Realtor Safety: How the Real Estate Community Can Protect Itself

This month, we're publishing content from a course on Realtor Safety. This is the last in a series of articles that teaches Realtors how to prevent being a victim of crime. Read the previous article here.

When all is said and done, you are part of a community of real estate professionals and it is the responsibility of the community to keep each member safe! The problem of agent safety is impossible to solve if we see each agent as a "lone wolf." However, the problem becomes easy to solve if we see ourselves as part of a community of professionals committed to each other's safety through collaboration and cooperation.

What Should Agents Do to Support Each Other?

• If your association or MLS has not already implemented a crime prevention systemm urge them to do so
• Share information about individuals that made you feel uncomfortable
• Post safety related information about your listings in an MLS field that is not syndicated
• Share safety information about your listings with buyer's agents when called, texted, or emailed
• KEEP EACH OTHER ACCOUNTABLE FOR SAFETY
• If your association or MLS has implemented Real Safe Agent:
  • Utilize the Prospect Link feature
  • Rate prospects with whom you felt uncomfortable, and respond to clarification requests
  • Issue "drop-in" alerts when you first become uncomfortable with a prospect
  • Respond to other agent's "drop-in" alerts
  • If you are going on a high risk appointment and don't already have someone to accompany you, utilize the Accompany Feature
  • Respond to other agents' Accompany Requests even if they are from a different brokerage.

What Should Brokerages Do to Support Agents?

• If your association or MLS has not already implemented a crime prevention system, urge them to do so
• Implement safety procedures
• Create "drop-in" code words or phrases
• Have 3-5 minutes of every sales meeting dedicated to a safety topic
• Foster a "We are a community of real estate professionals" attitude
• Implement the EAR system
• If your association of MLS has implemented Real Safe Agent:
  • Foster the paradigm shift from "Any agent could need help on any day" to "Every agent can help any other agent every day"
  • Utilize the Watch Commander feature
  • Encourage agents to respond to "Drop-in" alerts
  • Encourage agents to use the Accompany Me feature
  • Encourage agents to respond to Accompany Me requests.
  • Implement the phrase "Are you listening?" as a reminder to use EAR and respond to "drop in" alerts
  • Utilize the visual safety symbol in high traffic areas of the brokerage

What Should the Association Do to Support Brokerages?

• Deploy an association wide crime prevention system in cooperation with your MLS
• Foster a "We are a community of real estate professionals" attitude
• Host regular safety classes that teach agents how to prevent crime, not just react to it.
• Form a safety committee to develop safety best practices for your area.
• Create safety awards
• If your MLS or the association has implemented Real Safe Agent:
  • Foster the paradigm shift from "Any agent could need help on any day" to "Every agent can help any other agent every day"
  • Periodically send members safety statistics for MLS zones
  • Utilize the Watch Commander feature of Real Safe Agent
  • Give public praise through newsletters and emails to agents who are responding to "drop-in" alerts and supporting the safety of their colleagues
  • Distribute information about individuals known to be a threat or menace to agents
  • Implement the phrase "Are you listening?" as a reminder to use EAR and respond to "drop in" alerts

What Should the MLS Do to Support Associations?

• Reinforce safety through regular messaging when agents sign-in to the MLS
• Foster a "We are a community of real estate professionals" attitude
• Deploy an MLS-wide crime prevention system in partnership with member associations
• If the MLS has deployed Real Safe Agent:
  • Foster the paradigm shift from "Any agent could need help on any day" to "Every agent can help any other agent every day"
  • Display important safety information, such as individuals who are victim shopping when agents log-in to the MLS
  • Display positive reinforcement messages such as giving public kudos to agents responding to "drop-in" alerts
  • Utilize the Watch Commander feature of Real Safe Agent

Read More Articles in this Series

September is Realtor® Safety Month. Throughout the month, RE Technology will be publishing excerpts from an educational course on Realtor Safety in partnership with safety app creator Real Safe Agent. Here's the list of articles that have been published to date:

• Crime Prevention for Real Estate Agents: An Introduction
• Realtor Safety: Understanding Crime and Criminals
• Realtor Safety: Anatomy of a Crime
• Realtor Safety: Reducing the Risk of Being Targeted
• Realtor Safety: Setting Expectations in Your Marketing
• Realtor Safety: Screening Prospects Before a Showing
• Realtor Safety: Evaluating a Property and Neighborhood
• Realtor Safety: Using the Initial Prospect Call to Deter Predators
• Realtor Safety: What Is This Feeling?
• Realtor Safety: Reading the Prospect
• Realtor Safety: How the Real Estate Community Can Protect Itself

Please consider sharing this important information with your colleagues, your agents (brokers), and membership (MLSs and associations)!