We Will Not Let Beverly’s Death Be in Vain

Honoring Beverly

We are saddened and troubled by the needless death of Beverly Carter, a REALTOR® and loved community member of Little Rock, Arkansas.  Beverly is described as a joyful woman with a contagious laugh who loved traveling around the world and spending time with her family.

Beverly was the top selling REALTOR® in North Little Rock and the fifth best agent in the state. Her diamond award from the North Pulaski Board of REALTORS® was displayed next to her Crye-Leike name tag at her memorial.

“We do not want Beverly's death to be in vain, there are so many REALTORS® out in this world that do what Beverly did on that same day. It's so important to us that her legacy lives on to protect every REALTOR® who does this job. She loved her job,” said Rhoads.

What It Means To Be A REALTOR® and The Risks Involved

Being a REALTOR® usually means working autonomously and with strangers on a daily basis and very often in vacant properties.  Posting your photo with your mobile number on signs, cards, online, television and billboards, is par for the course as well, but are we compromising our safety? 

According to the National Association of REALTORS®, 57 percent of agents are women, and a 2011 report on violent crimes against real estate agents found that women are disproportionately victimized.

We asked our members on our Facebook GAAR Member Page to contribute safety tips for their peers and this is what they shared:

The following bullets are contributions from Linda DeVlieg:

  • Verify the buyers' ability to purchase both for your safety as well as the security of home you are about to open. 
  • Have a REALTOR®,or anyone that you can count, be available by text if something doesn’t feel right.  
  • Put every appointment in your calendar regardless if you are about to go meet someone at that moment.  Make sure someone else has access to your calendar. 
  • Always lock the door BEHIND you when showing a home to a client to avoid anyone coming into the house. 
  • Use your instincts.  If someone does not want to answer standard questions, don’t put yourself at risk.
  • While placing open house signs, take your keys with you and lock the doors even if it's just for a minute. 

“It's important to for REALTORS® to not suggest, but insist on having shoppers/buyers come to the office to fill out an application form and to make copy of drivers license so we can assess the buyers' abilities and motivations, before we're alone in a car or home with them.” – Steve Martha

“Open houses are also an issue. Please be aware of your surroundings.  Ask questions when people come through the door. If at all possible, don’t be alone. Make sure someone knows where you are and how long you will be there. If you absolutely must do them alone, introduce yourself to the neighbors.” – Michael Glass

“I never, ever enter a vacant property without doing an exterior walk around looking for signs of forced entry or any sign the property was unsecure, like open windows or doors. When showing, I always enter last and never let them get behind me.” - Patrick Willard

“I get to the house early and park curbside, open the home and let the prospective client know that I am on the phone and will be in right behind them. I then take a picture of the back of their car getting the make, model, color and license all in one photo and send to my 'Buddy'. They know when the client got there, color, make, model and plate of the car and they call me in 15 minutes.  If I don't answer cops are called-period.” - Tracee Wade Nicholson

“If you are looking to find out more about someone try pipl.com and/or spokeo.com. Not an alternative to good safety practices, but if you are wanting to know more about a person, these have lots of info. Kinda amazing actually. Search yourself and see how much they know.” – Tego Venturi

According to the Washington Post, Chris Polychron, NAR President-Elect, pledged that he would make safety a top priority when he is installed in his post in November.  Polychron said making training mandatory might require convincing licensing boards in all 50 states to make changes to their rules. At the association, he said, amending ethics regulations to include safety requirements would require a board vote.

Let’s make this a priority here and let’s make a pledge to be safe above all else and not let Beverly's death be in vain.

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