Apathy for the Safety of the 180,000 REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS (REALTORS) in Canada
By Rob Andress
After eight years of working with thousands of professional REALTORS, educating them on the reality of violence they face while performing their job duties, the past week of August 9, 2024, has really upset me! With the recent disappearance of a Markham REALTOR, it breaks my heart to see the lack of acknowledgment surrounding this issue by national and provincial leaders. Disappointed, saddened, and bitter, I can’t publish the words that truly describe my feelings over this situation—not to mention the 18,000 other active real estate professionals who have faced a nightmare while completing the duties of their job (CREA Survey on violence experienced by active members 2023 – 9.6%).
Statistics—is that what they have become? Will Anita become another one of those statistics? Will she be remembered only as another “Realtor who went missing”? Sadly, her story will become nothing more than that.
Having spoken at provincial and local real estate conventions about violence within the real estate industry, I’m starting to feel that maybe I’m the problem. This important message about the unspoken, dirty secret of this industry that we openly discuss so many times a year – is it not being heard? Is it possible the the billion-dollar real estate industry in Canada does not hear what’s being said? Do the Board Directors, Education Directors, Event Planners, truly believe, “This doesn’t happen to our members”? Why are so many members themselves taking a safety belief that “This will never happen to me”?
I’ve watched the tears flow from their eyes as they share their stories and experiences. Victims who have found themselves in situations which they had no training or education on how to deal with, or even what to do to remove themselves from an encounter when it starts to unfold. Some victims I’ve met had no idea these attacks could even happen to them, or worse, that the profession they have chosen can be dangerous. As an Industry, we need to do better.
As I’m writing this, I again ask myself: Is it me? Am I not delivering the message of the so many we have met and lived clearly enough? If it’s not me, then what is it? Could it be ego? Not the ego of the victims, but the ego of those who need to honestly and clearly evaluate the “Safety” Recommendations and education provided for Professionals across Canada. At a minimum, those who owe so many who work in this industry, the proper education and training surrounding safety issues and reality prevention skills that could have stopped what far too many in our Industry have faced.
We have had the pleasure of working with many real estate boards and associations across Canada. One in particular, the REALTORS Association of Edmonton, has committed to the safety of its members through a several-year training and education program on preventing violence. This program has seen incident rates drop by as much as 60% among its members. Part of this includes a mandatory onboarding program for new members that openly discusses the risk of violence that professionals face in our industry. R.A.E. also provides new members with facts surrounding attacks and, even more importantly, with education on how they can prevent these occurrences before they happen. I can’t give enough credit or say enough about this association and the amazing CEO, Education Director and every member of their staff. The respect I have for them, and the vow they have made to change the face of violence for their members. This association is the poster child and needs to be the role model for all boards and associations across Canada on the reality of REALTOR SAFTEY – Nationally, Provincially and Locally
Over the past two years, we have seen an increase in a number of associations and boards across Ontario, as well as across the Country, who are starting to take an active role in providing reality-based violence prevention education to their members. However, in saying that, there are still so many who have not. One of the failings is that at the national and provincial levels, unfounded “safety recommendations” are being provided, all of which have been developed on the simple falsity of “We think this will keep them safe.” The only thing these unrealistic suggestions have done is encourage a false sense of safety for professionals, exposing them to a greater risk of violence in their jobs.
We’ve learned so much from the Professionals and Victims who work in our Industry about the crimes or attempted crimes committed against them. The crimes against real estate professionals do not happen as national and provincial leaders believe they do. These crimes don’t unfold as members think.
The standard belief is that crimes against real estate professionals are crimes of opportunity. This is the farthest thing from the truth. A crime of opportunity does not include social violence at the hands of another REALTOR, nor does it involve a client attempting to strangle a REALTOR in their office, an attempt to drug a REALTOR at an open house, or a REALTOR being kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint, or being sexually assaulted not once, but twice at the same open house, being beaten at the hands of a tenant with a 2×2, or having a hammer struck to the back of their head… only to name a few.
Reporting these crimes is also an issue for professionals. We estimate, based on our interactions with professionals, that only 10% of actual crimes are reported to law enforcement. This is due to fear of retaliation from the aggressor, court hearings, and public perception surrounding the issue—not to mention peer opinions and comments. Boards and associations have told me, “We don’t have these issues in our board,” or “We’ve never heard of these things happening here.” I once had a male executive officer accuse me of fear-mongering. My response to this was, do you believe a woman is going to come to a male stranger, who holds a title at a real estate board, and tell them about the sexual assault she had just experienced at the hands of a predator? Of course not!
