Welcome to Clovis Realtors

As Real Estate Agent's we are in the front lines of danger every time we hold an open house inviting strangers to preview them or walk through a dark street or parking lot during the winter going in or out of our vehicle. Over the years many of us have been attack, abused, rape and even murder. This year alone we had a 70-year-old REALTOR® savagely attack by hoodlums during an open house in Fresno.

Sarah Walker 40-year old single mom was raped and stabbed 27 times in the kitchen of a model home in Texas.

A 74-year-old Albuquerque REALTOR® Garland Taylor was slain during a showing of a $900,000 listing by a "well-groomed and professionally dressed man who is believed to have called Taylor from a pay phone and arranged to see the luxury property."

Joseph “Skip” Prevette, III a 55-year-old well-known REALTOR® in the Charlotte N.C. area who worked for Allen Tate Realty was found at 6532 Harrison Road. Upon searching the house, they found Prevette’s body in a downstairs closet. The house was under foreclosure when the cleaning crew found the body. There dosen’t appear to be any real solid statistics on the number of agents who fall victim to murder, rape, assault, or robbery. One source states that 206 agents were murdered on the job between 1982 and 2000. This does not even touch on the number of agents who were the victims of sexual assault, non-fatal shootings, beatings, and stabbings; robbery, and car jacking. Misiu Systems, Ltd which provides security products to the industry lists news articles about 74 incidents including murders, police alerts to agents, sexual assaults, and robberies since February, 1997, ten since the first of this year. Many of the accounts concerned multiple victims.
Among the unsettling stories:

NAPA VALLEY CA. June 23, 2006 Real estate agent assaulted in vacant home. A Napa real estate agent was assaulted by a what she thought was a potential buyer Wednesday afternoon. Kate Hanni was alone in an open house turning on the lights when a man wearing a ski mask entered the home, according to Napa police. Hanni told police the suspect grabbed her and the two struggled. Police said Hanni was dragged toward the front door and that she bit the man in the hand. According to police, the suspect fled on foot.

Hattiesburg, Mississippi 19.06.2006 Dottie Lanier, a 27-year real estate veteran who worked for the Wiggins office of Prudential Gardner Realtors was shot four times during a triple-shooting Thursday that left a homeowner dead in Wiggins, Miss. Lanier was reportedly awaiting the arrival of a prospective home buyer at a for sale home on Colville Street in Wiggins. The owner of the home and the owner's nephew were also at the house. A man approached the home and reportedly raised a gun and started shooting when Lanier opened the door.

DeKalb County, GA 5/26/2004 Within 11 days, three female REALTOR®’s in DeKalb County reported being robbed at gunpoint by a man and woman. Police said the incidents appeared similar because each happened in the evening hours, involved a female real estate agent and was allegedly committed by an armed man and woman fitting similar descriptions.

The perpetrators would contact the realtor, usually by phone. In one incident, the realtor actually went to the MARTA station and picked them up, took them to the location, showed them the home, and as they were concluding their walk-through, they were robbed," said Officer Davis. The first robbery happened on May 13 about 6 p.m. at 1851 Valley Brook Road. Police say the assailants tied up and robbed the female realtor, in addition to stealing her silver 2002 Toyota Camry with the Georgia license tag A-F-W-3-5-4-1. The car hasn’t been recovered yet.

Eight days later, on May 21, a female realtor was robbed and bound by two suspects about 7 p.m. at 302 Summerlane Place, police said. Her black 1998 Toyota Camry with the Georgia license tag 1-2-5-M-W-L was also taken and has not been recovered.

The latest robbery occurred on May 23 at 2813 Harrow Drive. Police say two suspects robbed the third female realtor at gunpoint and left her bound. The realtor’s vehicles were also taken during the theft. A month earlier another DeKalb County agent was abducted and forced to withdraw $1,500 from an ATM machine then taken to a jewelry store where she used credit cards to purchase a $7,500 Rolex watch for the robber. During the incident he frequently threatened to shoot her or "dismember" her if she did not cooperate.

Daytona Beach, FL 3/13/06 Local REALTOR Assaulted with Hammer
A local real estate agent met her client to view a property list for sale at 621 Elizabeth Pl in Daytona Beach Florida and was assaulted by the man with a hammer. The man who identified himself as John Williams walked across a local elementary school to meet the agent at the home which was across the street.

After previewing the home in detail for approximately 30-45 minutes, the man pulled a hammer and hit the agent over the head when she was not looking. The man then attempted to lure the agent to the master bedroom, but was unable to convince her to follow him. After a few minutes, the agent used self-defense measures she had learned and kicked the man in the groin several times until he fell to the ground. She received several other blows to the head and back and shoulders during this scuffle but was able to exit the front door of the home.

