Real Estate Agent Finds Dead Body Inside Foreclosed Home

A real estate agent called 911 on Friday morning after going to check on a foreclosed home in the 25000 block of Pierson Road and finding a dead body inside, said Sgt. Walter Mendez of the Riverside, CA County Sheriff's Central Homicide Unit.

The agent left the residence immediately and called authorities.  Deputies from the sheriff's Perris Station responded and confirmed there were two dead people inside the home, Mendez said.

The deaths were being treated as suspicious and were under investigation by the sheriff's Central Homicide Unit.

 

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What would you do in this situation?  The agent reacted very appropriately by leaving the premises immediately and calling law enforcement authorities.  Real estate agents are not law enforcement, detectives, eviction specialists, etc......When walking in on this kind of situation--or any other unauthorized person in a property--leave immediately and call authorities from a safe location.

Kudos to this real estate agent for doing the right thing and for staying safe!

Man Kidnaps and Robs Realtor After Viewing Listing

Police said a man admitted he kidnapped and robbed a real estate agent at knife point after the woman showed him one of her listed properties in West York, PA.

Gregory S. Knaub, no fixed address, was arrested after responding officers found him hiding in the waters of the Codorus Creek, according to West York Police Chief Justin D. Seibel.

Police said the victim, a real estate agent for Prudential Bob Yost Realtors, had finished showing Knaub a property when he got into the back of her car, pulled a steak knife, and demanded money or an ATM card.

The victim did not have money on her, so Knaub ordered her to drive to an ATM, police said.

She was forced to withdraw cash from the ATM and then ordered to drive to the intersection of Belvidere and King streets in York, where Knaub jumped out of the car and fled, police said.

About an hour later, an investigating officer spotted Knaub sitting on a park bench in Bantz Park. Knaub saw the cruiser and fled into a wooded area along the creek, police said.

Officers from York City and West Manchester Township assisted in setting up a perimeter around the woods and were waiting for a bloodhound to arrive when Knaub popped up from beneath the water and was arrested, police said.

Knaub said he was hiding in the water and was popping up for air every few seconds in an attempt to hide, police said.

He was charged with kidnapping, robbery, unlawful restraint, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property, and false imprisonment.

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This article stated that the suspect had no “fixed address”, which means he had no permanent address.  I can’t help but think that if the agent had met him at her office and required a driver’s license or some other form of identification, she would have determined this “client” was not legitimate. 

Another option would have been to refer him to a mortgage lender for a pre-approval letter.  That would have determined very quickly if this person was qualified to purchase a home, and if he was who he claimed to be.

I can’t overstate to real estate agents the importance of a great mortgage lender as part of your professional team.  Lenders not only qualify your clients for home purchases, they also pre-screen them and act as a first line of security.

Safety is not an accident…..it is the result of smart procedures and solid planning.  Before meeting clients, make sure they are pre-approved and pre-screened!

Until next time, 

Stay Safe!

Realtor startled by thieves while showing home to clients

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. —

A DeKalb County realtor got a scare Saturday when she surprised two copper thieves inside the home she planned to show to a client.

Dianne Dougherty said she entered the Tucker house when she heard strange noises coming from the basement. When she went around to the back of the house, she spotted the two thieves making their getaway.

"Real quickly, two guys ran out," said Dougherty. "They hopped in their truck, and I'm yelling at them, but then the thought crossed my mind, maybe they have guns."

This wasn't Dougherty's first encounter with crime inside a home-for-sale. She said in 2009, armed men ambushed her and her realtor husband Mike, then forced them inside a home they had just sold.

After they dragged them into the home, they pistol whipped the both of them before running away. Later, they discovered the men had kidnapped a woman and had her tied up in the back of the house.

"We put up a fight, but they nonetheless got Mike in there after they knocked me over the head," said Dougherty. "Pistol whipped him pretty bad."

Dougherty warns other realtors to be careful when showing a house and to always let people know when and where they are showing them.

DeKalb Board of Realtors President Darryl Pierce said safety is always part of the training for new agents.

"If you're going to show a property, call someone," said Pierce. "Let them know when you're going and where you're going."

 September is Realtor Safety Month........

1 in 3 Agents Feels Unsafe

In 2011, a survey of 450 real estate agents across the U.S. and Canada was conducted over a period of 3 months.  The results are very interesting on several different fronts.  Rather than dissect the entire study in one long blog entry, I plan to review various aspects and provide insights for consideration and conversation.

The first step of the survey involved establishing a baseline of how real estate agents viewed their personal safety.  Of the 450 agents surveyed, 36% felt unsafe on the job—either occasionally (33.7%) or frequently (2.0%).  That represents 1 out of 3 agents surveyed.

What is equally interesting is that 13% of those surveyed said they never felt unsafe on the job.  Regarding this 13% of agents……do they never feel unsafe because of the work they do / don’t do, the people and neighborhoods around which they work, or because they are completely oblivious to the inherent dangers of their profession? 

If it is the latter, it means that 1 out of 8 agents are completely oblivious to the risks associated with their job.  What else are these people unaware of, oblivious to and unprepared for?

Of the 450 agents surveyed, 44% of women said they felt unsafe on the job, compared to only 17% of men.  This is very interesting and telling.  In analyzing statistics from actual crimes committed against real estate agents, 1 out of 3 were committed against men.  So, although men tend to feel safer, the statistics of crimes committed against agents reveal that men are more vulnerable than they think.

