Safety Resources for REALTORS®

Due to their frequent contact with unfamiliar people in private locations, real estate agents face more on-the-job risks than many other business professionals. According to the most recent statistics from the National Safety Council, there were 57 violent crimes committed against real estate practitioners in 2001. Six of them were fatal.
In a recent NAR safety survey of REALTORS®, 67 percent of respondents have experienced safety concerns, incidents, or other harassing situations while working as a REALTOR®. A majority of issues involve open houses or vacant property. Other issues include unfriendly dogs, unsafe property, and threatening or harassing phone calls.
What can you do to protect yourself, to stay out of potentially dangerous situations? The following articles and links provide information that will keep you safe.

Safety and Self-Defense Seminar for Real Estate Professionals, sponsored by North American Title Company

Articles, brochures, and posters

• Open House Safety (September 2009)
• The 10-Second Rule
• Personal Safety Guide for REALTORS®
• Safety posters (Posters measure 11" x 17" and are best printed on heavy glossy stock)
• REALTOR® Safety Rules
• Safety Scenarios – What Would You Do?

Online Safety Resources

• NAR:
  www.REALTOR.org/Safety

• REALTOR® Magazine Online:
  www.realtormag.com

Personal Safety

• Home page of the National Crime Prevention Council—an extensive collection of safety resources for adults:
  www.ncpc.org

• Tips for avoiding confrontation from Teachers of Self Defense Inc.:
  www.teachersofdefense.com/safetips.html

Open house safety tips

• Tips offered to “For Sale by Owner” sellers, also useful for REALTORS®:
  http://fl.living.net/consinfo/frugal/decjanfeb98/Hssafetyfeb98.htm

Safety sites

• Agent safety articles and news from Realty Times:
  http://realtytimes.com/rtapages/agentsafety.htm

• Posters, tips, and articles from the Washington Real Estate Safety Council:
  www.warealtor.com/safety

• SafetyInfo, America’s largest online library of essential safety information, news and legal safety regulations:
  www.safetyinfo.com

• General interest personal safety information from VOXCOM™:
  www.yoursafety.ca/personal.html

• Safety tips from the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington D.C.:
  www.mpdc.dc.gov/mpdc/cwp/view,a,1237,q,542013,mpdcNav_GID,1523,mpdcNav,|.asp
  
• R.A.D. Systems, Rape Aggression Defense System, self-defense for women:
  www.rad-systems.com

Source: Washington Real Estate Safety Council