A Des Moines real estate agent contacted police last Thursday after reportedly receiving a threatening call from a man who told her that her business card had been drawn from a hat and she was to become the recipient of a gang initiation later that day.
“The caller said they intended to bring harm to the agent and that they’d be seeing her later in the day,” says Brian Wetz, CEO and team leader for Keller Williams Realty Greater Des Moines. The agent immediately contacted the West Des Moines police to report the call.
Also, after the call, the company canceled all open houses that day and pulled their agents off the streets, Wetz says. The police increased their presence at the brokerage’s two corporate offices as well.
“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,” Wetz said.
Agent safety has been of paramount concern in Des Moines ever since the still-unsolved slaying of real estate agent Ashley Okland four years ago. Okland was shot to death at a model townhouse.
The Des Moines Area Association of Realtors (DMAAR) has been among a growing number of Realtor associations who have announced new safety protocols. The DMAAR’s initiative calls for a safety pledge from brokers and real estate companies that they will not show a home to a stranger until they have met the potential buyer in a public place and asked for identification.
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) also continues to promote greater safety protocols for the industry. The NAR is planning a safety webinar summit on September 9, in which it plans to announce new safety initiatives for September’s Realtor Safety Month. The webinar registration is free.
About Mike Wheatley
