Can AI Make Real Estate Safer?
Do You Know Who You’re Meeting?
A new client calls and asks to see a property. Within an hour, you may be standing alone in a vacant house with someone you’ve never met.
Technology can add another layer of protection before that meeting ever takes place. Identity-verification tools such as FOREWARN can help you verify information about a prospective client and identify inconsistencies or potential warning signs before meeting face-to-face.
NAR also lists SafeShowings among its safety resources, while SentriLock’s SentriKey app includes an Agent Safety feature that can check in with an agent during a showing and alert designated emergency contacts if the agent doesn’t respond.
Don’t Be Fooled By Phone Calls, Text, Email
In June, the DRE warned that scammers were calling consumers and real estate licensees while pretending to be DRE employees. Calls may concern a transaction or supposed commission dispute, with the caller creating urgency and pushing the recipient to respond quickly.
There’s one fact worth remembering: DRE says its initial contact about a matter of concern will come by LETTER, not by phone, text or email.
An unexpected caller who knows something about your business can sound convincing. Don’t let familiarity with the details substitute for verification.
She Was Showing a Home to a Client She Already Knew
Janice Tisdale wasn’t meeting a complete stranger. She had shown the prospective buyer several homes before agreeing to meet him at a vacant $750,000 property. But when she arrived, something felt wrong. What happened next nearly cost Tisdale her life—and became the experience she now uses to teach other real estate professionals about safety
Experience can make an unfamiliar situation feel routine. It doesn’t necessarily make it safer.
No appointment, commission or client relationship is worth ignoring the instinct that tells you something isn’t right.
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