To help protect Michigan REALTORS®, MAR compiled a list of safety tips with the help of other associations across the country. MAR recommends all members read this page and display it prominently in their offices.

• Identify the people you are working with before you enter a car or a house. Obtain a copy of a driver’s license and get their car make and license plate number.
• Ask prospects to meet at your office to fill out personal identification forms instead of waiting until you meet them alone.
• Verify a client’s identity by calling references, or place of employment. Also verify his or her current address.
• Introduce all prospects to other people in your office. A potential attacker does not want to be noticed by others who could later pick him out in a police lineup.
• Always tell someone who you are with, where you are going and when you expect to be back. Share with the client that someone knows where you are.
• Always have your cell phone with you and not in a purse or briefcase. Try to call the office once an hour so people know everything is OK. You should have 911, emergency road service and your office number programmed into speed dial.
• Visualize emergency situations and rehearse in your mind what you might do if attacked. Plan out when you would fight, when you would run and when you would have a chance to call 911.
• Never advertise a listing as vacant.
• Always have an escape route from each level of the house. Arrive at the house early to scope it out. Make sure all deadbolts are unlocked and that you can get through a backyard without worrying about a fence.
• Try to notify the neighbors in advance that you will be there. Introduce yourself to them.
• Make sure the sellers don’t leave any valuables out and make sure you never leave a purse or briefcase unattended.
• Place one of your business cards with the date and time on the back in a kitchen cupboard.
• Have a prearranged distress code. For example, if you are uncomfortable while with a client, you can call the office and say something like, “I am at the Smith house and I need the red folder.” This way, the client will not get alarmed, yet someone from the office is still aware you could be in trouble.
• When marketing, don’t put out “glamour” shots of yourself or any personal information. Always use an office address, not a home address, and your cell phone number, not your house number.
• Always try to drive two cars. If you do have to drive with the client, make sure you are the one driving. Park in a place where you can get your car out easily and make sure you know if you are on a dead -end street.
• Fight or flight depends on the situation and your personal abilities. If someone has a knife or points a gun at you, it is probably best to just cooperate with him and not try to fight back.
• If someone starts coming toward you, put your arms out and start yelling like you are willing to fight and are not scared. If an attacker thinks you aren’t scared of him, he is less likely to attack.
• If you decide to respond physically and fight back, just remember the key is to escape, not to necessarily cause pain or injure the attacker.
• Trust your instincts. If you have an unexplained fear, hesitate about someone or just get that gut feeling something isn’t right, it probably isn’t.
  Don’t put yourself in any situation you are questioning.