The Real Estate Industry Changed After An Agent Was Killed On The Job — But Safety Threats Remain

The fatal shooting of a 27-year-old existent property supplier during an Iowa unfastened location successful 2011 shook her industry, which responded pinch a slate of measures aimed astatine keeping others successful nan occupation safe.

But successful interviews pinch NBC News after an apprehension past week successful nan long-dormant case, immoderate successful nan manufacture said nan barrage of threats and risks persist and not capable has been done to protect agents.

Gavin Blair, CEO of nan Iowa Association of Realtors, described Ashley Okland’s sidesplitting arsenic a “worst lawsuit scenario” that pushed nan manufacture to face nan sometimes vulnerable reality of existent property activity pinch a “safety pledge” of champion practices.

What emerged successful nan years aft Okland’s decease is simply a occupation that, successful immoderate ways, mightiness beryllium unrecognizable to past generations of agents. Many now transportation guns aliases different intends of self-protection, according to a study released 2 years agone by nan nation’s largest existent property waste and acquisition organization, nan National Association of Realtors.

West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes speaks astir nan apprehension of Kristin Ramsey successful nan 2011 shooting decease of Ashley Okland.Zach Boyden-Holmes / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images file

In interviews, immoderate agents said they surface would-be clients pinch a inheritance cheque work earlier they ever speak. Some require recognition for showings up of clip and garbage to parkland successful driveways to forestall being boxed successful by a imaginable assailant. Such measures are included successful nan pledge.

Beth Andress, who pinch her husband, Rob Andress, teaches unit prevention and self-defense to existent property professionals successful Canada and nan U.S., described nan imaginable dangers agents face as urgent and said definite information measures should beryllium required by law, and not simply recommended.

“We request to really understand that existent property is 1 of nan only professions wherever you meet strangers unsocial successful private, enclosed spaces, pinch nary standardized screening process,” Beth Andress said. “The full manufacture has normalized that risk, truthful galore group don’t moreover admit that consequence anymore.”

In a statement, a spokesperson for nan National Association of Realtors said nan statement “is committed to nan use and information of its members, pinch a sustained attraction connected providing resources, education, and investigation to support existent property professionals successful nan field. We powerfully promote authorities and section associations, brokerages, and members to support information apical of mind each time of nan year.”

Making a woody aliases staying safe

Data included successful nan association’s 2024 study — its astir caller — shows that astir a 4th of nan 1,423 respondents knowledgeable a business that made them fearfulness for their individual information aliases nan information of their individual information. That number was unchanged from nan twelvemonth before, nan study shows.

Nearly half of nan respondents said their brokerage either did not person information procedures successful spot aliases they weren’t alert of specified protocols. Forty percent said they’d met a caller aliases prospective customer unsocial astatine a secluded location. Nearly half said they’d shown a vacant spot successful an area pinch mediocre aliases nary compartment sum successful nan past year.

The relation spokesperson said nan information shows advancement from erstwhile years, “underscoring nan value of continued acquisition and devices that support supplier information successful real-world conditions.”

To Katy Caldwell, a longtime supplier successful Louisiana and co-host of nan existent property podcast “Hustle Humbly,” nan information shows thing else.

“There’s nary drastic alteration to nan behaviour of agents, because it’s specified a cutthroat industry,” she said. “The immense mostly of agents are hardly making a surviving wage. You really don’t want to move distant imaginable business.”

But since those information recommendations are not required, she said, agents whitethorn forgo them, fearing mislaid business from imaginable clients who aren’t utilized to providing recognition earlier a showing, for example. Or those imaginable clients whitethorn conscionable locomotion distant if nan process isn’t what they’re utilized to, she said.

Other agents described nan push for information and nan request to make a woody arsenic a sometimes analyzable balancing act.

Alex Harper, an supplier successful Texas, has a information checklist that is robust. She often carries a gun, she said, and she uses an app to tally inheritance checks connected immoderate telephone numbers she doesn’t recognize. If she’s gathering a man for a showing, she said, she’ll person personification tag along. She ne'er parks successful driveways, she said, and immoderate clip she walks into a vacant location alone, she locks nan doorway down her.

“We’re fixed nan information promise of, hey, do your champion to beryllium safe,” she said. “But astatine nan aforesaid time, we person a fiduciary work to our clients to waste their property. The phrasing and nan verbiage and nan measurement that these listing agreements publication is like, you’re going to do your utmost champion to waste this property, and that intends if personification calls you, you’re going to show it.”

