September is REALTOR^® Safety Month, so take this time to evaluate your safety protocols so you can protect yourself all year long. According to the 2022 REALTOR® Safety Survey conducted by the National Association of REALTORS^® (NAR), 400,000 REALTORS^® don’t have safety protocols in place to protect themselves.

We’ve compiled a few tips from NAR to help you practice better safety measures in your daily work.

• If you ever feel uncomfortable meeting a client in person, use the “buddy system.” Have code words prepared to notify each other if you feel threatened and need to make an exit.
• Never open an attachment (or link!) from someone you don’t know. If you receive a strange or impersonal-sounding message from a familiar address, verify with that person too that it is something they intended to send.
• REALTOR^® danger zones where you could be most vulnerable include your car, in the office, showing a property, and an open house. Make a safety plan for each one, and follow it every day.
• While working late or alone, create the appearance that you are not the only person there. Keep extra lights on in the office and turn on some music, a podcast, or the TV. Keep in contact to make sure someone knows where you are and when you will be home.

In addition to these tips, NAR has a resource page dedicated to informing you of ways to keep yourself safe while you do business. Be sure to also check out their webinar on Wednesday, September 13th at 11:00 a.m., Unmasking Threats: Enhancing Safety through Situational Awareness.