Your Dream Real Estate is a full brokerage and property management company in Houston. When it comes to personal on-the-job safety, real estate professionals are in a unique position. Because the nature of this business creates unusual safety concerns, it is critical to rely on certain protocols when working with every client.
Initial Meeting:
Instead of meeting you as a client for the first time at a vacant home we prefer to meet with you at our office or any public places. Please don’t be offended, after all you do not want to meet with a stranger at a vacant house, would you?
Documentations
At this meeting don’t be surprised if your realtor wants to make a copy of your id, mortgage pre-approval letter and gets more details about an emergency contact information. These are components of safety procedure.
Driving
Of the precautions we have adopted in our policies is to ask our clients to drive separately in their cars when it comes to taking a tour of the homes. After all once the tour is finished clients or realtors may have some commitments that they have to attend to.
Touring Homes
Don’t be surprised if your realtor walks behind you while touring the homes. This routine habit is not only a safety precaution; it allows you to see the rooms first and get better views of spaces. Also, your realtor may decline to accompany you into basements, closets, or attics, but you should feel free to have a look around.
Vacant Properties
The best time to tour properties will be during the day time specially when the hooue is vacant. You may not see the defects that exist in the house, fore example you may walk in upstairs there could be loose step and you fall. So that’s not safe for realtor and the client.
Neighborhoods
If you ask your realtor about the safety of a neighborhood, please remember fair housing laws doesn’t let real estate professionals to act in any behavior that can be viewed as steering people toward or away certain areas. Instead your realtor can provide resources that you can use and see where you’ll feel comfortable.