Good advise to give to children, and maybe we should practice a little of what we preach!
A Realtor receives a phone call, from someone wanting to "look at a property for their daughter. The daughter has horses and needs a little room to roam. She also wants to move now, so if there's a property that's vacant, that would probably work best. I don't need financing for this property, I'll be using cash. Can you show me the property later this afternoon, say 6pm or so?"
Are you kidding me? STOP, use your head! You don't know this person; would you ever let your daughter meet a stranger in a vacant home, out of town, by herself? I think not, and don't you do it either.
The public needs to understand, when they call a Realtor to show any property, a certain amount of verification needs to happen prior to the showing. It is not a good idea to show a property to anyone until you have some idea of who, what and where the heck they come from. Not only do you put yourself in danger as a Realtor, but you don't help your seller clients either if you're just the key that unlocks a door to a stranger! And you FSBO's out there need to get a grip on this concern as well.
Every now and then, a national story comes out about a Realtor who gets killed or injured meeting up with strangers. Stop this madness! Our own local area Billings Montana has had someone trying to set up just this kind of meeting. I hope we catch the turd.
If a buyer is qualified and legit, they won't mind you checking them out before you meet them at someones home for sale. It really isn't hard to get some basic info, google them for crying out loud.
- Meet them at the office first and get a copy of their drivers license
- Find out if they're qualified before you show
- Take a friend, or your husband, or one of your bigger boy children with you when you show if you're uncomfortable (remember we were taught to travel in pairs or groups!)
- Take a picture of them by their car, send it to your co-worker, make sure someone knows where you are
- God gave you some sense, if your tummy doesn't feel right, listen! The guy upstairs is trying to tell you something.
Take care out there!
