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!