Takeaways:
- Arizona Realtors can receive and post safety alerts through an association security system.
- The system is the latest response to heightened concerns over agent safety.
Arizona Realtors can now receive and post safety alerts through a security system unveiled by the Arizona Association of Realtors (AAR).
The safety system is a response to renewed concerns over the dangers real estate agents can face on the job, particularly those that show homes to strangers.
AAR cited the disappearance of Sidney Cranston when announcing the safety system. Cranston vanished after showing a home in Kingman, Arizona, in June.
“He went to show one of his own properties and unfortunately didn’t inform anyone about the potential buyers he went to meet,” said AAR CEO Michelle Lind in a statement.
AAR began calling attention to agent safety with a series of safety videos earlier in 2015.
Arizona Association of Realtors safety video.
An AAR safety workshop created the security system. It lets agents sign up to receive text alerts and post incident reports online.
AAR previously shared safety alerts on social media and its members-only website.
A rash of crimes against real estate agents across the country, including murders, have sparked calls for instituting safety protocols and security networks for real estate agents, and inspired a slew of apps to help agents send alerts or vet strangers.
Some speculate that apps and websites that facilitate on-demand home showings are partly to blame for what’s widely perceived to be an uptick in crimes against real estate agents.
One of the latest initiatives aimed at countering the trend is the creation of a national database of brokers, lenders and title companies that agree to open their doors to any agent who wants to meet and vet a prospective client, rather than meet in a less secure environment, such as at a vacant home.