A reported murder of a real estate agent in 2014 has made brokerages aware of the dangers that their representatives are placed in most of the time. For this reason, the Ohio Association of Realtors, which has 1,200 agents, decided to launch a safety app called Real Agent Guard. It aims to provide protection to the group's members.
According to Realtor Mag, the incident which happened in Arkansas where a real estate agent was murdered triggered the Ohio Brokerage to come up with an application programmed to make sure that agents are given security coverage when doing work. The Ohio Association of Realtors voted to make a phone application in providing more safety resources avail at a tap of a screen button. In addition, the HER realtors announced that they would offer the phone app to all its 1,200 agents in Ohio real estate.
One of the key features of the app is to record video during open house. Safety precautions will be provided to agents who will meet customers for the first time. Another important function of the app is the panic button. This will alert police or their brokerage office if they sense they are in danger of any kind. It also alerts the offices and their co-agents if a particular agent is meeting a client; it provides location and provides agent a check-in at certain times. It will inform the office if the agent misses check-in times. According to the Ohio Association of Realtors, they are still developing more features for the app to add more security services for their agents.
Meanwhile, in a report by The Columbus Dispatch, HER president, Michael Mahon said that the culture has dramatically changed in the real estate industry. He added that last year numerous cases were reported about agents being placed in uncomfortable situations. In the 2015 survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 40 percent of agents faced many situations in their jobs that put their lives in jeopardy. However, despite the real dangers agents face, only 4 percent of 2,804 agents surveyed reported they have been victimized by crime.
