A local realtor here in Omaha, was murder while showing his rental house on Monday.

[imanamerican63]

The man who was murder was a former boss of my father’s when my father was a realtor in the late 80’s, early 90’s. They do have someone in custody. They found the realtor’s body on Tuesday. Details of motive has not been released.

What a crazy world we live in?

[Mike 03]

1. I'm sorry to hear this.

It's a very strange feeling when you learn someone you knew in some way has been murdered. I know it's not like having a close friend or family member murdered, but just knowing you knew someone who was violently and intentionally killed can have a profound impact. In one case, I followed the case very closely, had to know everything about the investigation, down to every single article and trial transcript. In the second case, police barely investigated the crime and it was never solved (it was the transgender nurse who took care of my grandmother, and I don't think police put much work into the death).

[Wellstone ruled]

2. One of the most

dangerous jobs to do. As a Appraiser I would never work a Property unless the Real Estate Agent/Broker as well as the owner of record was notified before and after I did my Appraisal. Once inside the property,I would lock all the doors especially if the Buyer was anywhere on site. Which I would not allow him or her in the property.

Was aware of two Lady Agents being Assaulted by prospective Clients during a showing. Noticed Agents are doing showings with a Second Person either in a car parked at the curb,or,accompanying the Agent in Property during the showing or open House. Most of the Agents here are packing,just in case.

[msfiddlestix]

3. Can you help me understand why Realtors are being targeted like this?

My daughter is a newly minted Realty Agent in Oakland Ca. These stories are starting to freak me out.

[Wellstone ruled]

4. What I found was,

most Female Agents are always dressed to the nines when doing a show. The two Ladies I know were doing Showing's on Saturday's. Usual procedure is,you run a sign in sheet and in the two cases I'am aware of the Perp's use a fake name. Usual steps are,one on one showings,you gather info from a photo ID,and if you are doing Open House,you make sure you have a Partner of Friend as your saftey valve. The day's of one person running a open house is gone for ever.

Perp's usually stalk their Targets in advance. Lady Agents have to practice awareness of surroundings. Today's cell phones are the best friend one could have. Photos are worth billions.

[cwydro]

7. How women dress has absolutely NOTHING to do with sexual assault.

Perhaps you don’t know this.

[Hekate]

9. Unless robbery is part of the crime. Leave the good jewelry at home. Don't wear Melania-heels.

Is that better?

[cwydro]

10. Oh boy.

Really?

[Hekate]

13. Yeah. You can't walk fast, much less run, in spike heels. You're vulnerable.

[cwydro]

15. Alrighty then. Glad this is funny to you.

Have a lovely evening.

[Hekate]

19. Not funny at all. I am a small old woman, & when I was young & had no car I was a small young woman

I used to have to walk home from work in the dark because I worked the 5pm to 9pm shift at the mall, and by the time we closed up the store the last bus had gone. The last part of my walk back to my neighborhood was through an alley.

The dress code at my store was for us to wear high heels. Aside from the fact that they killed my feet after 4+ hours, they were impossible to walk the miles back to my student apartment, so I wore flip-flops. I could run in those if I had to, having grown up in them.

I’ve always worn my purse bandolier style, with the strap across my chest. Always.

Does this sound like I am amused?

I love dressing up and accessorizing and all that. Always have. But I honed in on spike heels not because they are sexy but because they are a hazard to a woman working alone with strangers. Which was the topic, I thought.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

18. They make good weapons. No?

[Wellstone ruled]

14. Excepted.

[Niagara]

16. I attended my 75 hour real estate classes a few years ago.

During my 2nd to last class, our female instructor had the safety talk with us. She said things happen to both men and women realtors, although mainly she stated that women are specifically targeted due to their glamour shots and clothing. It doesn't always have to do with sexual assault either. If a female realtor looks rich, she could be a target of a robbery. Back in 2014, Realtor Beverly Carter's murderer deliberately choose her as a victim because she did have money. It's a dangerous business for both males and females.

[marybourg]

5. You may be just noticing this because you

now have a family connection, but this is nothing new. I sold real estate in the early 70's, and this was an infrequent, but real problem, especially for female agents.

[msfiddlestix]

20. I thought this was just a thing in a Bosh story

an event which had a backstory underlying her assault. Well I'm compelled to bring this up in my next conversation with my Daughter, it's been brought up before. I guess she probably didn't want me to be worried this.

[TheBlackAdder]

6. Some people are foolish to have their homes toured while fully lived in. Some 'buyers' steal stuff.

.

Not saying that might have been the trigger, but the realtor might have caught the perp stealing the property owner's goods or casing the home's security systems. Crooks use these Open Houses as a means to case a house and its possessions.

Realtors are cautious about these things.

.

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Happened Around Here

In the city of 160,000 to our north. (My wife & I grew up there)
Couple guys claiming to be a gay couple got a realtor to do a showing while the current owners were home.
Turned out, they weren't a gay couple. They were thieves, who robbed the homeowners, the realtor, took credit cards, tied them up, bailed, went to a few ATM machines and got about 3 grand. But,....
...these geniuses gave the realtor their actual cellphone numbers. The phone's location was on, so the time of the ATM transaction matched their location, and the security video of the ATMs, time-stamped them.
They were caught in a town about 40 miles west and arrested in around a day & a half.
They were stupid. They got caught.
But, those 3 people were traumatized.

[Hekate]

12. A few years back I toured a home & was shocked to see the jewelry box on the bedroom dresser...

I mentioned it to the realtor on my way out, thinking she might put it out of sight, but she was busy. Thieves will also lift things from people’s medicine cabinets.

[shrike3]

11. Can remember years ago, a female realtor in RI was murdered in a house she was showing.

Strangled with her pantyhose. For a while, realtors were working in pairs.

[Niagara]

17. I'm sorry to read this.

One wouldn't think that selling property could be a dangerous profession, but sadly it is.

[Mr.Bill]

21. Another occupation that can be dangerous

is selling cars. When you go on a test drive, they xerox your driver's license. That's so when you don't come back they have a picture to show the police what the customer looked like.

My son-in-law has been selling cars for over 30 years. He's had guns pulled on him several times. I sold cars for a few years. Several times at a stoplight I reached over and shut the car off and grabbed the keys because of the way they were driving. "Sorry, pal, test drive is over. I'll drive us back to the lot." We had an elderly female salesperson and sometimes I rode back seat on her test drives if the customer seemed edgy. We would just say I was an expert on that type of car so I'm coming along just in case he has any questions.