Real Estate profession can be dangerous

applecruncher

applecruncher

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I never thought much about it, but being a real estate agent can be dangerous. In some ways it’s the perfect set-up: A man calls and says he’s interested in a listed property and wants to see it. The agent, often a woman working alone, takes him to or meets him at a house and takes him inside.

There have been reports on the news recently about real estate agents being attacked when showing properties.

http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local/2015/06/03/stpetersburg-realtors-theft-attack/28420405/

“Most people don’t pick up hitchhikers, yet real estate professionals put strangers in their car all of the time and don’t think anything of it,”
http://realtormag.realtor.org/sales...-estates-6-most-dangerous-everyday-situations
 

Getting to a gun before being grabbed or hit on the head might be difficult.

A better idea might be for real estate companies to hire security people to accompany the agents (male and female).....although it would be an expense, but money well-spent imo.
 

The security if they are going alone makes sense. We had one murdered here a few years ago...
 
There was a case here where a commercial real estate agent (male) was showing a warehouse and the guys took his wallet, cell phone, and stole his car.

The more I think about it, even showing a vacant apartment or office can also involve safety issues.

Past time for real estate and property management companies to take a look at their procedures instead of just focusing on the potential commission. It's too easy for ANYONE to call and ask an agent to show them a property.
 
My daughter worked as a community nurse for some years, doing home visits, sometimes for after hours emergencies. The nurses always operated alone but there were protocols to be followed and communication with the base was very important. Perhaps real estate agents could emulate some other professions that face the same hazards. Training is important.
 
Once a realtor, found open houses to be OK for the most part, often had other agents in the area looking like buyers. A good open house will have multiple visitors and that can mean safety.

Single shows should include a office meeting where you find all you can about your 'buyer' and his buying abilities. Names, addresses, contact information, etc. I would never just go meet a stranger someone, some place, and go inside a strange building in a place I knew little about. A little office time means a lot for security.
 
Good points, BobF. At the very least, asking the ‘buyer’ to come to the office, meet, show ID. Could even say “Our policy is to keep a record and copy of ID of everyone we show property to.” If they balk/object….pfftt….they may be up to no good or wasting time. Some people are fast/slick talkers…..I’m in town for a business meeting with my investment company and I’m catching a flight to Miami this afternoon.”

There’s a good movie “Pacific Heights” with Michael Keaton which shows how clever a criminal can be……..well dressed, expensive car, slick talker. Combine that with naive property owners who didn't verify his story and failed to use basic common sense, and you have a good story.

One company I worked for charged (I think) $25 – non-refundable - in advance for application and credit app (which can verify the information). Some places do this only after the property has been shown.

Sometimes people aren’t necessarily dangerous, but they’re wasting time; i.e., they have nothing to do so they go look at (usually expensive) houses and buildings with no intention of buying/leasing anything, and they wouldn’t qualify anyway because they have bad credit and no resources/inadequate income. One of the agents in the office told me he got tired of people calling/dropping in the office blowing smoke about wanting to own a business someday. He said one of the most common was women wanting to own a beauty salon but they had no plan and no money…..just wanted to see some spaces so they could “get some ideas”. :rolleyes:
 
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I investigated a murder of a RE agent some years back. A lady was called to show a small farm just outside of Pittsburgh and the agency that she worked for hadn't heard from her for several hours. She didn't tell anyone where she was going and there wasn't anything written on her office appointment calender. I went to her home and spoke with her husband and as I was questioning him with some routine questions, he appeared to become nervous and my suspicion arose.

He allowed me to go through her things and I found a beeper in her desk drawer at her home. I ran a search on the last ten numbers and an unknown number came up. I immediately thought that it may be a TracFone. I went around to the local Walmart's and asked who purchased these phones in the last five days and her husband's name popped up as one of the buyers. This all took maybe ten days with getting subpoenas and then retrieving the information.

In the meantime, another agent showed the farm to an interested buyer and she was found by them.

