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The Galleria 9626 N. Kings Hwy
Myrtle Beach, SC 29572
The uncomfortable conversation every real estate professional needs to have right now
There’s a dangerous pattern in the real estate industry: we don’t talk about safety until something happens. We wait for the news story, the close call, or the tragedy before we take action. And by then, it’s too late.
This isn’t a conversation anyone wants to have. It’s uncomfortable, it’s scary, and it forces us to confront vulnerabilities we’d rather ignore. But recent incidents targeting real estate professionals in the Myrtle Beach area serve as a stark reminder that safety threats aren’t just something that happens “somewhere else” or “on TV” – they’re happening in our backyards, to our colleagues, right now.
The Reality We Face
Real estate agents operate in one of the most vulnerable professional environments imaginable. We advertise our faces publicly. We meet strangers in empty properties. We work irregular hours in unfamiliar locations. We literally announce on social media: “I’ll be alone at this address on Saturday afternoon.”
We’ve essentially created a professional playbook that makes us easy targets – and most of us have never stopped to think about what that means for our safety.
The Myrtle Beach situation illustrates exactly why this matters. Multiple real estate professionals – primarily women – have been targeted by individuals using different tactics. One involves inappropriate contact and stalking behavior that has escalated over time. Another involves a couple posing as investors, engaging in fraudulent activity that puts agents in potentially dangerous situations.
These aren’t isolated incidents. They’re examples of a larger pattern that occurs in real estate markets across the country. The specific threats may differ, but the underlying vulnerability remains the same: real estate professionals regularly put themselves in situations that compromise their personal safety, often without realizing it.
Why We Don’t Take Action
The most common response when agents hear about safety threats? “That won’t happen to me.”
We become complacent. We get comfortable with our daily routines. Safety moves from the forefront of our minds to the background, filed away under “things I should probably think about someday.” We tell ourselves that we’re careful, that we have good instincts, that we’ll know if something feels wrong.
But the truth is, bad things happen to careful people. Dangerous situations don’t announce themselves with obvious warning signs. And by the time your instincts tell you something is wrong, you may already be in a compromised position.
One of the targeted agents in the Myrtle Beach situation expressed her frustration perfectly: “Everybody keeps telling me he hasn’t done anything yet. So what am I supposed to do? Sit back and wait until something happens to me before this guy is stopped?”
That’s the impossible position many agents find themselves in – aware of a threat but unable to act until it escalates. Which is exactly why prevention and preparation matter so much.
Practical Safety Strategies Every Agent Should Implement
Safety doesn’t require expensive technology or extensive training. It requires awareness, planning, and simple precautions that can make all the difference. Here are essential strategies every real estate professional should implement immediately:
Never Conduct Open Houses Alone
This is non-negotiable. Bring a spouse, a partner, another agent, or a trusted friend. If absolutely no one can join you, reschedule the open house. No commission is worth compromising your safety.
If you absolutely must be alone at an open house (which we strongly discourage), keep hornet spray visible on the counter. Unlike pepper spray, which can raise red flags and requires close proximity to be effective (10-20 feet), hornet spray can reach targets up to 60 feet away and appears innocuous sitting on a table.
Establish a Safety Partner System
Partner with someone in your office who takes safety seriously. This person should know your schedule, your showing locations, and your expected timeline. Create a system where they check in with you at predetermined times.
For example: “I’m showing five properties today at these addresses between noon and 2 PM. I’ll text you when I’m done.” If they don’t hear from you by the agreed time, they know to follow up immediately.
When showing properties, have your safety partner call you 15 minutes after you arrive. Answer the phone in front of your client and say something like, “Hey, sorry, this is my partner checking in to make sure everything’s going well with the showing.” Make it lighthearted, but let your client know someone is paying attention.
Document Everything
Before meeting any new client, collect and document:
- Full name and contact information
- Copy of their driver’s license
- Vehicle information (make, model, license plate)
- Photo of their vehicle if possible
Leave copies of this information with your office or safety partner. If something happens, investigators will have a starting point.
Trust Your Instincts
If something feels off, it probably is. Don’t worry about seeming rude or paranoid. Don’t talk yourself out of your gut feeling because you’re afraid of losing a commission or appearing unprofessional.