The unpredictable quality of nan occupation tin easy tweak nan champion laid plans, said Chelsea Pearson, an supplier successful North Carolina who has her ain information checklist that includes carrying aggregate “items” for protection during showings.

“You could beryllium retired showing a home, and you only person plans to show that 1 home, but past nan customer decides they want to spot different home,” she said. “And truthful it conscionable gets added to your time and it’s difficult to beryllium capable to scheme it out.”

Another facet that could beryllium pushing agents — particularly younger ones — to make deals astatine nan disbursal of information is nan commission-based building of nan business, Harper said. Because agents are independent contractors, she added, they whitethorn person little support than employees.

Kristi Gonzales, a longtime supplier successful Texas, said that her brokerage, which Harper useful for, is beardown connected information issues — a reality that is acold different than erstwhile she started successful nan manufacture astir 2 decades ago. Back then, she said, location was nary accent connected safety.

It wasn’t until Okland’s killing, Gonzales said, that she began to return nan rumor seriously.

“We don’t recognize really susceptible we are connected a day-to-day ground conscionable to do our jobs,” she said.

A for waste motion extracurricular of a location successful Los Angeles.Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images

The Iowa sidesplitting that rocked nan industry

Okland worked for Iowa Realty, nan state’s largest existent property company, erstwhile she was killed connected April 8, 2011. At nan time, she was moving an unfastened location successful a West Des Moines townhouse development.

Authorities person released fewer specifications astir her death, including a imaginable motive.

The female charged successful her murder, Kristin Ramsey, began moving for a title and escrow institution owned by Iowa Realty successful nan months aft Okland’s death, Iowa Realty said past week. Ramsey, 53, has been held successful a Dallas County, Iowa, jailhouse since March 17, pinch bail group astatine $2 million.

“Along pinch everyone successful our community, we are understandably stunned,” Iowa Realty said successful a connection aft Ramsey’s arrest.

In a filing past week, Ramsey’s attorneys said that she had nary criminal grounds and a “seamless” employment history since her graduation from organization college. She “adamantly” maintains her innocence, nan filing states.

Harper, 1 of nan Texas agents, said she was a elder successful precocious schoolhouse erstwhile Okland was killed and already knew she wanted to beryllium a existent property agent. Now 31, she said that successful her 13 years connected nan job, she’s had much than 30 uncomfortable experiences.

Among them, she said, was a bid of calls from a man who would spoof different telephone numbers and statesman by asking existent property questions. Those conversations devolved into vulgar comments, she said.

The calls began astatine 4 a.m. from a number that spoofed her agency phone, Harper said, and they didn’t extremity until months later, aft she utilized an app that revealed nan man’s existent telephone number and her hubby confronted him.

A vicinity successful Summit Valley, Calif.David McNew / Getty Images file

Assaults, kidnappings, execution plots

In nan Realtors’ relation survey, little than 4% of nan respondents identified themselves arsenic crime victims — a class that includes personality theft, robbery, battle and unidentified crimes. Media reports from crossed nan United States past twelvemonth showed allegations of agents being sexually assaulted, kidnapped and physically assaulted astatine unfastened houses, showings and successful a vacant home.

In Texas, a man was charged aft allegedly sticking his camera up nan skirt of an supplier during a showing. In Minnesota, a man was sentenced to life successful prison for plotting nan execution of a existent property supplier successful portion by luring her to a bogus showing.

Beth Andress said she and her hubby person met hundreds of existent property professionals who are crime victims. The astir communal title was intersexual harassment and assault, she said, and nan mostly of nan victims did not study their allegations to their brokerages aliases authorities, often because they felt they wouldn’t beryllium taken earnestly aliases retired of fearfulness that they’d create a estimation for reporting “sexual advances.”

To her, nan cardinal to preventing astir of these situations is stronger workplace information rules. Among nan measures that should beryllium required, they said, is information acquisition and standardized information protocols crossed brokerages, she said. Agents should besides person to petition recognition up of meetings and they should beryllium trained connected really to verify it, she said.

“Right now, that determination is near up to nan individual agent, and it’s inconsistent crossed nan industry,” she said. “Some agents inquire for ID, immoderate don’t, and that inconsistency risks lives. This isn’t astir making things analyzable — it’s astir creating a baseline wherever there’s accountability earlier nan gathering ever happens.”