St. Petersburg, FL March 6, 2006 Seemingly interested home buyer attacks Realtor.
The man gave every appearance of a serious and motivated home-buyer, certainly not a would-be attacker. Well-spoken, clean cut, and dressed in a black leather blazer and dress pants, the slender young man told Realtor Julie Roberts that he was a Drug Enforcement Administration agent relocating from Naples and had only a few weeks to find a home. Roberts, 48, ferried him from house to house Friday afternoon. He measured rooms. He talked about financing. He had her call a listing agent to see if there were hardwood floors beneath the carpets. "There were no reasons to raise any red flags," Roberts said. The so called “Prospect Buyer” ended up blindsiding her with a crushing blow to the head with a pistol, robbing her and taking her 2003 Cadillac park at front.

Diamond Bar, CA, November 2005. A newly licensed real estate agent was shot and critically wounded while canvassing a neighborhood for clients. The victim had apparently appeared to be acting suspiciously and a homeowner shot him after he knocked on his door. Police thought the agent may have been mistaken for someone the homeowner had had an altercation with earlier in the week.
Baltimore, MD, July 2004. Maryland State Police warned REALTOR®’s about a man who allegedly injured one agent and could be stalking others.

In the first incident a female agent was assaulted during an open house by a visitor who looked around the house then picked up an object and struck the agent on the back of the head. Police had first viewed it as an isolated incident but other agents reported a man matching the description had attended open houses in the area and in one case tried to lure the host agent into an isolated part of the house.
The agent who was hit was able to fend off her attacker but police believe it was intended as a sexual assault.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN -- 9/19/2006 6:58:44 PM The Minnesota Association of Realtors sent an alert to its members Tuesday after receiving news that someone posing as a potential home buyer may have raped a woman in Minneapolis.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- August 23, 2006 Police are asking for the public's help after a man abducted and robbed a real estate agent on Aug. 6. Investigators said the woman met the man in Grandview to show him several houses. After seeing a few homes, the victim told police the man pulled a gun on her and forced her to drive to several banks and stores in Grandview and south Kansas City to withdraw money, police said.

MICHIGAN STATE POLICE Adrian, MI July 20, 2005 MAN SOUGHT IN SEXUAL ASSULT
The suspect drove up to the open house about 2:30 pm and was shown around the home by the agent. When asked to see the basement, that agent provided the suspect with a flash light to look around in the basement. The home did not have electrical services. After looking around the basement for a few minutes, the man asked the agent to come down to the basement to answer a question about the fireplace. After going downstairs to show the fireplace, the agent headed back up the stairs where the man grabbed her from behind, covering her mouth and nose with one hand, and wrapping his other hand around her waist. The man pulled the agent into a corner where he sexually assaulted her.

COLUMBIA, MISSISSIPPI 10/30/04 Eight Defendants Charged in Murder of Mississippi Realtor
Eight defendants have been charged in the recent murder of a Mississippi Realtor whose body was found in a shallow grave inside of a barn. Prosecutors confirmed today that one of the defendants may have been a former renter of the 63-year-old Realtor victim, Janell Hatton of Columbia, Mississippi. Sheriff Richard "Rip" Stringer said the victim's husband, Jerry, arrived home in Columbia at 2:04 p.m. on Oct. 30 and found a large amount of blood in the home. He said his wife, Janell, was missing, as were a large number of U.S, coins. Police were immediately contacted, and investigators were led to a residence in Kokomo. They found the victim's body in a shallow grave in a barn located on the property. Hatton was shot twice, according to the Marion County coroner's office.

BALTIMORE, MD 10/25/2004 - Man Confesses To Assaulting Real Estate Agent
A Carroll County man faces charges after reportedly confessing to assaulting a real estate agent earlier this year in Sykesville. Maryland State Police identified the man as Kent E. Stover, 37, of Sykesville. Police said that after an interrogation, Stover confessed late Sunday to assaulting a real estate agent. Troopers said the investigation began on April 15 when Stover allegedly walked through a model home unaccompanied in the 700 block of Old Liberty Road in Sykesville. Authorities said that Stover then struck a female real estate agent on the head using a decorative metal ball displayed inside the house.

DECATUR, GA 6/11/2004 2 Arrested for Robbing Realtors (Assc. Press)
DeKalb County police have arrested two people in connection with the robberies of three real estate agents. Police arrested 27-year-old Zaki Murray and 32-year-old Anikia Casada on Thursday. Both are charged with three counts of armed robbery for the attacks on three agents -- all of them women. Authorities say the separate attacks took place in May. In all three cases, the victims' cars were stolen.

