Safety
Safety First
for Real Estate Agents Beverly Carter was showing a new client a vacant property on Sept. 25 just as she would any other day for her job as a real estate agent in Little Rock, Arkansas. However, that day was different. Carter went missing. Friends, family members, volunteers and police spent countless hours searching, hoping and praying that Carter would be found safe. The body of the 49-year-old wife, mother and grandmother was found several days later in a shallow grave about 20 miles northeast of central Little Rock. The Little Rock Police Department eventually arrested 33-year-old Arron Lewis after he was a person of interest and admitted to police that he kidnapped Carter. According to Pulaski County Sheriff ’s Office Capt. Simon Haynes, he was a stranger to Carter. When asked by reporters why he chose Carter, Lewis said, “She was just a woman who worked alone — a rich broker.” A survey by the National Association of Realtors found that 57 percent of agents are women, and women are often victimized for no obvious reason, according to a 2011 report on violent crimes against real estate agents. The safety of real estate agents has been a hot topic since the death of Carter. Although Carter left her purse in her car and told her husband where she would be as precaution, it still wasn’t enough. Many real estate agents put their lives on the line to show homes to prospective buyers who they may know nothing about. Not only was Lewis a stranger to Carter, but he also has an extensive criminal history including felony theft of property, obstruction of government op-
erations and unlawful removal of a theft device. That type of information is not always readily available to agents before meeting unknown clients. Real estate agents do not always meet clients at a secure location or get background checks done as well. Since it would take convincing licensing boards in each U.S. state to adjust the real estate safety awareness rules, agents may oftentimes take it upon themselves to find ways to decrease the chances of a potential attack. One of the ways is to go through safety training, which is typically provided by a professional instructor, individual brokerages or regional estate associations, according to Tracey Hawkins, a former real estate agent who is now a safety and security expert and teaches real estate professionals. The training can benefit agents by showing them how to safely show homes. Until more training is freely available, there are many tips and tools out there for agents to use that can possibly help keep them out of harm’s way.
Safety Apps Technology companies are improving the safety of real estate agents by developing apps geared toward assisting agents with how to meet and present homes to clients more securely. The Guardly app provides protection whenever and wherever an agent is. With the app, emergency responders are able to view the exact location of an urgent situation by using Wi-Fi networks comparable to how GPS uses satellites.
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