Industry ‘needs to stand up’ on real estate agent safety 

For more than two decades, the National Association of Realtors has recognized September as Realtor Safety Month, but agent safety remains underdiscussed within the industry at large, according to Niall Phelan.

Phelan, who has found early success in his first three years as a Florida agent, is the founder of Agent Buddi, an AI-powered platform that he said aims to help agents and teams be more productive while offering safety tools designed with the common risks agents face every day in mind.

"I've been very lucky. I've done very well, and I love the industry," Phelan said during a recent appearance on NAR's Change Agents podcast. But on the agent safety front, "it shocks me that this isn't a conversation that happens all day, every day."

56,000 agent attacks per year: Citing NAR's 2024 Member Safety Residential Report, Phelan noted that, on average, 56,000 agents are attacked per year while conducting work-related tasks, and there have been between 20 and 30 annual homicides during showings over the past decade.

"When we talk to teams and broker-owners, they're losing agents for two reasons. One, the industry is definitely tougher than it has been for a long time. But two, there's a safety element," Phelan said.

For him, it's personal. "My wife is an agent, and every single time she goes to a new showing with a new client, I feel that in the pit in my stomach," he said. A majority of agents are women, he noted, and "they've got to focus on putting food on the table and getting the commission checks."

"They're compromising safety consistently to try and make sure they've got some consistent income."

Four main areas of risks: Three of the "core moments" of "heightened risk" for agents involve clients, according to Phelan: working alone at an open house or in an office, meeting a new buyer or seller for the first time, and dealing with the "ongoing client" who appears to be more of a "methodical stalker type" than a serious lead.

"We've got plenty of colleagues who go out and show homes in the middle of the countryside, with the nearest help being a five- to 10-minute drive away," Phelan said. "A lot can happen in five minutes."

In a profession where being on the go is part of the job, road safety is also a consideration — especially since so many of the tools agents use involve touch tech.

"Inevitably, the busier you get, the more at risk you are," Phelan said.

A common myth: Phelan hears often from agents who believe the neighborhoods they work in are safe, and they are thus not at serious risk. That's simply not true.

"If you look at the stats, this is neighborhood agnostic, city agnostic," he said. "This is an issue that the industry needs to stand up and really engage on."

Real estate professionals are beginning to think about agent safety concerns more than they used to, he acknowledged. Looking ahead, "I'd like to have it as one of the top talking points in the industry."

Precautions every agent can take: "Who knows where you're going? Have you got an app on that tracks your location when you're out doing showings? Have you checked this client?" To stay safe, these are questions Phelan said every agent should be asking of themselves.

In some situations, it might be safer to attend an open house or showing with a colleague instead of going it alone. Even having a friend or family member waiting for an agent in their car while they conduct business can be a deterrent for unsafe client behavior, he added.

"There's precautions you can take," Phelan said. "But don't assume that it's going to be safe all the time."