This year, more than any previous year, the NAR is taking Realtor safety to heart. Throughout the year, NAR has enhanced and expanded upon its Realtor safety program to develop new materials, create additional resources, and provide members with what they need to feel more empowered and confident in regards to their own personal safety.
NAR has also changed the way they distribute this information. Instead of distributing through pamphlets and guides; they now offer safety tips via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
These small, image-based tips offer safety information on topics such as cyber security, home security, open house security and more. Not only does this method engage the modern tech-based Realtors, it also encourages sharing, which broadens the audiences and helps to ensure more people are actually receiving the safety messages.
Commissioning the Realtor safety report
In an effort to take things a step further, NAR also commissioned the 2015 Member Safety Report. The report asked members how safe they felt on the job, specifically about their own safety experiences, and what preventative safety measures were provided by their brokerage.
The report found while 96 percent of Realtors had never been the victim of crime, an astounding 40 percent found themselves in situations where they feared for their safety, or the safety of their personal information. Proving these safety measures were long overdue.
You are your best safety tool
Tamara Suminski, a Realtor safety course supervisor, stresses the importance of trusting your instincts and being aware of your surroundings.
Suminski states, “sometimes we don’t listen to our intuition enough; we say ‘who would harm me?’”
“However, crimes will be committed as long as criminals have the opportunity,” she adds. “We have to make sure we don’t give them the opportunity.”
We couldn’t agree more and are pleased to see NAR taking preventative, proactive measures in regards to Realtor safety.
Your next steps
All safety resources for members and associations, including the information for smartphone apps and safety products, can be found on NAR’s Realtor Safety page.
I would also suggest reading this article, detailing why smartphone apps are good, but they should not be the only tool in your possession, especially when it comes to safety.
#RealtorSafety
Jennifer Walpole is a Senior Staff Writer at The American Genius and holds a Master's degree in English from the University of Oklahoma. She is a science fiction fanatic and enjoys writing way more than she should. She dreams of being a screenwriter and seeing her work on the big screen in Hollywood one day.
