September is Realtor® Safety Month

We know the drill, we’ve read the literature from our Realtor(r) Associations about it, but are we thinking SAFETY when we go out on showings or on listing appointments? How many of us are guilty of jumping into that car heading out to meet up with them and we just got a phone call?

Well …. Perhaps we should take a breath and see if there wouldn’t be a safer way of conducting our real estate business. Here are some safety tips in honor of Realtor(r) Safety Month:

• Before you show a commercial property, confirm you have cell phone coverage; thick walls or remote locations may interfere with reception.
• Find out what you can about the client before meeting them. (www.pipl.com, google.com or 123people.com – in Iowa, www.IowaCourtsOnline.com a judicial website open to the public showing individual’s state court records- do you have something like that in your state?)
• Don’t get parked in. When showing property, park your car in front rather than in the driveway.
• Protect your clients. Warn them that not all agents, buyers, and sellers are who they say they are.
• Bring up the rear. When showing a home, stay slightly behind prospects and gesture for them to go ahead of you
• It ain’t over ’til it’s over. Don’t assume everyone has left at the end of an open house. Check entire property before you lock up.
• Lock your purse in your car, carry only non-valuable items (except mobile), don’t wear expensive jewelry/watch or carry a lot of money.
• Take two seconds as you walk towards your destination to check out potential risks. Be aware and empower yourself.
• All of your marketing materials should be polished and professional. Don’t use alluring or provocative photography in advertising, on the Web or on your business cards. Victims are targeted because of their appearance in the photograph.
• Install caller I.D. on your telephone, which should automatically reject calls from numbers that have been blocked. This will provide you with immediate information about the source of the call.
• Be careful how much personal information you give verbally as well. Getting to know your client does not need to include personal information about your children, where you live and who you live with.
• Before the appointment, call the client to ask for driver’s license number, plate number and the make, model and year of the car.
• Plan ahead and have someone who is keeping track of where you are and what homes you are showing and the addresses of all of them.
• Carry pepper spray.
• Keep your keys in your hand.  Hold one key through your fingers so if you punched, it would stab.  You should also make sure you have a panic button for your car that will make the alarm go off by pushing a button.
• Have a secret text you can use with your point person to let them know if you are in trouble and a different text if you are ok.

Do you have safety tips? Please let me know – we just can’t keep ourselves safe enough!

(Sources: Realtor® Magazine, Realtor.com, Washington Real Estate Safety Council; Louisiana REALTORS® Association; City of Mesa, AZ found on Realtor.com)

Stay Safe Out There!

Do you give your buyers and seller closing gifts? I did when I was an agent and broker. I put a lot of thought into what I wanted to give. Sure, I started out with the usual things – flowers, gift baskets, pizza parties, donuts, gift cards ….. but I wanted to be remembered – different and unique – and most of all I wanted to let my clients know how much I appreciated them using me for their agent. Ours is a people business and without them – we’d have no business.

I used personalized afghans from Pure Country (see link below). I ordered in bulk in monotone colors of dark green and navy blue. There was a picture of a house in the middle with the quote, “A House is made of brick and stone, a Home is made by love alone.” THEN, I had my logo woven into the afghan below the quote. It was AWESOME! I had clients use my services over and over to get more afghans. I had friends of clients use my services because they saw the closing gift.  It was unique and would be around for years. It looked expensive, but was actually cheaper than a fine bottle of wine or gift basket. (I lived and worked in a rural community. We hung our sheets, towels, and blankets on clotheslines. Envision driving around town and seeing my closing gift hanging on their clothes line drying – It was like a flag waving in the breeze ….. free advertising.)

My point is – give something meaningful, personal, and useful.  And then maintain contact with them after the closing …. but that is a different point I can’t stress enough.

Deciding to use closing gifts is the easy part. Making the selection work for you takes thought. Consider:

• Cost. Don’t try to “cheap” your way out on gifts. Make it something someone will actually appreciate receiving. Let the home’s selling price and buyers’ affluence help guide you to what’s appropriate to spend and give.
• Personal touch. Though it asks more time and effort to make the selection, a personalized gift can say most about how much you appreciate the client.
• Staying power. Something the client proudly displays or uses for years will serve as an ongoing reminder of you and a chance for the client to talk up your services again and again.
• Follow-up. A giving strategy, in which you regularly follow up with tokens of appreciation, cards, or friendly calls can effectively reinforce the good will generated by your gift.

Excerpt taken from and article from Realtor.mag which was published on: 06/01/2004 – to read full article, click here

Closing gift ideas

Confluence Books
www.confluencebooks.com
800/444-5450
The Home Owner’s Journal lets new owners track all activity and expenses related to their purchase and remodel. Customize covers and inside page with your message, contact information, or logo. Check their website for current pricing and price breaks.

Innovative Software LLC
www.bestclosinggift.com
800/999-2734
Homeowners can keep track of all improvements made to their new house with the Complete Home Journal software for PCs. Customize software packaging with your contact information and company name. Check website for pricing, volume discounts available.

Kim’s Crafts
www.kimscrafts.com
800/830-5480
Selection of hand-painted slate signs that can be customized with homeowner’s name or address. Handcrafted items for the home produced in Maine. Pricing starts at $14.99 for personalized slate.

SouthernSeason
www.southernseason.com
866/253-5317
Gourmet foods, candies, baked goods, and snacks. Special line of gift baskets and samplers created specifically as closing gifts. Pricing starts under $30.

The Amana Meat Shop
www.theAmanaMeatShop.com
1-800-373-6328
© Amana Meat Shop & Smokehouse Order delicious smoked specialties, mouthwatering steaks and chops, and premium gift boxes from the Amana Meat Shop & Smokehouse. I have used this and this is a meat lover’s dream – yum!

The Gift of Portraits
www.giftofportraits.com/
Portraits and drawings have become less popular in our modern times, making the gift of a house portrait all that much more unique. In addition these house portraits can also be affordable; you can provide a long lasting memento without breaking your budget. Imagine the look on the recipients face when you present this lovely, professionally rendered home portrait. It will be a gift they won’t just toss in a drawer, but that they will enjoy and treasure forever. I wish I knew about this – this looks great and surprisingly not that expensive.

Fred Lake – Address Stamps
www.fredlake.perfectclosinggift.com
It’s personal. This great gift has your marketing information on the front of each stamp. Plus, each stamp is customized with your clients’ address.

Pure Country
www.PureCountry.com
Pure Country is the largest custom textile company in the world. We have helped thousands of individuals and organizations create custom woven throws, pillows, and wall hangings. This is the company I used and at the time, were very friendly and very very easy to work with. I still have my afghans and they wash up great! (and even hang on the line well.)

These are just a few suggestions. I would love to hear what you give – please post below. I can always use more great ideas!!