The real estate investing business promises great money, a flexible schedule and a fantastic lifestyle, however there can be dangers on the job, so what can you do to stay safe?
The two main dangers individuals involved in real estate investing face are from angry buyers and sellers when things go wrong and from criminals who have occasionally attacked real estate professionals when at open houses.
These instances are extremely rare, and the odds are that you can have a long and profitable career without ever running into a problem. However, it is a reality and you should be smart and prepared.
Being accessible to prospects and clients is important in the real estate investing business, but you should not give out your home phone number or address unless you want upset clients banging on your door in the middle of the night one day or camping out on your lawn until the deal closes.
For those owners of real estate investing companies and their staff members who sit at open houses, take prospects out to show them property or go to sellers homes to make low ball offers you should always let someone know where you are going and when possible get copies of IDs.
Even though the chances of you facing a physical confrontation are probably less than one in a million, being safe is all about being prepared. Don’t just rely on being able to grab your cell phone and hit 911 in time. Consider carrying a key chain type panic alarm or mace to fight off an attacker should the worst case scenario happen. If you can get a concealed weapons permit then toting around a .45 is not a bad idea either, though just don’t get carried away and try and use it to force anyone to sign your real estate investing contracts, it will probably land you in a lot of trouble.
Lastly you may want to take up a self-defense or martial arts class, which is also a great way to keep in shape, stay feeling your best and even help you be more productive and make new connections for your real estate investing business.
