Each September, the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) observes REALTOR® Safety Month. This is an excellent opportunity for all REALTORS® to reflect on the importance of staying safe on the job, while embracing a commitment to follow good safety practices throughout the year. Sadly, incidents involving the personal safety of real estate professionals continue to occur every day.
As a broker, you’re in a unique position to provide safety leadership for your agents—a role that can make a notable difference in the knowledge, awareness, and ultimately, the safety of every person in your office, as well as your clients. NAR has a number of resources to simplify and support your efforts.
Several of NAR’s newest and most popular safety tools include:
REALTOR® Safety Webinars – Each April and September, NAR hosts a free webinar for members. This September, in conjunction with REALTOR® Safety Month, the commitment to spread the word on safety has been expanded to include two programs with safety experts exploring timely topics:
Safety: Do This Now
Presented by: Andy Tolbert
When: Wednesday, September 20 at 1:00 p.m. CST
Stay Safe by Building Better Business Relationships
Presented by: Tamara Suminski
When: Wednesday, September 27 at 1:00 p.m. CST
These important topics are in addition to nearly 20 other safety webinars archived online, covering a wide variety of issues related to data security and cyber safety; open houses, foreclosures, vacant homes; and personal safety. Visit www.NAR.realtor/Safety/Webinars.
2017 Member Safety Report – Each year, NAR surveys members on professional or work-related situations that prompted fear, their use of self-defense weapons and safety apps, and proactive safety procedures in their brokerage. The goal of the report is to measure and understand the safety risks REALTORS® might face, while helping brokerages benchmark their efforts and identify resources, as well as areas for improvement in their safety protocols. To view the latest survey findings, visit www.NAR.realtor/Safety.
NEW! NAR Safety Reimbursement Grant Program – Introduced this year, the grants provide funding assistance, up to $2,500, to state and local REALTOR® Associations to help implement a Safety Program or initiative for their members, and to encourage ongoing awareness of REALTOR® Safety.
Although grant recipients for 2017 have been selected, the 2018 grant application process will open in the first quarter of 2018. Make sure your state and local associations are aware of the program and apply next year. Visit www.NAR.realtor/Safety/Grant.
Social Media Safety Tips – Each week, NAR’s official Twitter, Facebook and Instagram pages post a new safety tip in the form of a shareable visual graphic. Follow NAR (@nardotrealtor), or search for #RealtorSafety, to capture and share these tips for your agents.
Does Your Office Have a Safety Plan?
According to NAR’s 2016 Member Safety Report, less than half of NAR members said their office has standard procedures for agent safety, and another 28 percent responded, “I don’t know.” If your office hasn’t instituted safety procedures, start now. Even if you do have procedures in place, now is the time to make sure everyone is informed and following them. The time to prepare is before someone becomes a victim.
NAR has also developed several office safety forms, which can be downloaded and customized. You will find them at www.NAR.realtor/Safety under “Resources for Associations and Brokerages.”
Additional Safety Resources
The resources mentioned here reflect a fraction of the tools developed by NAR to support your efforts. To access all of NAR’s safety resources, visit www.NAR.realtor/Safety.
For more information, please visit www.nar.realtor.
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