If you're a REALTOR® in Ontario, there's a pretty good chance your vehicle is doing double duty.
It's transportation, an office, a lunchroom, a storage locker, an occasional conference room and, if we're being completely truthful, probably the place where at least three coffee cups go to retire.
But there's another role we don't talk about nearly enough:
Your vehicle is part of your personal safety plan.
For REALTORS®, our work takes us into unfamiliar neighbourhoods, rural areas, vacant properties and homes belonging to people we've never met. We work evenings. We work alone. And during an Ontario winter, we do all of that while adding snow, ice, darkness and unpredictable driving conditions to the equation.
So before winter really gets underway, let's talk about preparing your vehicle not just for winter driving, but for REALTOR® safety.
1. Put the Winter Tires On
This one sounds obvious, but it belongs at the top of the list.
Our jobs don't always allow us to stay home because the weather isn't ideal. A client may have travelled to see properties. An inspection may already be scheduled. An offer may need attention.
Good winter tires aren't just about getting through snow. They're about giving yourself better control when conditions suddenly change.
And because REALTORS® can spend a significant portion of the day driving from appointment to appointment, vehicle preparedness is workplace preparedness.
2. Keep At Least Half a Tank of Fuel
This is one of my favourite simple rules:
Half is empty.
Once the tank gets near half, fill it.
Why?
Because the showing that was supposed to take 30 minutes can turn into three showings. The appointment in town can suddenly become a drive to a rural property. Weather can deteriorate. Traffic can stop.
The last thing you want when you're cold, tired and somewhere unfamiliar is to realize the little fuel light has joined the adventure.
An adequate supply of fuel gives you options, and options are a recurring theme in personal safety.
3. Build a Proper Winter Emergency Kit
Your trunk should contain more than reusable grocery bags and forgotten real estate signs.
Consider keeping:
☐ A warm blanket
☐ Gloves and a hat
☐ Extra warm clothing
☐ A flashlight with spare batteries
☐ A basic first-aid kit
☐ Booster cables or a portable battery booster
☐ A phone charging cable
☐ A fully charged portable power bank
☐ A snow brush and ice scraper
☐ A small shovel
You don't need to prepare for an Arctic expedition.
You simply want enough equipment to safely manage the most likely winter problems until help arrives.
4. Keep Boots and Warm Clothing in the Car
Sometimes what you're wearing for the appointment isn't what you should be wearing for the property.
A pair of dress shoes may be perfectly appropriate for meeting a client.
They are considerably less impressive when you're standing ankle-deep in a snowbank beside a rural listing.
Keep proper winter boots in the vehicle. Add warm socks, gloves and an extra coat or sweater.
This matters even more if you're showing rural properties, vacant homes, construction sites or properties with long driveways.
Dress for the meeting. Prepare for the environment.
5. Your Phone Is Safety Equipment
A REALTOR®'s phone does a lot more than open lockboxes and answer the inevitable “quick question” that is absolutely not a quick question.
It's also one of your most important safety tools.
Keep a charging cable in your vehicle and carry a portable power bank.
If your phone is being used for navigation, Bluetooth, calls, texts, photos, electronic lockboxes and showing information all day, battery life can disappear surprisingly quickly.
You don't want to discover you're at 3% when you're leaving an unfamiliar property at night.
We'll talk more about configuring your phone specifically for personal safety later in this REALTOR® Safety series.
6. Think About How You Park
This is one of those habits that can become almost automatic once you start doing it.
When you arrive at a property, don't just ask:
Where's the closest place to park?
Ask:
How do I leave?
Whenever practical, park where your vehicle can't easily be blocked in.
That may mean parking on the street rather than pulling all the way into a driveway.
If you're using a parking space, consider backing in so you're positioned to drive straight out.
Before getting out, notice whether other vehicles could prevent you from leaving.
This isn't about assuming something bad is going to happen.
It's about maintaining options.
7. Take Five Seconds Before You Get Out
We spend so much time racing from one appointment to another that it's easy to pull up, grab the phone and jump out of the vehicle.
Instead, develop a five-second habit.
Stop. Look. Assess.
Who is around?
Are there vehicles you weren't expecting?
Is the property occupied when you believed it was vacant?
Is the exterior well lit?
Is there construction, ice, an aggressive dog, an unfamiliar person or anything else you need to account for?
Those few seconds can give you valuable information before you leave the security of a locked vehicle.
8. Protect What You Leave Behind
Our vehicles can contain an extraordinary amount of information.
Laptops. Tablets. Client paperwork. Showing sheets. Identification. Keys. Business records.
Don't leave sensitive information visible inside the vehicle.
This isn't only about preventing theft. REALTORS® have a responsibility to protect client information as well.
A stolen laptop or file containing confidential information can become a much bigger problem than replacing a broken window.
Lock it. Hide it. Better yet, don't carry information you don't actually need.
9. And Finally, Listen to Yourself
This may be the most important item on the entire checklist.
If you arrive somewhere and something feels wrong, you don't have to get out of the car.
Lock the doors.
Take another look.
Call your client.
Call another REALTOR®.
Move to a different location.
Leave.
We sometimes worry about appearing rude, overly cautious or inconvenient.
But professionalism does not require you to override your own judgment.
You can apologize for changing an appointment.
You cannot rewind a dangerous situation.
Make Your Vehicle Part of the Plan
REALTOR® safety isn't one gadget, one app or one rule.
It's a collection of small habits that give us more information, more awareness and more options.
Preparing your vehicle is one of them.
So before your next busy week of winter showings, take ten minutes and look inside your car.
Do you have:
☐ Winter tires?
☐ At least half a tank of fuel?
☐ Warm clothing and boots?
☐ A winter emergency kit?
☐ A flashlight?
☐ A shovel and snow brush?
☐ A charger and power bank?
☐ A clear plan for where and how you park?
If something is missing, fix it now rather than discovering you needed it later.
And the next time you pull up to a showing, remember:
Your vehicle isn't just how you get to the appointment.
It's part of how you get home safely afterward.
REALTOR® Safety Series
This article is part of my 12-month REALTOR® Safety Series, sharing practical habits REALTORS® can incorporate into everyday business.
Because we can be professional, accommodating and committed to our clients while still having firm safety practices.
Looking after our clients is part of the job. Looking after ourselves needs to be part of it, too.
If you're a REALTOR®, share this article with someone in your office and start a conversation about the safety practices your team uses.
Next in the series: Showing After Dark.
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