REALTORS® often face more on-the-job risks than many other business professionals. Just ask Jennifer Halter, an agent with RE/MAX State Line at 10200 State Line Road.

Jennifer recently encountered a potentially dangerous situation that, thankfully, didn’t turn into one. When she received a sign call, she agreed to meet the potential buyer at a listing he saw on the Plaza later that day. Though she knows the safest way to handle a prospective client is to bring them into the office first, she didn’t want to lose the lead.

When she showed up, the caller was already there, but he refused to get out of the car and rolled down the window to tell her he thought someone was at the home. Jennifer went to the door and the homeowner was indeed present, but said they’d step outside for the showing. But when Jennifer went back out to the car, the man still wouldn’t get out of the car and said he didn’t want to see the property anymore – and took off.

“It was obviously one of those things where he didn’t want to see a property because there were other people there,” Jennifer said. “It was definitely weird. You don’t want to lose a lead by asking a caller to come into the office first, but you should definitely do that. If you get a driver’s license number and other people at your office see them, they’re less likely to do something. If it’s a sign call, you definitely need to get more information.”

Jennifer’s story is a good reminder that you should always ask new clients to stop by your office and complete a Prospect Identification Form, preferably in the presence of an associate. Don’t agree to meet the client at a listing before doing this – and if you do, make sure you’re not alone.

For more safety tips, go to http://kcrar.com/safety. NAR’s annual REALTORS® Safety Week will be observed September 13-19, 2009. For safety tips from NAR, visit http://www.realtor.org/about_nar/safety_week/index2008.