Q. Safety is always on the minds of Realtors and site agents. Are there some ways they can utilize technology to help them feel safer on the many occasions they are in homes by themselves or meeting an unknown buyer?
A. Most seasoned agents agree that the safest practice is to meet buyers for the first time at your office or a public place. Ask them to come prepared with their identification and let them know you have a short registration form that will need to be completed.
If you meet at a public place, like a Starbucks or Panera Bread, you can use an app like Cam Scanner to take a photo of their identification and registration paperwork. Cam Scanner will convert the images into PDFs that can be emailed or saved to your computer.
Before you start the meeting, casually mention that you are going to “check-in” with your business partner or spouse and let the prospect see you as you text or email someone from your phone.
As you conclude the meeting, before you start walking to your car, visibly check-in again with someone and let the prospect see that as well.
Q. Are there mobile apps that agents should add to their mobile devices? What are the differences in the apps?
A. There are a lot of great apps to help agents stay safe. Real Alert for Apple and Android was developed specifically for real estate professionals. For just $1.99, the app allows you to quickly alert emergency contacts or the police when you feel threatened.
You can also discreetly record details about a suspicious person and locate the nearest hospitals using your current GPS location. A quick tap button lets you sound an alarm to ward off potential attackers. (The volume depends on the sound setting on your phone.)
Watch Over Me and bSafe both send out safety alerts to your friends and family if you fail to check in on time. They both have alarms and let people know where you are based on GPS.
To find more safety-related apps, go to iTunes if you are an Apple user or the Google Play store if you are an Android user and do a search for “realtor safety apps” or “personal safety.”
Q. Are there specific ways technology can help site agents better protect themselves in their model homes?
A. I recommend on-site agents always have their mobile phone on their person so if they feel uncomfortable at any time they can call for help.
Carrying a phone in your hand is cumbersome, distracting to the prospect and it is easy to set it down somewhere so I recommend agents invest in either a clip-on phone case that goes on your belt or a lanyard style phone case that goes around your neck.
With either type of case you have quick and easy access if you need to call for help. A quick Google or Amazon search will help you find dozens of case options that will best fit with your phone and needs.
Because new home sales agents often work in remote areas, make sure the street number on the home is large and visible from the street so that police, fire or other first responders can find you easily.
Q. What ways can technology assist builders with good selling points for their homes? Technology is a great “virtual” assistant for sales agents to make sales presentations more interactive and educational.
A. Rather than trying to verbally describe how a particular feature will look or work, a sales agent armed with an iPad loaded full of photos, videos and virtual tours can show a prospective buyer how it works in a much more effective manner.
We live in such a visual world — the more you can show even the smallest details in a visual way to your prospects, the more they will relate and understand the information.
Of course there are those rare cases, where more information is not better. So read your prospect carefully and when it is a good fit don’t hesitate to use your smart phone or tablet in the selling process.
Q. Any last tips? No app or smartphone can trump instinct when it comes to safety.
A. Bottom line, if you have an uneasy feeling about a buyer or seller, listen to your inner voice. Too often we discount our inner voice and proceed anyway.
Think back to the misery or headaches you could have avoided if you had just listened to your first instinct. Don’t take that gamble with your life.
There will be more buyers, seller and commission checks but there is no replacement for you.