25 Years of REALTOR® Safety
September 2, 2025
When a well-respected REALTOR® was killed while showing a home in a King County suburb in January 2001, it prompted organizations within and outside the real estate industry to revisit safety standards for agents across Washington state.
Shortly after Mike Emert’s brutal stabbing, members of Seattle King County REALTORS®, Washington REALTORS®, the King County Sheriff’s Office, and other organizations collaborated to create more robust personal safety guidelines for agents statewide. The Washington State Real Estate Safety Council was also established as an outgrowth of this effort with a mission to help keep agents from unsafe situations.
Many companies had safety procedures in place before Emert’s murder, but that crime “made us realize we needed to take our safety precautions to an entirely different level,” stated Joe Deasy, co-owner of six Eastside Windermere offices, including the one where Emert worked with his wife Mary Beth Emert, and mother-in-law, Betty Chandler.
Two years after Washington created new safety resources, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) established September as REALTOR® Safety Month. The month-long event aims to empower NAR’s members with the knowledge, awareness, and tools to navigate their jobs safely—not just during Safety Month but year-round.
Attacks on real estate agents are increasing every day, with robberies and assaults being among the risks. Agents are open to attack by thieves, sex offenders, murderers and other criminals.
According to NAR research, an alarming number of REALTORS® said they feared for their personal safety or the safety of their personal data at some point in the year. Only 5% of survey respondents said they never felt personally unsafe while performing their job duties.
NAR, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Inman, and others publish data on attacks on real estate agents and the risks they face. Among findings in the 2023 REALTOR® Safety Survey were:
- 56,000 REALTORS® were victims of a crime while performing their duties
- 322,000 REALTORS® felt fear for their safety while on the job
- 406,000 REALTORS® don’t have safety protocols in place to protect themselves
Despite observing REALTOR® Safety Month since 2003, a surprising number of agents—only 46%—said their office has standard procedures for agent safety.
REALTOR® Safety Month is also dedicated to raising awareness of potential safety threats in the real estate profession and to providing resources to help agents protect themselves and their clients.
NAR has resources and tools on multiple platforms, including:
- safety tips and protocols,
- a safety toolkit for associations
- the REALTOR® Safety Network (and accompanying submission form)
- dozens of articles
- tips for planning a safety strategy
- webinars, training and videos and
- safety apps and products, such as React Mobile, Agents Armor, SafeFi, and Real Safe Agent (RSA)
- React Mobile app
- Agents Armor
- a Safety Pledge
For REALTORS® on the go and as part of the Safety Program, NAR has a podcast series called “Drive with NAR: The Safety Series.” Powered by REALTOR® Magazine, it examines risks REALTORS® face and the tools, tips and tactics to help members stay safe in the field.
Resources are also available at the local level.
On September 9, Seattle King County REALTORS® is presenting “Making Selling Safer,” an in-person class certified for 3 clock hours. It promises to empower attendees “with the tools, strategies, and confidence to navigate risks and stay safe—without compromising professional success.
Ripple Safety, a professional monitoring service, suggests real estate professionals are vulnerable to being a victim because of four unusual risks:
- As independent contractors, agents normally work alone and spend most of their time in the field.
- Agents work with people they don’t know. They don’t know if the stranger is a felon, drug addict or someone with mental health issues. They also don’t know if the person is armed.
- Agents can’t control where properties are located. It could be an abandoned or foreclosed property, possibly inhabited by squatters or in a secluded area.
- Agents sometimes rely on public advertising to drive traffic to open houses. Criminals may monitor these to find someone to victimize.
Safety Month serves as a reminder for real estate professionals to prioritize safety in their daily routines and business practices. While most attacks target women, men are not immune. REALTORS® are at risk regardless of age, location and gender.
Jen Stanbrough, a managing broker in West Des Moines, Iowa, and a close friend of a young agent who was shot while hosting an open house and later died, admits she experienced “several unsettling incidents” early in her career. Her friend’s murder inspired Stanbrough to “get serious about real estate agent safety,” she became a founding member of the Des Moines Area Association of REALTORS®’ Safety Committee. She also helped author the REALTOR® Safety Pledge and NAR’s Safe Showing Listing Form.
“Overall real estate safety has improved,” Stanbrough says, adding “It’s easy to get complacent.” Agents are sometimes willing to put a potential sale above the need for safe practices, she notes. “We have to continue training and implementing safe practices every day.”