How YOU Can Help Prevent Violence Against Realtors

Violent crime against real estate agents has increased 300 percent since 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In the face of this sobering news, a research and educational initiative is underway to reverse the trend.

"What the industry has been doing isn't working," says Lee Goldstein. Goldstein is the founder and CEO of Real Safe Agent, a mobile app that taps into the local real estate community to crowdsource agent safety. Under Goldstein's leadership, Real Safe Agent is spearheading a study in cooperation with WAV Group and the University of Texas at Austin that will involve interviewing agents that have been victims of crimes, as well as individuals who have committed violent crimes against real estate agents.

According to Goldstein, the goal is to be able to identify the signs that indicate that a prospect may be dangerous, as well as give agents questions they can ask to reveal a prospect's underlying intentions. Goldstein says these questions are designed to not alienate legitimate prospects, only glean the information agents need to stay safe.

How You Can Help

Want to assist this research and, in turn, the industry as a whole? Real Safe Agent is fielding a survey to identify the "specific behaviors, circumstances, and patterns that REALTORS can use to identify high risk individuals or situations." Agents and brokers can take this survey here.

Keeping the Real Estate Community Safe

In addition to research, Real Safe Agent is leading legislative initiatives to create grants to give to Realtor associations to promote and facilitate agent safety. This includes creating a national "agent defender database" and a law that requires anyone who commits a crime against an agent to register on a list in the same way that a sex offender does.

But perhaps the project with the most immediate impact is Real Safe Agent's educational efforts. The company has created a training course that they're offering to Realtor associations for free. RE Technology published the course material last fall in a 12-part series, and our readers can access it all at the links below:

1. Crime Prevention for Real Estate Agents: An Introduction
2. Realtor Safety: Understanding Crime and Criminals
3. Realtor Safety: Anatomy of a Crime
4. Realtor Safety: Reducing the Risk of Being Targeted
5. Realtor Safety: Setting Expectations in Your Marketing
6. Realtor Safety: Screening Prospects Before a Showing
7. Realtor Safety: Evaluating a Property and Neighborhood
8. Realtor Safety: Using the Initial Prospect Call to Deter Predators
9. Realtor Safety: How to Have a Safe Showing
10. Realtor Safety: What Is This Feeling?
11. Realtor Safety: Reading the Prospect
12. Realtor Safety: How the Real Estate Community Can Protect Itself

Learn More About Security Technology

Real Safe Agent is one of two companies in our 2016-17 Technology Guide that are featured in our "Security" category. The Guide features real estate technology products in 19 categories, as well as questions to ask when considering a new app or product. Download your free copy today!