Ccw can be a touchy subject with some folks. While I am not one to really mix business and politics, I think this needs to be addressed.
If you are the bread winner, you have a responsibility to make it home everyday. If your ability to work is lost so is your family’s income. If you are interested in real estate you need to understand that real estate professionals are often targeted. You may find your self in derelict homes with people you don’t know. The nature of the business is finding the ugliest house on the nicest street and bringing it up to par.
When walking through a property here is what I recommend:
1) If you can, bring a friend with you. It may sound cliche, but two is always better than one, and there is safety in numbers.
2) Trust your gut. If you get to a property and something feels off, leave. I’m not being paranoid. It is just common sense. Think of the pizza delivery guy who gets a call to deliver to an abandoned warehouse.
3) If the property is in a rougher area, insist on seeing it during the day. If I’m looking at an inner city home, I try to set my appointment for early in the morning.
4) Do not turn your back on the person showing you the home. Allow them to walk you through the home and “give you the tour”.
5) This may go without saying but be extra cautious in basements.
6) Plan before hand what you would do in a situation so when it does happen you don’t freeze. Violent offenders know that most people freeze when startled. You want to turn the table and startle him with your response.
Strange as it may seem, realtors and investors run into sticky situations all the time, and they are better off having a means of defense. If you are uncomfortable carrying a firearm, carry pepper spray. While the thought that you would just run away or over power the attacker is nice, it is also extremely unrealistic.
If you are in a position where it’s you or them, who will go home that night? They brought their tools…did you?
***If you are going to CCW I HIGHLY recommend taking additional self defense courses. Carrying a gun will do you absolutely no good if you don’t know how to use it properly in close quarters with your adrenaline pumping.***
A good CCW instructor will help you understand the laws in your state, the financial cost of defending your life with force, and when deadly force is viewed as justified. I pray that I am never in a position where I have to make that call but I would rather have it and not need it then need it and not have it.
Below are just a few good articles regarding violence amongst real estate professionals.