ARIZONA April 29, 1998 Arizona executes killer of real-estate agent
Convicted murderer Arthur Martin Ross was put to death by lethal injection at 12:03 a.m. (3:03 a.m. EDT) in the death house at the state prison complex southeast of Phoenix. The fatal dose killed the 43-year-old three minutes later, officials said. Ross, called a career criminal by prosecutors, was sentenced to die in 1991 after killing and robbing a 26-year-old Tucson, Arizona, real estate agent.

PHOENIX (CNN) -- Convicted murderer Arthur Martin Ross was put to death by lethal injection at 12:03 a.m. (3:03 a.m. EDT) in the death house at the state prison complex southeast of Phoenix.

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REALTOR® death inspired Safety Week
In January 2001, Mike Emert, a Bellevue Washington based real estate agent and a young family man, was brutally killed with a knife. Although Mike apparently put up a struggle, he died of multiple stab wounds in the home he was showing. Mike’s death shocked the citizens of the Northwest and galvanized the support of his co-workers and the entire real estate community. Mike’s tragic death inspired the formation of the Real Estate Safety Council. This non-profit group organized the production and distribution of the personal safety guide, safety posters, and a Web site dedicated as a safety information resource. In addition, the Council has developed recommended office procedures and forms for real estate offices.

The National Association of Realtors offers these safety tips for sellers and agents:
· Put valuables in a safe, secure place, including prescription drugs.
· Wear clothing with pockets so you can always have your keys with you.
· Never carry large amounts of cash or credit cards.
· After an open house or standard showing, make sure all doors and windows are locked because thieves commonly use open houses to scout for valuables and possible points of entry, then return after the agent leaves.

Many real estate office managers routinely discuss safety practices with their agents but few have any hard and fast rules and agents themselves say that they often knowingly take risks because it is the only way they can conduct business. Local Real Estate boards conduct occasional safety courses and some, such as the Kentucky Board of Realtors, have published booklets on crime prevention for their membership. The National Board of Realtors® (NAR) has designated the week of September 10-16, 2006 as the fourth annual REALTOR® Safety Week, stating that more than 54 percent of all respondents to a recent survey reported that they had experienced safety concerns, incidents, or harassing situations on the job. Law enforcement officials, real estate boards, real estate trainers, and others routinely advise agents to observe some common sense safety precautions.

REALTOR® Safety Tips:
Always meet a client for the first time in the office. Introduce him or her to coworkers and make it clear that they know you are taking him out of the office. Try to take separate cars but if that is not possible you will have slightly more control if you drive. Do not meet a client at the property, particularly if he is calling on a yard sign. He will already have had a chance to note if the property is vacant.

Get a license plate number and leave it at the front desk. Just explain that it is office policy; a customer who means no harm won't mind. You might also leave an itinerary for your house tour.
Don't identify a property as vacant to a caller on an ad or sign.

When showing property to a stranger, follow rather than lead him through the house. Don't let him get between you and the door. At an open house, take up a position as close to the door as practical.
Always carry a cell phone where it is easily accessible (not in the purse you left in the car or stowed in a kitchen cabinet.) Make sure emergency numbers are programmed into the speed dial.

Ask the office manager to control keys to the office and to place deadbolts on the doors. If you are alone in the office at night draw the shades and do not admit anyone you do not know well and trust.

Go with your gut. If something doesn't feel right, if anything raises the hair on the back of your neck escape the situation immediately. You might feel like an idiot but don't worry about it.

Police have also noted an increase in crimes where a woman sets up the victim, even for sexual assault. Women agents tend to be much more trusting of another female and let down their guard. Until you really know a customer, remain vigilant regardless of the gender, appearance, dress, or charm. It could save your life.

Note from our Editor:

As business people we must take responsibility by making sure we are personally secure while practicing in our profession. Not one of us believes that “It could happen to me too.” www.ClovisRealEstateAgents.com keep all of our concerns in mind by providing ways to keep us all safer. This new self contain remote color camera can be connected to your laptop and record what goes on in its action frame. It comes with its own server so there is no need to pay extra money to a security company to monitor it. It can send the image of every visitor to your open house to the office if you choose to have a digital recorder there or simply people in your office or family members can check on you via the Internet and see how you are doing in your open house. Safety has no price! And your family has no monetary value attached to you being home at night after work. We have only a few of these remote self contain color cameras in stock as a test for $350.00 each. Let us know if you are interested on them and if we should get more.

If you have any other product ideas that we can make available through our venue please contact us and let us know at Editor@ClovisRealEstateAgents.com. We will analyze all suggestions with the assistance of our law enforcement contacts and provide the best of them to you through our site.

Thriving to keep you Safe and on the job, happy trails Clovis Real Estate Agents.

The Editor
Editor@ClovisRealEstateAgents.com

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