It's REALTOR® Safety Month again. Time to stop and take a look at the ways we do business and to find ways to reduce our personal risk.
I was talking to a member of the local association and he was advocating that every agent should have a concealed handgun license and carry while working. I am a firm supporter of the Second Amendment, support the right to carry, and I am personally licensed. I have 21 years of military training and education on the Use of Deadly Force and some 30-plus years of experience carrying and handling weapons. In those 30-plus years of carrying as a civilian, I've only drawn a weapon twice and never fired a shot other than my monthly trips to the range.
If agents want to get licensed and carry, I'm okay with it. But they have to understand the huge responsibility and liability that go along with that choice. I'm also a firm believer that they should do more than simply get licensed and start carrying. Time should be spent at the local range getting familiar with the weapon. We hear all the time about accidental discharges. There's no such thing in my opinion. I call them negligent discharges. Weapons safety is always critical but even more so around other people.
Personally I never want to have to shoot someone. Escape is always a better option. You have to be alert and active. Always look for a way out before you go into a situation. I tell agents leaving the building at night to grab a cup of hot coffee from our single serving machine on the way out. If confronted, splash the scalding coffee in the face of the attacker and escape.
One of my buyer's agents was meeting a client at one of our properties. When she got there the client known to us was not around but a man approached her saying she was the client's spouse. He want to go in and take a look before his spouse arrived. My agent was quick on her feet and told him she would rather go through the "Information About Brokerage Services" form and get that reviewed and signed while they waited on the client. The client did show up and all was okay. The agent did the right thing. She stayed outside where she could escape if something went wrong.
I think situational awareness and looking for the escape is far better than any kind of armed confrontation.
Would you carry a firearm while working?
Tom Branch and Gina Branch, The Branch Team with RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs, service the greater North Dallas suburbs including Dallas, Plano, Allen, McKinney, Frisco, Lewisville, and Carrollton. While Gina concentrates on traditional listings and buyer/tenant representation, Tom specializes in assisting distressed homeowners to avoid foreclosure. Tom and Gina have published two books (Achieving Rock Star Status and The Field Guide to Short Sales) and are available for speaking engagements in the greater Dallas - Fort Worth Metroplex. Subscribe to The Branch Team Blog.
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