We have a sexual predator on the loose in the East Bay area of California that has been walking into real estate offices and open houses presenting himself as an interested buyer. He was locked up a couple of weeks ago for violating parole by being on the grounds of an elementary school. He, Daniel Duran, is a convicted rapist and has made bail and is on the street again.

Pam Ellis, from Diversified Capital is an accomplished self-defense artist who teaches women how to protect themselves. You can email her to learn about the classes she is offering real estate professionals. 

W . I . S . E .

             Women · Initiating · Safe · Environments

The Statistics

IN THE U.S. THERE IS A SEXUAL ASSAULT EVERY 3 MINUTES.  One out of every 3 women over the age of 18 will be attacked at some time in her life.  Incidents of muggings, sexual assaults, and beatings are increasing 4 times faster than the overall crime rate.

Most of us live in an area that we consider to be safe...or we wouldn't be living there.  Something we often overlook is that we may have to work in or travel through unsafe locations.  Finding ourselves in a dangerous or unfamiliar location, we are suddenly vulnerable.  Some common parties who frequently experience this are sales people, college students, commuters, traveling sports teams, and vacationers.

Many women also work outside of the home.  There are many times throughout the day where we are vulnerable as a result of working outside the home.  Our business attire is more restrictive, our shoes are not meant for running in, we walk to and from our cars in the dark, we follow the same routes and routines (ideal for a perpetrator who is watching for the right opportunity to attack).  We are un-armed, unaccompanied, and distracted with all of our daily responsibilities.

Don't become a statistic!  Defend your life.

Real Estate Professionals

Whether you work in Real Estate, Lending, Title, Staging, or any affiliated profession in this industry, you work with people you have never met before.  As Realtors, you are the most vulnerable; touring unoccupied homes with these virtual strangers, driving with them, meeting at their homes, sitting in an open house alone, and sometimes traveling outside of your familiar and safe area.  If you are a lender or escrow officer, many times you are meeting clients in the evenings, in their home or place of business, and spending several hours out of your safety zone.

In all cases, you find yourself in the position of weakness.  A perpetrator can be your client, someone who knows your routine, someone who follows you to your appointment and waits for you to finish, someone who scopes out open houses waiting for you to be alone, or another person in the industry who knows the dangers of this field.

Staying Alive

The W.I.S.E program was developed in 1980 to promote women defending themselves in a life-threatening situation.  The mind as well as the body must be trained to handle a confrontation.  If the mind is not trained to perform under stress and is put in this kind of situation (such as an assault/rape), it may panic.

People perform the way they are trained.  If you are not trained well, you will not react well.  If you are trained to be submissive, you will be submissive.  If you are trained to survive, you will survive.