It's stressful enough being in charge of your own home security, but real estate agents have it extra rough. Sure, you experience the satisfaction of helping houses become homes, but you're also responsible for the security of multiple homes. It's enough to keep you awake at night pondering the safety of your listings, and that's not what you want. Rest easy and focus on your job by following these preparation tips and tricks to keep your listings safe.

1. Pretend to be locked out!

Time to whip out all that theatre you did in college! When you first get the keys to your listed property, walk around the outside the house. Then imagine for a moment you didn't actually have the keys in your pocket. You forgot them inside! Oh no! How would you try to get in? Do you see a window with a broken lock that would get you into the dining room in 90 seconds flat? Is there a ladder on the side of the garage that, when properly placed, takes you straight to the balcony — and the perpetually unlocked sliding French doors? If you can get back into the house without the keys, someone else can get in without them, too. Any weak spots should be addressed: lock that ladder back in the garage, install a security bar on those French doors and, darn it, get that window lock fixed!

2. Have potential clients sign in at an open house

Open houses are necessary in sales success, but they do you leave you and your listing very vulnerable. After all, you're inviting a group of strangers into the house! Have a strictly enforced sign-in sheet at the front door, so that should anything go missing (or should there be an attempted intrusion later that evening), you'll have the information to hand over to the police. Get people really psyched to sign in by using technology — doing your sign-in sheet on a tablet computer is the quickest way to turn a grumpy "Why should I tell you my name"-er into a curious "What's this cool app?"-er. Need proof? Look into any tech or office shop that lets customers play on the merchandise and count the smiles. Just be sure to keep the tablet on you at all times!