Realtor Safety Training
Safety Tips during Open Houses & Showings,
Effective De-escalation Strategies… and more!
Did You Know 25% of Male Real Estate Professionals and 44% of Female Real Estate Professionals Have Experienced a Fearful Situation on the Job?
Like most people, real estate professionals generally think they’ll never fall victim to violence. So they often don’t even consider learning violence-prevention skills.
But people in the real estate industry are at greater risk than most others since they work with people they don’t know, often at isolated locations or on vacant properties.
When crimes against real estate professionals do occur, the majority of them tend to be violent and, in many cases, have resulted in hospitalization and, in some cases, loss of life. To a criminal, a real estate professional is often a soft target.
The mobile SAFE International™ Real Estate Professional Violence-Prevention program directed by Rob Andress addresses all the probable risks and threats a real estate professional may encounter.
Topics include:
How & Why Realtors are Targeted
Your Intuition Overrules the Sale
How to Conduct Open House & Showings Safely
Qualifying Clients
Common Manipulation Strategies
Protecting valuables
Conflict-resolution training
Plus, much more
Just a few examples of violence against real estate professionals
- In Brampton: a Realtor was beaten with a baseball bat after a real estate deal went sour
- In Devinder Kumar–Brampton: a woman was lured to a rental property and stabbed 23 times
- In Oshawa: a Realtor was punched in the face and pepper-sprayed after a buyer didn’t show up for an appointment
- In Sarnia: a Realtor was kidnapped and forced to take the maximum amount from ATM
- In Toronto: A Realtor was assaulted by three men — one with a gun — bound, and robbed on Ladysbridge Drive
- In Anna Powell: A cash buyer could only meet a Realtor late at night and asked her to go in his car with him. She refused, and he began following and stalking her.
- In Schutter: A real estate professional was attacked at an open house by two men who entered the home and then locked the doors
Meet Your Instructors
Rob Andress – SAFE International Realtor Safety Director
Rob Andress began his real estate career in 1986. As a broker of record, Rob lives your life and understands the high-stress situations that real estate professionals face and enter every day to complete their jobs while fulfilling their legal and moral obligations to their clients and customers.
With his level of professional experience in the real estate industry, Rob has met and spoken with real estate professionals who have experienced violence through verbal, sexual, and bodily assault.
Beth Andress – SAFE International Certified Instructor
Beth grew up in the small town of Prescott, Ontario. She is the proud mother of three teenagers, has two cats, a green belt in Jujitsu and is very proficient with a power tool in her hands.
As the spouse of a Real Estate professional, Beth knows the life a Realtor lives and understands the risk, they face daily. Beth has been approached several times by Realtors who have experienced scary situations – ranging from uncomfortable conversations to physical and sexual assault.
She is belted in Jujitsu, certified in kickboxing, and trained in Use of Force – but Beth is also a sexual assault survivor, which gives her an understanding and perspective that many don’t have.
Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?
As a real estate professional, why would I want this training?
Most crimes against real estate professionals are violent crimes.
Why would I be the target of an attack?
Because real estate professionals are often soft targets who meet the criteria an attacker looks for. You’re often alone and isolated, possibly on a vacant property, where the attacker can set the time and day for the attack with time to plan. Successful real estate professionals are high-profile with the appearance they may have valuables that may appealing targets.
What would an attacker want from me?
There are three things your attacker may want from you. Your valuables, your body, or your life! Our training addresses all these areas and your options.
Will martial arts training help?
There is a misconception that martial arts training is the same as self-defense and violence-prevention training.
With martial arts, you learn an art that doesn’t address how actual violence takes place. Our program teaches you how to recognize and avoid violence foremost by understanding the most common threats a realtor may face.
We also introduce effective verbal de-escalation strategies created to end the confrontation or set up your physical response. And last, the physical component of our program demonstrates gross motor concepts and principles that can be learned in hours, not years, such as in martial arts.
Will a real estate professional safety app on my phone protect me?
Relying on gadgets often gives individuals a mistaken sense of security. Before introducing any safety devices, one should understand how to use their minds and bodies since phones or other external devices may drop or be taken. This might even cause an escalation of violence.
Most people are not aware that 911 does not always determine your exact location. When you look at the average response time for police, it can be anywhere from 8 to 18 minutes, depending on where you live. In other words, calling 911 does little to prevent an attack.
How could my promotional material affect my safety?
A necessary part of the job is to publish your photos, phone numbers, and online access. The use of other social media platforms to promote yourself provides criminals with valuable personal information, sometimes including the time and location for open houses. The criminal will have the ability to monitor and scope the area, giving them a massive advantage in planning any attack.