This month is the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Realtor® Safety Month. The organization has also just released the results of its 2017 Member Safety Report.
This survey asked members from across the country questions about how safe they feel while on the job. Of the 3,200 respondents, 9 out of 10 reported that they’d never been the victim of a crime, and fewer than 40% said they’d been in situations where they feared for their safety or the safety of their personal information.
The situations where real estate agents reported that they’d felt the most unsafe were open houses; when they showed vacant and model homes; when working with properties that were unlocked or unsecured; and when showing homes in remote areas.
Many Realtors Are Prepared for an Attack
The survey showed that while the majority of real estate agents feel safe on the job, many are prepared in case something does happen. Approximately 39% of agents have participated in a self-defense class as a proactive measure. And 44% said they use a mobile safety app to track their whereabouts in case a problem arises while working in the field.
Another interesting insight from the survey is that more than half of realtors reported that they carry a self-defense weapon, with females more likely to carry pepper spray, while males more typically carry firearms. The survey also showed that, prior to showing a home, the typical agent meets about half their potential buyers, whom they’ve never met before, in their office or a neutral location first.
The NAR offers free safety webinars to help their members, as well as other real estate agents stay safe. And there are also many other safety resources available online as well.
Lakeside Title Streamlines Real Estate Transactions
Lakeside Title Company encourages all our real estate agent clients to stay safe this month and throughout the year. Lakeside provides title insurance and numerous title services carefully designed to streamline residential and commercial real estate transactions for realtors, buyers, sellers and lenders. To learn more about our comprehensive title-related services, give us a call at 410-992-1070. We look forward to the chance to serve you!
