Listed below are some basic safety tips REALTORS can and should follow to minimize possible dangers when holding open houses or showing homes.

1) Always let your office know your schedule for the day of the open house.  You should set up a system that allows members of your office or family know when you are scheduled to arrive and leave the open house.  Calls to these ‘outside’ contacts should be made upon arrival and departure from the house.

2) No open house should be hosted alone. Two hosts in the open house will come in handy when you have prospects going in different directions in the property. If you can’t have someone hosting with you for the entire open house, arrangements should be made to have someone drop in periodically. The more traffic at the open house, the less likely an unwanted occurrence will happen.

3) Have a fully charged cellular phone with you at all times. A password or a pre-arranged phrase should be known to the people in your office or home that will let them know that you are in trouble.  For example, “Oh, I forgot to turn down the oven” is bland enough so someone in the open house with you won’t get suspicious, but the warning will tell the person on the other end of the line that you need help, now.

4) Never go into a room ahead of a prospect, especially a room in which there is only one exit. Let the prospect lead the way into these rooms. Avoid going into the basement or confined areas with a prospect.

5) Finally, if you become alarmed or feel uneasy about a person stopping at your open house, act on your instincts. Call for assistance immediately. The worst that could happen is that you were wrong and embarrassed.