In July of 2025, a man in Pearl, Mississippi was posing as a buyer during an open house and pulled a gun on a female agent. He sexually assaulted and robbed her. The agent bit the assailant’s arm and escaped; he was arrested shortly after.
During an open house in Virginia in 2020, an unknown man attacked agent Lenora Farrington with a wrench, causing severe head injuries. She survived, drawing on martial arts training to defend herself. The assailant was sentenced to 50 years.
WHY SAFETY IS IMPORTANT
Real estate professionals face unique risks that most people don’t consider. Agents regularly meet strangers in empty homes, host public events in unfamiliar spaces, and handle sensitive client information. These situations can make them vulnerable to physical harm, theft, or cybercrime. Safety isn’t just about protecting yourself—it’s about protecting your clients, your reputation, and your business. By making safety a top priority, agents not only reduce personal risk but also demonstrate professionalism, build client trust, and ensure they can continue doing the work they love with confidence and peace of mind.
Today we’re going to talk about staying safe while conducting open houses. Please take notes and please take care.
PREPARING FOR THE OPEN HOUSE
An open house advertisement can be an invitation for a perpetrator to turn an agent into a victim, so protect yourself by preparing effectively. Consider using the buddy system for your open houses much like for showings
Park in the street much like you would for a showing, just so nobody can block you in later.
Get to know the neighbors, not just the way you normally would. Instead of just door knocking to invite them to the open house, ask them if they’d also keep an eye out for suspicious activity as well.
When setting up for the open house, let all the light in and keep the doors locked while you’re hanging signs and setting up. Hanging jingling bells on the doorknobs is helpful to alert you when new visitors walk in the door, and see if the local police department might be available to stop by or even just drive by your open house while it is open to deter suspicious activity.
Not only is it important to ensure your own safety, you are also the steward of that home during the open house as well as the visitors. Make sure all valuables, weapons, and medications are secured or removed from the property to protect the homeowner’s assets. Make sure there are no safety hazards in the home for visitors like trip hazards or unstable steps or railings.
DURING THE OPEN HOUSE
Store your own belongings, but ALWAYS keep your cell phone and car key with you at all times. Use a sign-in sheet and stay close to the door. Ask all visitors to sign in before touring, citing that the sellers have asked you to document all visitors for security purposes.
Stay alert. Keep your back to the walls so you can make sure you can keep an eye on everything that is going on and nobody can sneak up behind you, and if you have time, write descriptions of people who come in and their vehicles should you need to reference them in the future. Never stray from the space you’re greeting people and ALWAYS know who is in the home so you absolutely know there are no remaining visitors at the end.
Watch out for late visitors, as the highest point of sale statistically is in the last 45 minutes of the open house. Knowing this, you don’t want to turn anyone away if they come in late, but you also don’t want to compromise your own safety should the visitors have nefarious intentions. Trust your gut with these late arrivals, and if you’re uncomfortable at all, get their contact information and promise them you’ll call shortly after breaking down to set up a private showing (with a buddy).
CLOSING DOWN
If you are hosting the open house by yourself, ask a colleague, friend, or even one of the neighbors to stop by at the end to be with you while you lock up the home.
Lock yourself in the home so that nobody can come in while you’re closing up the home. Check all the rooms and never assume everybody has left until you are 100% sure. Make sure all of the doors and windows are locked, as potential burglar opportunists might come through to loosen the entry point during the open house in hopes that you might miss it when you pack up and leave. Turn off the lights and close the window treatments, and of course make sure you lock the door behind you when you leave.
IT DOESN’T TAKE MUCH TO KEEP SAFE
I know I know I know. Most of you are thinking: “It’ll never happen to me.”
Trust me, I thought the same thing. Let me ask you this, though: How many victims actually think it could happen to them?
Friends, it doesn’t take a lot of extra work to make sure your safety is a priority. Keep your head on the swivel and always watch your six. You’re important and I love you and you need to take care of yourself.
