Being a real estate agent can be a risky business.
The agents – the majority of them women – meet strangers, often alone, on a daily basis, making them easy targets for crime, Atlanta-based safety consultant AJ Gwyn told a gathering of agents Thursday at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage in Wilmington. The seminar was broadcast live to all 11 of the company's offices.
The retired law enforcement officer, who teaches seminars nationwide, told some horror stories of crimes against real estate agents while doing their jobs.
The one that stood out, however, was the most recent. Real estate agent Beverly Carter was abducted last month in Arkansas and murdered. Her body was found in a shallow grave northeast of Little Rock. She had been scheduled to show a house to a prospective buyer.
Violent crimes against agents, unfortunately, are not unusual. In 2010, 25 agents were victims of homicide while on the job, and one in every four agents could be in direct or indirect contact with a criminal on any given day, Gwyn said.
Women at risk
"I know sometimes we describe our jobs to police, and they say, ‘You do what?'" said Jody Wainio, president of the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors. "We take it for granted. We get so wrapped up in getting the property sold that we forget about ourselves."
"What other business that is 65 to 70 percent female do people blindly meet somebody at a house?" said Steve Candler, CEO of the Brunswick County Association of Realtors. "That's just risky business. We have to give (agents) the tools to be prepared for that."
Though none of the realty companies contacted for this story recalled a serious criminal encounter for their agents, there are some potential uncomfortable situations.
"I have been in one uncomfortable situation where a buyer wanted to me to show him a property," Sea Coast agent Sandy Borowiec said before the seminar.
She explained that she took precautions. She hadn't met him before the showing. "They walked in front of me, and I stayed close by the door, and luckily it was on a busy street.
"But that same buyer asked me to come back and show it to him for a second time. I just didn't feel right about it. So I brought my husband with me. And oddly enough he asked me to write an offer up," but later that day called to withdraw it. "I felt it was strange."
"About three or four months ago there was a guy in Salisbury that started to call Realtors and wanted to set up appointments," Candler said. "Somehow he wound up here in southeast North Carolina.
"One of our members notified us," Candler said, and the word was put out immediately via social media.
Profile of crimes
A crime against an agent is usually one of opportunity, though some have been thoroughly thought out, Gwyn said.
Criminals usually target women, he said. But 30 percent of crimes against agents are against men.
Robbery is the typical motive, he said. And most perpetrators act alone. But Gwyn advised not to stereotype potential criminals. They can be couples, for instance.
The age group most attacked is 43 to 60, he said.
Safety is an issue that real estate agents and companies deal with every day. But most – 98 percent, Candler says – have in place educational programs to highlight the dangers and advise on how to be safe.
Sea Coast conducts its seminar every year, led by Gwyn.
Safety often begins at agent orientation, Wainio said. WRAR puts a safety tip in its weekly briefing, she said.
"Since 2001, Sea Coast has had a system in place where every single employee knows what to do when notified," said Tim Milam, the company's president.
"We have a buddy system. If an agent ever feels like they need someone to go with them, we will go with them even if they feel it could be potentially a problem," Milam said.
"We encourage our agents: Don't park at the garage; park on the street where you won't be blocked in. Make sure you have an app on your phone that will dial 911 with one push of a button."
Southport Realty does refresher reminders on a regular basis, said company director Pete Frandano. "We have a code to use if (the agent feels) they are in danger. Somebody will rush out or call the authorities. That's just been a good standard business practice."
Those procedures are particularly needed when agents go out on cold calls. That was Borowiec's situation.
"You get up, and you go and show the house, and you don't really know who this person is," Wainio said.
Upfront ID
Gwyn was adamant in his advice: Agents need to identify the prospective client upfront.
"The main thing, No. 1 rule of safety, is to get strange people to meet you at the office first," Gwyn said.
Gwyn urged the agents to copy the client's valid driver's license or military identification card at the office, get a license plate number and a description of the car.
Gwyn covered several topics during the two-hour seminar, including open house safety tips, how to safely show the property, how to reduce risks with verbal commands, and safe marketing – no photos on yard signs, no home phone numbers. "Don't put too much out there," he said.
That applies to Facebook and other forms of social media. Separate business and personal Facebook pages, he said.
Safety even involves a proper dress code, Gwyn said.
Dress for business and minimize showy or excessive jewelry that might attract a thief, particularly as the holidays approach, he said.
Even the shoes are important. You need something you can run in, Gwyn said.
Beyond safety protocols, some agencies offer self-defense courses.
The Brunswick Realtors association offers a six-week rape aggressor defense course in conjunction with the Brunswick County Sheriff's Office, Candler said.
"Some agents have taken self-defense courses and some have concealed carry permits," Southport Realty's Frandano said.
The WRAR has two self-defense classes coming up next month, sponsored by Ditech Mortgage and conducted by Larry McFayden of Champion Karate and Kickboxing in Monkey Junction.
The classes are not meant to teach how to beat a person up, McFayden said.
The agent's job, he said, is "to get away and survive."
Wayne Faulkner: 343-2329
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