If you feel uncomfortable, end the interaction. Leave the property. Cancel the appointment. Your safety is more important than any potential sale or your client’s opinion of you.
As one safety expert puts it: “I’d rather be embarrassed than hurt.”
Be Aware of Your Vulnerabilities
Your cell phone is not a safety tool in an emergency. In a dangerous situation, you won’t have time to pull out your phone and call for help. And if someone has ill intentions, the first thing they’ll do is take your phone away.
Use your phone for prevention – sharing your location and schedule with your safety partner. But don’t rely on it as your primary safety measure in a threatening situation.
Have an Exit Strategy
Always be aware of your surroundings and have a plan. When showing a property, position yourself closest to the exit. When meeting clients, choose public locations for initial meetings whenever possible.
Think through potential scenarios: If you feel threatened while driving with a client, what will you do? Many safety experts recommend the philosophy: “If something’s going to happen, it’s happening on my terms. I’d rather crash my car into a telephone pole in a public area than be taken somewhere isolated.”
That might sound extreme, but having a mental plan for worst-case scenarios means you won’t freeze in a crisis.
Make Your Safety Presence Known
Don’t hide your safety precautions. When a safety partner calls during a showing, answer it. Let clients know someone is checking in. Most legitimate clients will understand and appreciate your professionalism. Anyone who has a problem with your safety measures is someone you shouldn’t be working with anyway.
Cause a Scene If Necessary
If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, make noise. Scream. Draw attention. Attackers rely on victims staying quiet out of shock or fear.
Statistics show that men are actually targeted more frequently than women for robbery because women are more likely to scream and cause a scene. Use that to your advantage. Make yourself a difficult target by being loud and drawing attention.
This Isn’t Just a Women’s Issue
While many of the high-profile cases involve female agents being targeted, men face significant safety risks as well – particularly when it comes to robbery and financial fraud.
Every real estate professional, regardless of gender, needs to take safety seriously. The specific threats may vary, but the vulnerability is universal.
The Cost of Complacency
Here’s what we need to understand: We advertise ourselves as targets. We publicly share our faces, our schedules, and our locations. We meet strangers in isolated properties. We work alone in unfamiliar neighborhoods. We create opportunities for people with bad intentions.
That’s not meant to instill fear – it’s meant to instill awareness. Because awareness is what drives preparation, and preparation is what keeps you safe.
The real estate professionals who’ve been targeted in Myrtle Beach aren’t unique. They’re not careless or naive. They’re agents who were doing their jobs the same way thousands of agents across the country do theirs every single day.
The difference between “nothing happened” and “something happened” often comes down to luck – unless you take proactive steps to protect yourself.
Moving Forward with Vigilance
Safety can’t be an afterthought. It can’t be something you think about after hearing a scary story and then forget about next week. It needs to be built into your business practices as fundamentally as your marketing strategy or client communication system.
Take an hour this week to implement safety protocols:
- Identify a safety partner and establish check-in procedures
- Create templates for documenting client information
- Purchase hornet spray for open houses
- Have an honest conversation with your brokerage about safety policies
- Review your current practices and identify vulnerabilities
These simple steps could save your life.
A Final Word
The goal of this conversation isn’t to scare you away from real estate. It’s to prepare you to practice real estate safely. This is an incredible industry that changes lives and builds communities. But it’s also an industry with unique vulnerabilities that we need to acknowledge and address.
Don’t wait until something happens to you or someone you know. Don’t assume it won’t happen in your area or that you’re too careful to be targeted. Take action now, while you have the clarity and motivation to implement real change.
Your safety matters. Your life matters. And no commission, no sale, no client is worth compromising either one.
Stay aware. Stay prepared. Stay safe.
If you’re a real estate professional who has experienced safety threats or suspicious behavior, document everything and report it to local law enforcement. Building cases against repeat offenders requires evidence and multiple reports. Your documentation could protect the next potential victim.
At Pinnacle Real Estate Academy, we’re committed to not just educating real estate professionals, but protecting them. Safety should never be an afterthought in our industry.
