September is REALTOR® Safety Month. With the coming of autumn, which means shorter days, this is the perfect time to focus on safety. After all, just because daylight hours are shrinking doesn't mean real estate agents are working any less. With darker months ahead, you should take a moment to review your plan for on-the-job safety.

Real estate agents face unique safety challenges. Basic professional duties like showing vacant homes or meeting unknown prospects can make agents vulnerable. However, there are a number of basic precautions REALTORS® can take to stay safe. We've rounded up tips, training, and mobile apps that can prevent the worst from happening.

Training

Learn more about how to protect yourself on the job with this webinar from The National Association of REALTORS®. Safety expert Andrew Wooten will teach agents to recognize the warning signs to prevent violent incidents from occurring.

This webinar will also cover how to protect yourself online by creating a data security plan to lower your chances of becoming an identity theft victim.

Mobile Apps

Built-in GPS tracking makes your smartphone a powerful safety tool that goes beyond basic 911 dialing. The following apps let you contact and be accurately located by authorities and loved ones in case of an emergency.

• Moby - Designed with agents in mind, Moby lets you share your location for the duration of a showing or other appointment. You can schedule the app to ask if you're okay and alert contacts if you don't respond. Learn more about Moby in our article, "How REALTORS® Can Avoid Becoming a Victim of Crime."
• Guardly Safety App - Conference call, text, or email up to 15 safety contacts with one touch. GPS tracking, along with the ability to take and share photos of your surroundings, ensures pinpoint location if you're lost or abducted.
• Real Alert App - Scare off attackers by sounding Real Alert's alarm with one touch. Record "Creep Data" like eye color and face shape of suspicious people to report to authorities later. This app also locates nearby hospitals and has a built-in flashlight.
• MyForce - This subscription service has premium features like dimming your phone to avoid detection and recording audio and video of emergencies. Users can also set up "safe words" that help operators verify your situation and take action to help you.

Learn more about:

• Open House Safety - The high traffic of open houses can be a challenge. These 10 tips help ensure the safety of your sellers, prospective buyers, and yourself.
• Safety During Showings and Meeting New Prospects - Entering vacant houses and meeting unknown people can make agents vulnerable targets. Incorporate these common sense ideas into your work routine to protect yourself.
• Neighborhood Crime Statistics - Your clients will want to feel safe in their potential new neighborhood. Trulia's Crime Maps lets you answer all their questions about the safety of an area with detailed, visually-based crime reports.
• Digital Safety - Your personal data needs to be protected, too. Take common sense steps like using an alternate email or fake birthday to prevent online identity theft. Strong passwords are important, too. Always use at least 10 characters--a mix of numbers and letters of different capitalization is best.