There is much more to discuss regarding this survey, which we will cover in the coming days.

Until then,

Stay Safe!

WARNING: EXTREMELY GRAPHIC AND DISTURBING VIDEO BELOW

***WARNING:  EXTREMELY DISTURBING VIDEO.  VIEWER DISCRETION***

I spent the last couple of days analyzing this video, discussing it with my self-defense colleagues, and debating whether I should share it on my blog.  As I advise, it is disturbing and difficult to watch. 

Also, this incident does not involve real estate.  This is a home invasion and brutal attack captured on a NannyCam.  So......why upload it to a blog that focuses on safety and awareness for the real estate professional?

Simply put:  this is a real-world example of true violence.  The attack is fast, horrific and without mercy.  There is no soundtrack, no glib banter, no quotable tag lines.  This is not a movie. This is real violence.  This is the type of thing that happens when someone is physically attacked.

While we don't expect to be the target of such an attack, we can understand it, prepare for it and plan accordingly.

Our prayers go out to the victim of this attack, her 3-year-old daughter who witnessed it, their entire family.  We hope the attacker, who is currently still at-large, is brought to justice swiftly.

Until next time.......

Stay Safe!

The 21-Foot Rule

As a real estate professional, is there ever a situation, while showing property or interacting with clients, when you are separated by a distance greater than 21 feet?  Probably not.

The reason I ask is because I recently participated in a training exercise during which we tested the 21-foot rule.  This “rule” is simply a calculation of reaction time and distance.   It suggests that an average law enforcement officer can draw his weapon and fire two shots at a man charging him with a knife or blunt weapon in 1.5 seconds.  An average man can sprint 21 feet in about 1.5 seconds—hence the 21-foot rule.

Although this is a viable starting point for such a calculation, the test is actually a bit skewed.  Consider that our test subjects knew what was happening or going to happen during the exercise.  They didn’t have to overcome the time delay necessary to perceive a threat, identify a target and execute.  They just had to react.

By adding in extra time to perceive the threat and determine a response, the 21-foot rule is more like a 45-foot rule!  This is a significant distance that a motivated assailant can cover before his target can actually react. 

There is much value in understanding this rule—for law enforcement professionals, as well as the civilian population in general.  And especially for real estate professionals.

What it means to the real estate professional is that we must continue to tilt the field in our favor prior to meeting with clients.  It does us very little good to train in self defense, master martial arts or even carry a weapon if we don’t understand our limitations as illustrated, in part, by the 21-foot rule.  Throughout our interactions with clients, assuming they have bad intent, they will always be in a position to get to us before we can respond.

Therefore, we must stay ahead of any potential threat.  To do so:

*We must remain alert and aware at all times.

*We must trust our gut and act on our intuition.

*We must believe what we see and act accordingly.

*We must, must, must verify our clients fully before meeting with them.

This last point is essential.  It is critical to enter into client meetings knowing that our clients are capable of completing the contemplated transaction.  Working with clients who are not thoroughly scrutinized and really pre-approved does us no good.

It is also essential to know with confidence that our clients are who they claim to be, that their identification isn’t fake and that their “story” is legitimate.  It does us no good to discover contrary information within that 21-foot zone.  Within that zone, we are clearly at risk despite all our other precautions.

We’ll discuss more on how to thoroughly verify our clients in coming posts.

Until then,

Stay Safe!

The Cooper Color Code

The most important means of surviving a lethal confrontation, according to John Dean “Jeff” Cooper, is neither a weapon nor martial skills. The primary tool is the combat mindset.

John Dean "Jeff" Cooper (May 10, 1920 – September 25, 2006) was a United States Marine Corps officer who saw combat in the Pacific during World War II and in Korea. Cooper is the creator of what is known as "the Modern Technique" of handgun shooting.  He is also considered to have been one of the 20th century's foremost international experts on the use and history of small arms.

Cooper published numerous books, including Principles of Personal Defense. In the chapter on awareness, Cooper presents an adaptation of the Marine Corps system to differentiate states of mental readiness.

The color code, as originally introduced by Cooper, had nothing to do with tactical situations or alertness levels, but rather with one's state of mind.  It relates to the degree of peril you are willing to do something about and which allows you to move from one level of mindset to another to enable you to properly handle a given situation.

Cooper did not claim to have invented anything in particular with the color code, but he was apparently the first to use it as an indication of mental state.

White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me." 

Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself". You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to defend myself today".

You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods. In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep. 

Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat. Your mindset shifts to "I may have to deal with that person," focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that person does ‘X’, I will need to stop them".  Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.

Red: Condition Red is a fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. "If 'X' happens I will deal with that person" - 'X' has happened, the fight is on.

In short, the Color Code helps you "think" prior to a crisis situation or fight. As the level of danger increases, your willingness to take certain actions increases. If you ever do go to Condition Red, the decision to use force has already been made (your "mental trigger" has been tripped).

As we continue to discuss awareness and safety, it is critical to think in terms of Cooper’s color code.  Being aware is one aspect, being prepared is another.  Cooper’s color code helps us set lines in the sand and mentally prepare ourselves to respond if those lines are crossed.

More to come.......until then,

Stay Safe!