtors, your team members about the importances of these practices and proper education. Every time you share this stuff, it promotes a culture of safety within the entire industry. Thank you.

Rob Andress (30:13):

Hey, thank you for listening. And if you could please leave us a rating and a review. And if you want, please share the link out to somebody who you think they might find this of value to them and importance. And Beth, I want to thank you again, and Doug, our producer from Stories and Strategies. What a solid rock. Thanks, Doug.