Real estate agents face safety challenges daily, from meeting clients at unfamiliar locations to conducting open houses alone. Thankfully, technological advances have brought us so many real estate safety apps! Investing in a realtor safety app isn’t just a precautionary measure—it’s a proactive step toward protecting yourself (and your clients!) in a very unpredictable professional environment. That said, I compiled a list of the top real estate safety apps that will give you peace of mind and an extra layer of security. Let’s dive in!
| Realtor Safety App | Best For | Starting Price |
|---|---|---|
| bSafe | Walking alone | 49 cents per week |
| Forewarn | Verifying identities | $20 per month |
| SafeShowings | Property showings and open houses | $4.99 per month |
| Real Safe Agent | Crime prevention | $4.99 per month |
| SentriKey Real Estate | Secure access control | Free with purchase |
| Supra eKEY | Managing lockboxes | $15.85 per month |
| Kinetic Global | Threatening situations | $500 per year |
| CarLock | Locating your vehicle | $9.60 per month |
| Brivo Access | Building security and surveillance | $10 per month |
| LifeLock Identity | Identity theft protection | $11.99 |
| Find My Device / Find My | Locating your device; sharing your location | Free |
Need more tips aside from using real estate safety apps? Check out our article about 15 Realtor Safety Tips That Could Save Your Life.
1. bSafe
-
Best for: Walking alone -
Cost: 49 cents for bSafe Premium Weekly, $2 for bSafe Premium Monthly, $20 for bSafe Premium Annual, and $1 for 24 hours of premium features -
Available on:
According to the National Association of Realtors, 15% of Realtors felt unsafe while hosting an open house alone. Because of this, agents must invest in a realtor safety app with excellent GPS tracking capabilities. The bSafe app is an ideal real estate safety solution for agents who usually attend property showings and meetings alone.
With bSafe, agents can establish their safety network by including trusted contacts they can alert in an emergency. bSafe also allows users to set up check-in timers, ensuring that designated contacts are notified if the real estate agent fails to check in within a specific time frame.
2. Forewarn
-
Best for: Verifying identities -
Price: $20 per month -
Available on:
Whether you’re a new real estate agent or have been in the business for decades, you should know that it’s not uncommon for agents to receive calls from potential buyers who ask for a showing as soon as possible. While this type of lead activity feels like a business opportunity, you also want to be cautious when a stranger asks you to enter a home alone. After all, statistics show that 85% of Realtors have shown a property alone.
Forewarn is a quick and easy background check app that can get all the information you need about someone just by looking up their phone number. Forewarn can obtain a criminal history, verify current vehicle and property ownership statuses, identify financial risks (like bankruptcy), and provide a complete residential address history for almost 90% of people. However, data may still vary depending on availability and coverage.
3. SafeShowings
-
Best for: Property showings and open houses -
Cost: $4.99 per month -
Available on:
SafeShowings is a verification app for agents to use when asking prospects for an ID before showing. Their information is stored privately and securely, and this act alone puts those with potential malicious intent on notice that they can be identified if something happens to the agent.
Think of SafeShowings as the pre-showing process in the apartment leasing community, where prospective tenants must show an ID before seeing an apartment. Most tenants and soon-to-be homebuyers are accustomed to this process, so it’s not a burden or out of the ordinary. If there’s a problem, an agent can activate their distress alert and send a message to three preselected emergency contacts or 9-1-1. Ensure that your designated contacts are always available, as, according to statistics, the average police response time is 10 minutes.
4. Real Safe Agent
-
Best for: Crime prevention -
Cost: $4.99 per month -
Available on:
Did you know that Lee Barry Goldstein, the CEO of Real Safe Brands, has influenced some of the National Association of Realtors (NAR) Safety Committee’s initiatives? As a behavioral criminologist and through his expertise in crime prevention, Lee has played a pivotal role in shaping strategies to enhance real estate professionals’ safety.
