Take Steps to Stay Safe in the Workplace

PART OF MY JOB IS TO FOLLOW THE NEWS AS IT RELATES TO THE REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY. SOME OF THE NEWS IS GOOD (THOUGH NOT IN THE QUANTITY THAT IT USED TO BE), AND SOME OF IT’S BAD. AMONG THE WORST OF THE BAD IS WHEN A REALTOR®’S SAFETY HAS BEEN COMPROMISED.

My guess is that each of you knows someone (if not yourself) who has felt physically unsafe while working in our industry. In fact, it’s highly believed that REALTORS® face more on­the­job dangers than most other segments of professionals. The number of reported incidents have risen nearly 12 percent since 2007 – in part, no doubt, due to desperate (thanks to the poor economy) individuals posing as clients.

But physical safety is only one aspect, albeit the most dangerous and thus most read about one. Your safety can be compromised by someone simply hacking into your data, exposing you and your company to potential risk.

The numbers tell the story.

151,000 The average number of jobs added per month this year, according to data released by the U.S. Labor Department.

1.87 In millions, the number of homes listed for sale at the end of July.

74 Percentage of new and existing homes sold in the three months ending June 30 that were affordable to families who earn the national median income of $65,000, according to the National Association of REALTORS®

32.5 Percentage of the market share Wells Fargo had in the mortgage market in the second quarter, the industry leader. Chase was a distance second with 11 percent.

4.3 In millions, the number of people facing foreclosure who had applied for government aid. Of this, only one million had received governmentsponsored modifications, according to a recent Making Home Affordable program report.

As in previous years, September has been designated by NAR as REALTOR® Safety Month. If you haven’t taken measures to improve safety in your workplace – that’s your office, computer, car, smartphone, home, at listings, etc. – you should do so now.

To get you on the right path, NAR is providing a free workplace personal and data safety webinar on Monday, Sept. 17 at 11 a.m. Safety expert Andrew Wooten will provide tips on how to keep you and your data safe. He’ll detail how best to keep your office from being exposed to risk, plus he’ll tell you how to create an office plan that includes the recommended safeguards.

Space for this free webinar is limited, so you’re encouraged to register in advance of Sept. 17. You may do so at www.realtor.org/mvp. While the webinar is a good starting place, it is just that – a starting place. For more tools and resources, including archived webinars, videos, articles, tips and more to keep you both personally and professionally safe, visit www.realtor.org/safety. v