We called him in for intense questioning and when we asked him to take a polygraph test, so that we could dismiss him as a suspect, he confessed. He had shot her twice in the back of the head. Later, we found out that she had several large insurance policies on her life and also a girlfriend. He was later found guilty and sentenced to life w/o parole. In PA, life means life. He will likely die in prison without a Governor's pardon, which has only happened once in the last 65 years for anyone sentenced to life.

People don't learn very quickly. Even if he hadn't confessed, we were going to nail him. We found three spots of her blood in his car that he failed to clean up with bleach. The one spot contained gunpowder residue. BINGO! Forensics has been a game changer in solving major crimes.
 
Yes, forensics and especially DNA have been game changers but the collectors and handlers of the evidence better cross their Ts and dot their i's, otherwise it's another OJ trail.
 
Interesting (and sad) story, 911. Sounds like something on HLN Forensic Files. Real Estate agent showing farm property would be a good place for nefarious activity.

On another site that I participate in someone posted about being at an informal party where a guest had brought a date no one had met before. This dork was saying he knew how to get into several vacant buildings – just in case anyone wanted to throw a big party and not mess up their house. :rolleyes: Someone who knows how to get into vacant buildings is someone I want nothing to do with.
 
Here is another quick story. A RE agent was out at an open house. A very attractive young woman. The neighbor heard a gunshot and called police after she saw a man running out of the open house. Another Trooper and myself immediately responded. He was said to be driving a small yellow foreign car. There was a BOLO on the car (be on the lookout). The other officer passed him going the opposite direction. I immediately turned around and headed back towards him. As he approached, I threw a spike strip across in front of him. He stopped, got out and began shooting towards me. He hid outside in back of his car. I took out my shotgun and racked a shell. Upon hearing that, he surrendered.

He had raped and robbed the agent and also choked her and "thought" she was dead, but survived. No matter, he got 99 years. He had a long rap sheet. (Record of Arrests and Prosecutions.)

Being a real estate agent has its rewards, but also dangers do exist. We speak to agents often about letting someone know where they are going to show a home and be sure to call in every 15 minutes. They don't listen to us, but we try. I have a good friend whose wife shows and sells real estate. He is now retired, so he goes along to all of her showings and carries his .25 magnum. A very small, but effective weapon.
 
I won't even open my door for anyone unless I know them, we have had instances where in broad daylight once someone opened the door they pushed their way in, tied up the people that lived there, sometime beat them and then robbed them.
 
My wife is a retired Realtor. She was licensed and practiced in California. Never had a problem. She didn't go into "hinky" situations at night in some areas. Usually it's a husband and wife who are looking.
 
One of the attorneys I used to work for expected me to go show his rental properties when necessary. At first I didn't mind (excuse to get the heck out of the office), but then I had an incident where I was seriously creeped out and refused to do it any more. He grumbled about it and I told him to either get someone else to show the properties or he should find another paralegal, because I flat wasn't going to put myself in that position again. He hired a management company.
 
applecruncher said:
An arrest has been made:

http://www.wfla.com/story/29269197/st-pete-police-make-arrest-in-real-estate-agents-kidnapping-case

ST PETERSBURG, FL (WFLA) - St. Petersburg Police have arrested the suspect accused of the attacking two real estate agents.

Retired Air Force Major Paul Pinkston, 58, of St. Petersburg, has been charged with one count of kidnapping with a deadly weapon and one count of armed robbery.

Related: Pinellas realtor recalls terrifying attack
Click to expand...

Motive unclear is what scares me. He had a job too. An uncaught serial killer?

My thing is can't overreact to any crime or terrorism because if you do it's turned into the game the criminals are already playing. You don't want to chase or deter business. Around here the number of homes for sale is still increasing above normal levels. You put a mini job application in front of a shopper just to look or browse a house for sale nothing will get sold.
 
It happened here too, although I can't remember where exactly in England.The female realtor had put Mr Kipper in her diary and the address of the house she was going to show him and that was it, she was never found.Because this was quite a few years ago, it's possible that she was found and also the killer too, but I do remember the case, and of course , she was a very attractive woman.
 
After that particular case, female realtors stopped showing clients around on their own for a while, but over time, forgot, because one showed my husband a property, which we then bought, but he was alone that day and so was she.
 

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