Personal safety during house shopping

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     Buying a new house is an exciting and can be an overwhelming experience for anyone.  There's so much in each house to consider and it's easy to get a bit of tunnel vision during the house shopping time.  I'm a home inspector now, but I was a police officer for 10 years.  During that time I was also a certified self defense instructor.  So I would like to give you a few tips on staying safe while your out shopping or showing houses.
1. Don't go it alone.  If you can avoid it, take someone with you to an unknown house.  There is safety in numbers.
2. Let someone know your schedule.  Every police officer calls in to dispatch to let them know their location if they make a traffic stop or go to a location.  Someone needs to know where you will be and, if possible, when.
3. Trust your gut.  Each one of us has a built in danger alarm.  If something doesn't feel right, then be extra vigilent.  It may turn out to be nothing, but better safe than sorry.
4. Don't get tunnel vision.  It's very easy to pull up to a house and zone in on your target house and see nothing else.  It's important to keep your eyes open and see your surroundings.
5. See the people!  Oddly enough many individuals will walk into a strange area and avoid any kind of eye contact with people in the area.  Look at them.  Let them know they you are aware of their presence.
6. Look past the house.  This sounds strange, but it's vital.  You need to train yourself to see more than just the paint, furniture or whatever else is in and around a house.  See the big picture.  Is something out of place?
7. Call 911!  The police don't mind an emergency call, so call.  If you feel threatened or uncomfortable then call.  If you wait until there is an obvious threat it may be too late.
8. Train with personal protection devices.  Many people will go out and buy pepper spray, a stun gun, or a pistol.  Having a weapon is only half the battle.  You must train yourself to be able to use it safely in a high stress situation.
9. Take some self defense classes.  I want to make an important point here:  being trained in self defense doesn't mean that you no longer call for help!!!!  Self defense training is just that: self defense, not vigilanty training.
10. Keep your cell phone with you.  If you enter an unknown house and find yourself in a dangerous situation, you may not be able to go back to your car to get your phone.  Keep it with you.
11. SCREAM!!!!!!!!  Let the neighbors and whoever else is in the area know that you are in a situation that requires assistance.  The sound alone may be enough to drive away any would be assailant.

These are just a few tips and they don't cover every situation that could happen.  Being prepared is more than half of the battle.  Some of you may think that being so aware is overkill, and many times it may be.  But you usually will not know if you're over reacting until a situation is over.  Be safe, no matter how embarrassing you think it may be.