A female Des Moines real estate agent received a strange and threatening call last Thursday at around 11:30 a.m. The call was from a man who told the agent that her name had been drawn from a hat and that she was to receive a gang initiation later that day.
The agent immediately reported the incident to the West Des Moines police and to her company leaders. The realty company called off all open houses for that day and pulled all their agents from the streets. Police presence was likewise requested by the company at the brokerage's two corporate offices.
CEO and Team Leader for Keller Williams Realty Greater Des Moines, Brian Wetz, commented on the incident. "I've been an agent for 20 years and this is not even close to the first time where we've had something like this happen. Yet, this one was very specifically concerning," said Wetz.
"Agents interact with the public very frequently and safety is always a paramount concern anytime you have individual agents coming in contact with what amounts to strangers," he added.
He referred to the mysterious slaying of another agent, Ashley Okland, who was shot to death four years ago at a model townhouse. Just last year, Beverly Carter, a real estate agent from Arkansas, was likewise found dead after showing a home to a stranger. These and other high profile cases have sparked national discussion on the safety of realtors.
The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) goes on with its promotion of greater safety protocols for the industry. NAR is planning to hold a safety webinar summit on Sept. 9, wherein new safety initiatives for September's REALTOR® Safety Month will be announced. Registration in this webinar is free.
Earlier in July, the Des Moines Area Association of Realtors (DMAAR) announced its new safety protocol, which is part of the three-pronged plan to protect real estate agents, as they often find themselves alone in empty houses with prospective buyers they have never met.
It includes a safety pledge for real estate companies and brokers, and most of the city's largest real estate firms have already signed, according to DMAAR officials.
Included in there is the commitment for agents not to show a stranger a home, unless they have met the prospective buyer in a public place and asked them to submit identification.
Likewise, an optional contract is offered for the seller which declares that no real estate agent is allowed to show the home to anyone the agent has not previously met and identified.
