Herman Walldorf & Co. is the first Chattanooga real estate office to earn the Greater Chattanooga Association of Realtor’s Safety Certified Office certification. The company earned the certification by establishing safety protocols for its Realtors to follow.
“After Arkansas Realtor Nancy Carter was abducted and killed in 2015, I started looking around at the Realtors who make up Herman Walldorf & Co.,” says Nathan Walldorf, Walldorf’s secretary-treasurer. “I realized we have many female Realtors, and I’d never want that to happen to any of our agents.”
As president-elect of GCAR in 2015, Walldorf helped spearhead a Safety Certified Office program, which GCAR just launched, designed to keep Realtors and their clients safe. It gives Realtors safety tips they can pass on to their clients and makes sure Realtors are getting information about individuals before meeting them.
“The public needs to get used to the fact that Realtors are going to ask them for a copy of their ID before showing them a home,” Walldorf said.
The Safety Certified Office program requires Realtors to have an office “buddy system” so someone else always knows where and to whom they’re showing a home. In addition, safety apps and other tools are available to Realtors to help the police locate them in case of danger. Also, every Safety Certified Office must open its doors to Realtors from other companies to meet clients for the first time – when needed. Finally, Realtors cannot take a phone call asking for a property showing and then pick up the stranger or meet the person at a vacant property.
“Realtors have to be smart and protect themselves,” Walldorf says.
Herman Walldorf & Co. was founded by its namesake in 1926. Herman’s sons, Charlie and Rudy Walldorf, run the firm and have been in the business for more than 50 years. Nathan, Herman’s grandson, sells real estate and trains residential Realtors.
Herman Walldorf & Co. is taking new agents, home buyers and home sellers. Contact the company at (423) 756-2400.
Source: Herman Walldorf & Co.