I will admit that there have been times, in the past, when I thought being a realtor was a pretty cushy gig. In the housing explosion over the past few years it was not uncommon for realtors to make $40,000 commissions on properties that sold in a number of days. "What a great gig!', I thought.
But as many realtors will probably tell you, that's the exception and not the rule. As a buyer's agent, you are required to: see multiple properties, arrange viewings that work for the seller and potential buyers, drive all over town, work long hours, and spend lots of time away from your family. So yes, there is some work there that we don't always think about. But here's the kicker: what about safety?
When people are thinking about changing careers and they think about real estate, they don't necessarily think "oh, but that's a dangerous profession." That kind of statement is generally limited to police officers, fire fighters, crab fisherman (know the show "Deadliest Catch"?), and miners. Well, guess what? Real Estate is a dangerous business, too.
This week, a man was convicted for sexually assaulting a real estate agent (read about it here) back in March. He acted like he was looking to buy property, and assaulted her when they were alone. This was not an isolated incident... he had been trying to set up other agents, too.
Other sources confirm this alarming trend about violence against realtors. From Impact Safety:
"Violence in High Risk Professions:
An alarming trend of violence against real estate agents has emerged throughout the country in the last decade. Agent safety was cited as an important issue by nearly 90 percent of respondents in a 2003 Ohio Association of Realtors member survey. By comparison, safety concerns received no mention in a 1997 survey."
The bottom line is that we all, regardless of the 'perception' of safety (or lack thereof), need to do what we can to stay safe and think about prevention. Have a strategy/back up plan wherever you are -- and, maybe get SOS LINK, too.
Cheers,
Jill
We were all shocked and disgusted by the “tunnel beating” that happened in Seattle on January 28, 2010. Video released showed a 15 year old girl being beaten in a subway station while others stood by and watched.
The girl reported that there had been a confrontation earlier, and that she felt that she was in danger prior to the beating. The victim stated that she had approached police officers and transit officers prior to the attack, but that her reports of feeling threatened were not taken seriously. What might have happened to the 15 year old, if she had been able to alert her family that she was in trouble? How might the outcome have changed? We can't say with any certainty that the violence would have stopped, but she would have been able to immediately alert her family and summon support. In her case, this might have made quite a difference. This is the kind of information that parents want to have - they want to know when their kids are in trouble...
Preventable?
Unfortunately, the situation described above is not an isolated incident. A few recent stats:
- In 2005, 7.4% of youths ages 12-17 reported that, in at least one instance, they had attacked others with intent to seriously hurt them. (2005 SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health)
- Nationwide, 18.5% of high school students had carried a weapon (gun, knife, or club) one or more days in the last 30 days. The prevalence of having carried a weapon was higher among male (29.8%) than female (7.1%) students. (2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance)
Implications
So, youth violence is a real issue and, as we've seen above, not all youth are able to effectively advocate for themselves and they are not always taken seriously. Technology won't change social stigmas, nor will it prevent all violence. But it is clearly another tool to have in the toolbox - for both youth and their parents - to help keep kids safe.
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