Nearly a third of Realtors have experienced a situation that made them fear for their personal safety or the safety of their personal information, and 43 percent of Realtors choose to carry self-defense weapons on the job.
That’s according to the National Association of Realtors’ (NAR) 2018 Member Safety Report, which surveyed more than 3,000 Realtors about how safe they feel while on the job, their personal safety experiences and the precautions they must follow.
“Realtors understand better than anyone the safety risks associated with real estate transactions. Because of that, it is imperative for members to share safety protocols with homebuyers so they can learn about what they may encounter during the home buying process,” NAR CEO Bob Goldberg said in a news release.
The most common circumstances that resulted in fearful situations were open houses, showing vacant and model homes, working with properties that were unlocked or unsecured and showing homes in remote areas, according to the study, released as a part of Realtor Safety Month.
The report also showed the most common self-defense weapons carried in 2018 are pepper spray (16 percent), firearm (15 percent), pocket knife (7 percent), Taser (5 percent), baton or club (3 percent) and battery-operated noise maker (2 percent), while 8 percent preferred not to say.
Nearly half of men (48 percent) and women (45 percent) carry a self-defense weapon or tool, down from 44 percent of men and 48 percent of women in 2017. Of the 94 percent of those who reported being a victim of a crime while working as a real estate professional, 2 percent reported being a victim of identity theft, 2 percent robbery, 1 percent assault and 1 percent preferred not to say.
Meanwhile, 47 percent of Realtors surveyed reported using a smart phone safety app to track whereabouts and alert colleagues in case of an emergency, up from 44 percent in 2017. The most commonly used app was the Find My iPhone feature (30 percent).
As a safety precaution, many members listed notifying a spouse, friend or family member of their location before showing a home.
Finally, the typical respondent meets new prospective clients at their office or a neutral location 40 percent of the time, down from 50 percent in 2017. In addition, 39 percent participated in a self-defense class, unchanged from 2017.