Many hearts in the realtor community remain heavy as they mourn the recent loss of one of their own.
Arkansas real estate agent Beverly Carter was found dead a few days after she went missing following a home showing. A suspect in Carter’s disappearance who admitted to her kidnapping has been arrested.
Carter’s death has placed even more emphasis on the industry’s safety practices, according to David Tonna, president of the Silicon Valley Association of Realtors (SILVAR).
“The business of real estate can be risky, and this is why the National Association of Realtors and SILVAR have worked hard to keep realtor safety foremost in everyone’s minds,” he said.
Tonna added that safety is not something realtors can take for granted.
“Our clients, too, face some dangers in allowing strangers into their homes or visiting other people’s properties,” he said.
SILVAR officials shared the following tips from the National Association of Realtors’ Realtor Safety Kit with sellers to help them protect themselves from those with criminal intent.
• Before you open your home to strangers, walk through your home with your realtor and do a safety check. Make sure that there are no potential hazards in your home, such as cords that anyone could trip on or loose floorboards or carpets. Anyone falling in your home could open you to liability.
• If possible, animals should be removed during showings. Homeowners are held liable if their animals attack anyone.
• Remove keys, credit cards, jewelry, crystal, furs and other valuables from the home or lock them away during showings. Also, remove prescription drugs. There has been a rise in the number of reports of theft of prescription drugs from sellers’ homes.
• Don’t leave personal information like mail and bills out in the open where anyone can see them. Be sure to lock your computer and laptop and any other expensive, easy-to-pocket electronics, like iPods, before your showing.
• Remove family photos from your home. Family photos may make your rooms feel cozier to prospective buyers, but you never know who will be walking through your house. You need to focus on the safety of your family.
• Do not show your home by yourself. Not all agents, buyers and sellers are who they say they are. Predators come in all shapes and sizes.
• Refer all inquiries to your realtor. Your agent will take all the necessary safety precautions to secure your home after an open house or showing, but when you return, you should immediately verify that all doors are locked and all valuables accounted for. Thieves commonly use open houses to scout for homeowners’ valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves.
For more information, visit realtor.org/safety.
The Silicon Valley Association of Realtors provided information for this article. For more information, email Rose Meily at [email protected].
