by Michele Newbern Gillis
Staff writer
Crimes against Realtors have evolved over the years and education is your best tool to prevent it.
That’s known to all in the business and experts in the field say it can’t be emphasized enough.
Here’s what experts say in our interviews with a person who specializes in training, a staff member of the real estate association, an executive with a major firm and agents:
The trainer
“With Realtor training, we provide all aspects from the classroom to the actual field of how to protect yourself, ways to keep yourself safe and reduce the chances of being victimized,” said Andrew Wooten of Safety Awareness Firearms Education (S.A.F.E.), a training, education and consulting firm, which advises groups in the area of safety and security.
Wooten currently does two safety programs for the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors, one at the new Realtor orientation session and also a quarterly three-hour safety class for all Realtors.
“Realtors need to pay attention to what is going on around them because they meet people and are involved with people they don’t know,” said Wooten. “They are going into homes that are unoccupied and a lot of times by themselves. A lot of agents are female agents or single male agents who are working by themselves, so it’s a prime opportunity for victimization.”
Wooten said to follow some simple rules will help you avoid
“Listen to yourself and follow the simple rules that your broker sets up and that all Realtors set up,” he said. “These include meeting clients at the office, filling out a prospect identification form, calling and checking in to let the office know where you are going to be, who you are going to be with and what time you will return or check in again.”
Safety is not one-size-fits-all.
Taking a class on safety is your best bet to get information specific to your size, weight and capabilities.
“If you look at someone who is 5 feet tall and someone who is 5-foot-10, their way of minimizing danger are completely different,” said Wooten. “It really irks me when I see programs taught with a one-size-fits-all approach. In our three-hour interactive training program, I have the chance to interact with everyone in the room and give specific tips to each person.”
There is no magic word or technique that will keep you safe.
“Everybody wants that quick fix,” said Wooten. “Everybody wants that one thing that will keep you safe, but the reality is that you have to listen to yourself. I work with victims who have been assaulted and victimized all the time. You are your best weapon for safety. That is really truly your whole key. You have the ability to protect yourself if you just listen to you.”
Wooten says to trust yourself and your gut instinct.
“A person’s best weapon is themselves, their mind, voice, body and spirit,” said Wooten. “When someone walks into a room or you meet someone and that little voice tells you something isn’t right you need to pay attention to it. You need to be proactive. Remember the old rule of safety in numbers? Well, that still applies today, plus things like meeting a client in a public place, getting a familiarization with the client, having them fill out paper work and calling that paperwork in let someone know who you are with, where you are going and how you are going to check in. That process is invaluable to Realtors.”
Times change. That means ways Realtors are victimized change as well. S.A.F.E. makes sure its classes and information are updated.
“Realtors have been attacked in a variety of ways,” said Wooten. “So one of things we do is to update our information as to the current Realtor crimes, how the people are being victimized and ways to prevent victimization.”
Wooten suggests Realtors go through updated safety training through their association.
“That really makes a difference. The programs that we teach change almost on a quarterly basis because the crimes change,” he said.
A new crime is identity theft. It doesn’t physically harm you, but it can sure put a dent in your pocketbook.
“Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America,” said Wooten. “There is a case of identity theft being reported every minute. In Florida, that crime is on an increase. Realtors put themselves in danger simply because they are considered public servants. Their names and faces are out everywhere. With the access to the Internet, pulling someone’s personal information is relatively simple. Once they have that, you are exposed.
“There are some precautions to take, including monitoring their credit report, keeping it updated and signing on with your bank and credit cards and letting them know there is a risk/liability factor.”
The association
In addition to offering the safety classes, the Northeast Florida Association of Realtors is actively involved in informing and alerting their members to safety issues.
“While we’d love to be able to ensure the safety of our members, that is something that is simply not feasible,” said Melanie Green, NEFAR’s communications director. “What we can do, however and on a regular basis is provide information and awareness tools to help them recognize safety issues and take appropriate steps to minimize their risk.”
The safety seminars that NEFAR offers are free to Realtor members.
“These seminars go over all aspects of crime awareness and prevention,” said Green. “The topics covered include how bad guys select their targets, how to minimize the risk of being a victim, parking lot scenarios, pepper spray, parent/child safety, concealed weapons permits and firearms safety program, self defense for women and for men and workplace violence.”
NEFAR also sends e-mail announcements warning all members when they learn, either through members’ reporting or law enforcement officials notifying them, of specific criminal activity where Realtors are being preyed upon.
“We periodically publicize safety articles, news and information geared toward Realtor safety in our publications,” said Green. “We have a safety video that our members can check out for free and use for their office sales meetings or other needs. The video was put together a number of years ago after a Realtor here was the victim of an assault during a property showing. It recreates the crime and uses the actual victim’s voice, along with going over prudent safety measures.”
NEFAR also works in conjunction with law enforcement, upon request from them, to help disseminate information when applicable.
“We received a call from New Mexico law enforcement officials several years ago about an escapee from a New Mexico prison,” said Green. “The individual was known to involve himself in the real estate investment industry and was believed by New Mexico officials to be in our area. The New Mexico officials furnished us with a photo and description of the individual, which we broadcast to our members, alerting them to directly contact the New Mexico authorities if they encountered the individual.”
The company
Real estate companies also help ensure the safety of their agents in various ways.
“Prudential Network Realty includes safety training in every class that we do from new agent to advanced training,” said Sherron Willson, training director for Prudential Network Realty. “Keeping safety at the forefront of our associate’s minds better prepares them when a situation arises. We have safety demonstrations at office levels for our associates, videos and more.”
Prudential provides a quarterly training course on safety and encourages their agents to participate in NEFAR safety training.
“The management team has a policy for notifying each other of suspicious activity and we also notify NEFAR and FlexMLS when we have reason to believe there is a pattern,” said Willson. “Real estate is not life or death, but we need to make sure our agents are safe. We have policies and procedures to support our safety and security training. There is nothing more important to the real estate industry than the fine individuals who represent the companies and the customers. Safety must be a major part of training.”
The agents
Josie Deal of Coldwell Banker Jasinsky & Associates in Amelia Island shared some of her office’s tips and procedures.
“We always tell someone when we are showing property and a general idea of our schedule,” said Deal. “Always have customers you do not know meet you in the office and not at the listing. Have ‘code’ words set up to call in at the office and it lets them know if you have a problem when you are showing property. If a customer is suspicious, we may look at the car and call in the license plate for verification.”
Code words are a good way of indicating danger without tipping off the assailant.
“We have talked about getting copies of prospect’s drivers licenses before going out with them, but it tends to make them uncomfortable,” said Carrie Richter of Davidson Realty. “Presently we just a code word to let our office know if we are getting bad vibes from our customer or are uncomfortable in any way. If we use the code word, they will come out and find us or make regular calls to us. Fortunately I have not had to do that. We also keep photos of all of our cars and licenses in a file in the office.”