I don’t want those who read this to think it’s only a “female” issue. Men in this industry face violence as well—it’s a different form and often a different type of violence. Often, male victims in the real estate industry are victims of social violent acts that erupt due to interactions with clients, other REALTORS, and tenants, usually because there has been no education on understanding and identifying what social violence is or how to de-escalate it. The other crime they face is the resource-based criminal. As males, they fight back believing they can physically win this altercation rather than give up the item they are being robbed for. I don’t believe fighting for valuables is worth your safety or life. My belief on this is simple: If they want it, I’ll give it to them; they’ll leave, and I’ll get to go home. It’s really that simple.
Violence prevention for active members needs to be much more than fact-less recommendations or a certificate obtained by completing a 20-minute online presentation that recommends such things as keeping your gas tank full and your cell phone charged will keep you safe. None of these do anything to stop these events. As mentioned, these statements only create a false sense of safety for the professional, and a risky one at that. Attempting to discuss these issues with some leading organizations has resulted in failed communications. Providing recommendations, asking what facts these safety protocols have been based on, or asking how these suggestions came to be, has only offended individuals… I did mention ego, didn’t I?
Our education is based on a simple commitment: If you can stop the “before,” the “after” will never happen. Our training is not based on the false sense of security provided by REALTOR safety apps or location devices. REALTORS, please hear me! Providing your location through a location app or telling someone, your husband, your Broker or the Office Administrator where you will be will NOT stop one of these acts from happening to you. The belief surrounding location apps is that “If I have a location app, the police will find and help me”. This false security is wrong – the act has happened, it’s too late, you’re now a victim.
Thinking you’ll have time to open your phone, unlock the passcode, call 911, and tell the Operator your name, location, and what’s happening to you is just not a reality with how these attacks break down. Deploying a Safety App which contacts a middle man to do all of the above for you only complicates things, as they attempt to relay your circumstances to a dispatcher. These attacks happen after a process of “Staging” occurs, once a Predator is successful at staging you, the crime occurs and can happen within 3/100ths of a second. The Calvary you believe will be there to save you, is still not there at the time you need help them most!
Real estate professionals need to understand how these crimes occur and how niceness and trust are often the leading indicators of what’s about to unfold. How relationship building on behalf of the criminal is used against you and places you in a mind set that you are dealing with a good, safe prospect. A simple fact about anti-social crimes: Close to 90% occur from individuals you know or have met, yet the real estate industry believes you’re safe if you meet a client once and all goes well. NO, YOU ARE NOT!
Understanding how Predatorial targeting and luring occurs is critical for REALTOR Safety. Understand how the Members own social media marketing can exposes them to risk is so important. Also, understand that Predators will risk measure themselves against you before they strike. They will measure your actions, behavior, and self-confidence over several appointments before you will see who they truly are. The crime won’t happen unless they believe they will be successful. We’re now seeing within the last year how A.I. is being used to target real estate professionals. None of this information is contained in the slides of the safety certification course mentioned earlier. I saw nothing that would stop the “before”, nor the needed education on how to qualify the true intentions of a cold contact prospect, this is something that is not mentioned, let alone educated on. This is one reason far too many have met a Prospect Predator.
Let’s not have another “That REALTOR who went missing”. Let’s stop the sexual assaults, the targeting, the stalking, the threats, and the physical attacks. At the very least, let’s provide the reality education and skills needed for these professionals to identify the risks before they find themselves inside a bathroom, basement, or primary bedroom with no escape. After eight years of research in this field, working with victims directly, developing education and training on the facts surrounding these crimes and the behaviors demonstrated before the crime occurs, I know today this level of education needs to be mandatory for the safety of every Member in Canada.
Please be safe,
Rob
Rob Andress is a Violence Prevention and REALTOR Safety Specialist; Rob is also a Real Estate Broker and holds over 38 years of experience. Certified in Violence Prevention and Self Defence, as well as Pure and Applied debilitation tactics, he is designated as an Advanced Practitioner in Situational Awareness and has trained with internationally renowned experts in both the psychology of violence and effective physical self-defence techniques. He is a trained facilitator with the A.L.I.V.E program, and provides active threat survival training to educators and corporate clients, as well as being certified through The Center For Trauma Informed Practices in Family Dynamics, Trauma Response and Foundations in Threat Assessment.
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