According to a recent National Association of Realtors survey, 38 percent of Realtors have experienced a situation that made them fear for their personal safety or safety of their personal information on the job.
Women and those in suburban areas were most likely to report feeling unsafe on the job. The top situations cited for not feeling safe include open houses, vacant or model homes, properties that were unlocked or unsecured and properties in remote areas.
The 2017 Member Safety Report was conducted by NAR to mark Realtor Safety Month in September. Besides the survey, NAR also has released tools to help Realtors be safer.
Despite some feeling unsafe on the job, 95 percent of respondents said they’d never been a victim of a crime — violent or otherwise — while on the job. But should a potentially dangerous situation arise, some respondents are prepared: 19 percent said they carry pepper spray, 16 percent carry a firearm, 7 percent have a pocket knife and 5 percent wield a taser.
And while brokerages play an important part in helping to educate and keep agents safe, only 44 percent said their brokerage has standard procedures for agent safety. Thirty percent said they didn’t know if such procedures existed and 26 percent said they didn’t.
Other survey findings include:
- Forty-four percent use a smartphone safety app to alert people if they’re in a dangerous situation, with 28 percent saying they use Find My iPhone.
- Thirty-nine percent have participated in a self-defense class.
- Twenty percent have taken a Realtor safety course.