Windermere Beta Testing New Safety Device During National Agent Safety Month

In recent years, there have been a number of high profile cases of violence against real estate agents. In an effort to raise awareness about this important topic, and provide agents with the resources to protect themselves, the National Association of REALTORS® designates September as “REALTOR Safety Month”.

Here at Windermere, we care greatly about the health and safety of our agents and want them to be prepared to not only care for the homes they represent, but also their own wellbeing. So, in honor of REALTOR Safety Month, we have partnered with React Mobile to test-drive a new device that will help our agents stay safe while on the job. It comes in the form of the React Sidekick Bluetooth panic button, which about 150 Seattle-area agents are currently beta testing. The React Sidekick is a personal panic button that can be used to quickly and remotely activate a widespread emergency alert without the need to find, unlock, and dial from a phone that may be out of reach. 

When the Sidekick is activated, whoever the agent has designated to be a part of their emergency network receives a “Help Me” alert text message and email that includes a link to the user’s GPS location.  Users can also choose to automatically post their alerts to Facebook and Twitter to let an even wider network of contacts know where they are and that they need help.

While we hope that our agents will never find themselves needing to use the React Mobile panic button, the goal is to give them an additional layer of security when meeting with new clients in unfamiliar locations. For more information about agent safety, please visit: http://www.realtor.org/topics/realtor-safety.