Helping REALTORS® Maximize Safety, Minimize RiskCommentary by the National Association of REALTORS®
REALTORS® face job-related risks every day—working alone, meeting with strangers in unfamiliar places, and sharing personal contact information. While independence is one of the perks of our industry, it can leave agents open to vulnerabilities.
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) has dedicated September as REALTOR® Safety Month to raise awareness of safety issues, though it's important for real estate professionals to stay focused on safety year-round. That's why, more than a decade ago, NAR launched the REALTOR® Safety Program. The program provides members with safety education, tips and countless other resources and tools at no cost. The aim: Help REALTORS® make it home safely to their family every night. Here are some REALTOR® Safety Program highlights: A New National Network There is safety—and power—in numbers. In March, NAR launched the REALTOR® Safety Network to capitalize on the strength of our 1.3 million members. The program enables members and REALTOR® associations to submit incident reports online. NAR will deploy safety alerts via social media when a physical or cyber threat to REALTORS® warrants national attention. For example, alerts will be issued if a pattern of assaults against REALTORS® has been reported, a REALTOR® or immediate family member goes missing and the family is requesting assistance, or an association name is being used fraudulently. Empowering Yourself Arming yourself with information will build confidence, increase your capacity to protect yourself and your clients, and make you less susceptible to mistakes that could put their property or personal safety at risk. We encourage you to attend NAR's upcoming REALTOR® Safety Webinar, "Prospect or Predator? Reduce the risk of being a target!" presented by David Legaz on Sept. 17, 1 p.m. Central. Learn more and register at NAR.realtor/safety/safety-webinars. Along with the webinar, you'll find a wealth of information and extensive resources at NAR.realtor/safety. Take advantage of hundreds of articles, reports and videos, plus archived webinars covering topics like personal safety, data security and cyber safety. We continually add new information, resources and programs, so check back often. Keeping Safety Top of Mind Each week, NAR posts a new safety tip as a shareable graphic on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Follow @NARdotRealtor or search for #RealtorSafety to capture and share these tips. Safety Tools and Apps At NAR.realtor/safety, you can learn about an array of tools and products, such as security systems, personal alert devices, and smartphone apps. NAR doesn't sell or endorse these products or services, but offers information to help members decide what's best for their personal safety protocol. Several companies that participated in NAR's REACH technology accelerator are listed, including Guard Llama and Trust Stamp, as well as REALTOR Benefits® Program partner SentriLock with the SentriKey Real Estate app and agent safety feature. Make Safety Your Top Priority Year-Round! Visit NAR.realtor/safety to access all of NAR's REALTOR® Safety resources. |
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