Why I Am Writing This
This is not a hit piece. This is a reality check. Companies selling safety products to real estate agents are selling fear using completely unbalanced unverified statistics.
I am going to step out on a limb and state a simple fact: I am likely the most qualified person in the United States to address the reality of real estate agent safety.
As someone who helped build modern real estate safety training, I’m calling out what it has become: a multi-million-dollar machine fueled by overblown fear.
Since 1995, I’ve delivered ~1,200 personal protection programs to real estate professionals. In 2001, NAR selected me as one of two experts to launch Realtor Safety Week. Before 2003, no state approved safety for Continuing Education—I fought regulators to pioneer those accredited courses nationwide.
I didn’t just join this conversation; I helped build it. That’s why it frustrates me to see the industry hijacked by vendor hype and panic apps.
Every September, vendors blare sensationalized headlines like “20 to 50 Agents Killed Each Year!” to peddle panic buttons and tracking apps. It’s a masterclass in Fear, Uncertainty, and Doubt (FUD).
This narrative relies on distorted government data—conflating traffic accidents and slips/falls with premeditated violence. In reality, targeted agent homicides average 1 to 2 per year (if that) nationwide.
Real estate has risks, but they require practical protocols, not paranoia. It’s time to dismantle the hype and restore sanity to agent safety.
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