“Open House Bandits” Arrested After Targeting Real Estate Agents for Crimes… Safety Expert Offers Safety and Prevention Tips for Agents and FSBOs

07 02 07, Kansas City, MO- A pair of criminals targeted real estate agents, open houses and real estate offices in multiple states as they stole wallets and purses and used stolen credit cards to shop, rent cars and get cash advances. Missouri Highway Patrol arrested a couple in connection with the crimes. The pair was dubbed “The Open House Bandits” by a local television station. They are accused of targeting unsuspecting real estate agents. The pair started in June in San Francisco, then moved to other states including Missouri and Kansas. More recently they were spotted in Park City, Utah. Tracey Hawkins of Safety and Security Source, in Kansas City, specializes in real estate agent safety and made a point of spreading the word to real estate companies and associations that she is affiliated with.

Almost a year ago Sarah Anne Walker, a real estate agent, was killed in a model home in Texas and the story made national news. A suspect was apprehended and arrested. Kansas and Missouri agents were also robbed in January and September of last year. Hawkins said her schedule was booked for months with her free personal safety class targeting agents.

Boards of Realtors in Columbia, Missouri and Park City, Utah warned their agents of the criminal activity. However, many other Associations did not know of the crime in time to warn their members. Hawkins, who has been a real estate agent and has trained thousands of agents over the years on job safety and does so on a monthly basis, stresses that this situation is not unique. Most of the time the criminal incidents are isolated and many do not get reported. Having a sister who is an active agent and knowing the job first-hand, and knowing the mind-set of agents gives her an insight that most safety professionals don’t have.

“It’s easy for someone to tell an agent, ‘just don’t meet strangers’. The reality is that if they don’t, they don’t sell, therefore, they don’t eat. They rely upon meeting strangers in empty houses to make a living. However, there are specific steps that agents can take to remove some of the risks of the job. I have heard agents say that they feel like “sitting ducks”. My job is to empower them. No one should feel helpless and unable to protect themselves when working.”

Hawkins states that the first thing she teaches is that people should trust their instincts. We all have a build-in survival mechanism that is hardly ever wrong. We need to listen to it and stop talking ourselves out of it. If the situation feels wrong, it probably is. Hawkins gives tools and techniques for agents to get out of those dangerous situations. She suggests screening new clients, demonstrates proper showing techniques; never letting a client block the escape route, keeping purses and PDAs out of sight, not wearing expensive or flashy jewelry and more. FSBOs, (For Sale By Owners), are vulnerable as well, they are homeowners selling their own homes, inviting strangers in. There typically is no safety plan in place because they don’t think of the potential dangers to their possessions and their families. Hawkins offers them safety tips on her website. She also educates on products on the market that agents and sellers can use to protect themselves such as; pepper spray and personal alarms.

“Almost as important as safety tips is knowing what safety product is on the market that may get you out of a dangerous situation. You have to know how to shop for the right spray, for example, know the difference between tear gas, Mace and pepper spray. Know what the pepper spray (recommended) will and won’t do. Know about personal alarms, when will they work and when won’t they.” She has been offering the products for 12 years and with Police Academy training in pepper spray, considers herself a safety product expert.

She offers free presentations to real estate companies and real estate associations. She has also created a safety program for home healthcare workers who find themselves in the same potentially dangerous situations. Visit: www.safetyandsecuritysource.com for additional information or call toll-free1-866-365-4542.

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* Published by the Kentucky Real Estate Commission.