I think I saved a colleague

[Frantic Freddie]

Our area is small town/rural,my office knows that open houses are a waste of time so we never do them.But the poor townie Realtors'll get a listing out here & decide they'll do one.I'll sometimes drop by & talk to the poor bastards because I know they're stuck there for 4 hours with NOBODY comin' by.

So one Sunday I decide to drop by one because I've got a client lookin' for something like this house.There's an attractive young lady Realtor all by herself & while I may be an old married man I'll always spare some time for my young attractive colleagues So as we're discussing the business & her havin' to drive 35 miles to waste an entire Sunday afternoon because her dumb client wanted an Open House & I'm just about ready to leave when a guy drives up & walks in the house.

Suddenly my "Something's wrong here" receptors started tingling & I've learned to pay attention to them.

I'm a pretty good student of body language & I watch people closely.This guy's eyes lit up when he saw her & dropped when he saw me.

So small talk ensues & I (required by law) mention that I'm just a local Realtor lookin' at the house for my client & the young lady is the listing agent for the house,if he's interested he should talk to her.Then he starts talkin' to me,explainin' that he lives out here & he's thinkin' about moving.

So I ask him where he lives & he can't seem to tell me exactly which road he lives on.I know the area he's talkin' about like the back of my hand,including individual houses & he still can't pinpoint where he lives.

So he finally says he's goin' to look at the rest of the house & disappears down the hall.

The young lady turns to me & says "Would you mind staying until he leaves? I'm not real comfortable with this guy" I said of course I would & told her I was armed (just my boot gun,but I moved it to my pocket),she was very relieved.

After a few minutes he comes back into the living room,utters a few more non-sequiters & leaves.

The agent then tells me she's had enough & is endin' the OH an hour early,to hell with what her clients think.So I waited 'til she got the house closed up & left.

the FBI has rated our profession as dangerous,I knew a fellow Realtor,not well as I'd only met him once,who was murdered while showing a house

[EvilEmpryss]

Good on you for watching a colleague's back! I've heard way too many stories about realtors getting robbed, raped, and/or murdered while showing homes. Did you guys report the creep to the authorities? For all you know, there's a rapist working the area and your info may help them catch him.

[Frantic Freddie]

Good on you for watching a colleague's back! I've heard way too many stories about realtors getting robbed, raped, and/or murdered while showing homes. Did you guys report the creep to the authorities? For all you know, there's a rapist working the area and your info may help them catch him.

No reason to report him,no known rapists in the area.But it was wierd.

I've carried a gun ever since I got my license & have sometimes worn one openly when I was asked to meet someone in a remote place.

Another story: I had a listing in a remote place,15 acres with a rather nice manufactured home on it,someone has been going there & stripping the place,they stole everything,carpet,plumbing fixtures,even the outlet cover plates.

So I get a call from another Realtor tellin' me she'd shown the place:

"Hi,I showed your house in Chillili,but as we got there some guy jumped in his truck & took off,I knew he was stealing so we followed him"

Me "WTF,you followed him??? Do you carry a gun?"

Her "No"

Me "Do you know anything about that area?"

Her "No"

Me "You're lucky he didn't sucker you into some place where they could leisurely dismember your body & leave it for the coyotes & bears"

I don't think she showed another S14 property again.

[Eisa]

Hey, just 'cause he's not a known rapist doesn't mean he isn't...

I've read I don't know how many news stories and fictional stories about bad things happening to realtors. That's a scary-ass job right there.

[Frantic Freddie]

Hey, just 'cause he's not a known rapist doesn't mean he isn't...

I've read I don't know how many news stories and fictional stories about bad things happening to realtors. That's a scary-ass job right there.

And that's why I carry a gun (or 2).

99.99% of the time there's no problem,but we're taught to listen to our gut,if we don't feel comfortable then take another person or just don't go.I've gone along on showings with my lady colleagues when they asked me.

I've had people accuse me of bein' paranoid,then I ask them how they'd feel about bein' asked on the phone to meet a stranger in a remote 160 acres,10 miles down a bad dirt road.

[EvilEmpryss]

My mother always said: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there aren't people out to get you."

[Frantic Freddie]

My mother always said: "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there aren't people out to get you."

Your mother is a wise & perceptive lady,I like her already

[chainedbarista]

agreed; if it doesn't feel right, it's likely not. if your instincts are screaming, listen to them, it may just save your life.

for me, it very well may have on more than one occasion.

[pitmonkey]

It is good that you are being proactive about you safety and others. Have you had much training in self defense. The line goes, in a fight, take your highest training and knock it down 50%. I also cc and training is ongoing.

[Wenchie]

No reason to report him,no known rapists in the area.But it was wierd.

Even if there's no known rapists or anything, I would have still reported it to the local Board/Association or MLS. I work for an MLS... we post warnings/announcements all the time about stuff like this.

By the way, if you read any of my stuff... no disrespect to the profession. I know several smart Realtors. They're just not the ones who call me.

But good luck in your business!

[Frantic Freddie]

It is good that you are being proactive about you safety and others. Have you had much training in self defense. The line goes, in a fight, take your highest training and knock it down 50%. I also cc and training is ongoing.

Yes I have had some training & while I'm no UFC champ I know a few things I've learned from being in real fights.

Nowadays tho I'm more likely to do an Indiana Jones

[Frantic Freddie]

Even if there's no known rapists or anything, I would have still reported it to the local Board/Association or MLS. I work for an MLS... we post warnings/announcements all the time about stuff like this.

By the way, if you read any of my stuff... no disrespect to the profession. I know several smart Realtors. They're just not the ones who call me.

But good luck in your business!

I've known my share of dumb-ass Realtors,they take listings out here with no clue as to whether there's a well,don't know what a septic tank is & think that the roads are plowed in the winter.

[Sparky]

I did a brief stint in real estate. LOVE real estate! HATE sales! So naturally, I loved the job but quit because I was making no money.

Once I had a call from someone who wanted to see a property. "By the book" says get the client to come into the office first. His response "Why in the world would I want to do that?" The property was a rather shabby moblie home in the middle of nowhere. I was nervous so, as we'd been advised to do, I asked another realtor to come along. He'd say "I hadn't seen the property yet, so I just came along to take a look."

Turns out it was fine. The guy showed up with his family. He lived nearby and was just curious. But, yeah, showing property in the boonies can be scary.

[Frantic Freddie]

I've killed rattlers in front of clients a couple of times.The 1st time I shot one I turned around to see the couple getting back in their car,I went over & he rolled down the window about an inch & said they'd changed their minds,I said we still had 2-3 more houses to look at,he didn't answer,just rolled up the window & high-tailed it out of there

Another time it happened the guy said "Cool! What kind of gun is that? Can I see it?" Ended up selling a house to them,nice folks.

[AccountingDrone]

I've killed rattlers in front of clients a couple of times.The 1st time I shot one I turned around to see the couple getting back in their car,I went over & he rolled down the window about an inch & said they'd changed their minds,I said we still had 2-3 more houses to look at,he didn't answer,just rolled up the window & high-tailed it out of there

Another time it happened the guy said "Cool! What kind of gun is that? Can I see it?" Ended up selling a house to them,nice folks.

We went through 3 realtors until we found the lovely lady that sold us the farm.

I am not really looking forward to interviewing realtors when we get ready to move to Tucson in 2012 ... being a gimp, and needing specific stuff in a house makes finding the right fit in a house important. I just cant get "close enough" and wing it from there.

And what kind of gun is it?