Safety threats—whether physical or those that target personal information—loom in the real estate business, and many pros have felt the risks.
Thirty-three percent of REALTORS® recently surveyed by the National Association of REALTORS® say they have experienced a situation that made them fear for their personal safety or for the safety of their personal information. Forty-four percent of real estate pros carry a self-defense weapon with them on the job in response.
The most common situations that real estate pros reported facing that have caused them to fear for their safety involved open houses, vacant and model homes, meeting clients alone, buyers who refused to meet in public places, and touring properties located in remote areas. Women were more likely to report a situation that made them afraid for their personal safety or personal information more so than men—40% versus 21%, respectively, the survey of more than 2,600 REALTORS® found.
The release of NAR’s safety report coincides with REALTOR® Safety Month, which urges real estate professionals to take safety precautions while on the job.
Five percent of REALTORS® surveyed say they have been a victim of a crime while working as a real estate professional. Those who have been a victim cited identity theft, a robbery, or an assault.
Additional findings from NAR’s safety report:
- 53% of REALTORS® use a smartphone safety app to track whereabouts and alert colleagues in case of an emergency. The safety apps most commonly used were the Find My iPhone feature, GPS Phone Track for Android, Pro SentriSmart, and HomeSnap.
- 35% of men and 49% of women carry a self-defense weapon or tool.
- 45% of real estate pros say their brokerage has a standard procedure to address agent safety. Some of the most common procedures involved meeting a new client at the office or a neutral location and taking self-defense classes or a REALTOR® safety course.
