13 Oct Real Estate Agents Invest In Security In Wake Of Tragedy
On September 25, the real estate world received a shock when one of its own was kidnapped from a private home showing and found dead days later. In the wake of the terrible tragedy of the death of Beverly Carter, agents and brokers have been working to improve the security of agents.
Luckily with the proliferation of mobile apps and wearable technology, agents have been able to take an active approach in ensuring their own security out in the field. Here are a few of the most popular gadgets out on the market that are increasing safety in the office and individual agents working alone at showings and open houses.
Mobile Apps For Safety
Any savvy agent won’t go anywhere without their smartphone, and luckily there are a number of apps that can help to ensure safety and rescue in the event of an emergency. The Guardly Safety App is one such application that is available for every smart device regardless of its operating system. The app offers an automatic connection with emergency services, real-time notification to designated people, real-time location tracking and an emergency beacon. The app requires a $19.99 yearly subscription fee and features typically run about $1.99 each per month, a small price for personal safety.
Another great app is Secure Show, an app that allows you to verify prospects by running their id against various state databases. While this isn’t a background check, it is a great way to make sure there aren’t any immediate red flags and can also point to who the agent is with in the case of a disappearance.
Wearable Devices
While a phone is a rather obvious device that would aid in rescue or prevention, many companies are working on devices that aren’t quite so obvious. “Smart jewelry” is quickly becoming more popular as agents can wear a seemingly innocuous piece of jewelry that can actually pin point the location of an agent. Cuff is a small device that looks like a bracelet or necklace and can send out a signal for location as well as pick up audio recordings from the device.
A number of other companies such as First Sign and Stiletto have also been disguising jewelry with GPS tracking and access to emergency services in the event it is needed.
Secure Possessions
At industry events such as an open house, agents’ possessions sometimes have a tendency to “walk away” while they might be busy showing a client around the home. In order to maintain the security of possessions, a number of companies including Tile have made devices that help to keep track of things. Tile is a device that can be attached to keys, purses, computer cases or practically anything else, and can alert you to their location within a 100-foot range.
Another device, yet to be released, is the TrackR, which is a disc that can alert you via your smartphone if your belongings such as a purse or keys are walking away from you. You can also get GPS updates as to the location of your belongings.