The team behind Real Safe Agent believes networking saves lives. By building your network through the app, you can rely on other users for support during showings and open houses. Real Safe Agent provides features such as Accompany Me and Drop-in Alerts so you can get assistance and prevent a crime from happening. The app also offers safety training resources for agents via live webinars, tutorials, books, and a video library.
5. SentriKey Real Estate
-
Best for: Secure access control -
Cost: Free with purchase of SentriLock lockbox -
Available on:
SentriLock is a smart-device lockbox company taking secure property entry to the next level. Its lockboxes sync with its smartphone app, so access is only given to those who should have it. Thus, concerns that someone could be on a property before arrival are subdued. Since burglaries are one of the most prominent property crimes in the U.S., with each burglary happening every 30 seconds, using lockboxes should be a no-brainer.
The Agent Safety App allows you to let the system know when a showing has started. The app periodically checks in to verify your safety and security. If you don’t feel safe, you can alert it immediately, and it will send a message to your emergency contact. Additionally, if you cannot respond to the Agent Safety check-in notice, it sends a message to your designated emergency contact.
6. Supra eKEY
-
Best for: Managing lockboxes -
Cost: $15.85 per month -
Available on:
In 2023, a cybercrime was reported every 28 seconds. With cybercrimes happening everywhere, it’s easy to overlook all property information that the public can easily access. Similar to SentriKey, Supra eKEY is a safety app designed for real estate professionals. It provides secure property access through electronic lockboxes, ensuring agents can conduct showings securely. The eKEY system safeguards sensitive property information with advanced features such as multi-factor authentication and real-time tracking.
7. Kinetic Global
-
Best for: Threatening situations -
Cost: $500 per year -
Available on:
Kinetic Global is a realtor safety app that optimizes threat intelligence. As one of the largest manufacturers of personal safety apps market worldwide, with operations across 175 countries, it informs on issues impacting real estate professionals—climate, transportation and traffic, terror attacks, crime data, COVID-19, and more. Even better, Kinetic Global isn’t limited to notifying you (and those you care about) about major community events—it also works diligently to ensure the personal safety of the real estate agents who use its services. If your app’s emergency alert is triggered, Kinetic Global will call you to confirm your safety, alert emergency services, and alert other parties you choose (e.g., your broker, the head of your association).
8. CarLock
-
Best for: Locating your vehicle -
Cost: $9.60 per month -
Available on:
With car thefts 105% higher in 2023 than in 2019, agents must invest in a great security solution to protect their vehicles. A real estate agent’s car is integral to their work, so you must ensure it’s secure. CarLock’s small electronic beacon is installed in your vehicle, becoming a super-accurate car locator and movement tracker. The app will alert you if someone is tampering with your car or if it’s moved without your authorization.
If you’re working in an area where auto theft is a problem, CarLock is a must-have. CarLock offers 24/7 monitoring and GPS positioning anywhere in the world. It will send notifications and even notify you if your phone is silent. In addition, there’s an SMS notification option that doesn’t rely on your cell phone’s data plan, which is perfect if you’re in a location with spotty cell coverage. CarLock even offers a multi-car option for real estate teams.
9. Brivo Access
-
Best for: Building security and surveillance -
Cost: $10 per month -
Available on:
According to Zippia, there are over 68,500 leasing agents in America. Many real estate agents also have property management duties, which makes a powerful and convenient property security app a must. Brivo makes entry into your units keyless and accessible via a smartphone while connected to on-premise security feeds. Not only will you know who’s coming and going and when, but you’ll be able to see them on the property in real time.
10. LifeLock Identity
-
Best for: Identity theft protection -
Cost: $11.99 for LifeLock Standard -
Available on:
Did you know that 54% of real estate professionals reported having experienced at least one identity fraud attempt over the past year?
Real estate agents regularly share personal and financial information with clients, which makes agents highly susceptible to real estate scams and identity theft. LifeLock Identity by Norton offers a powerful solution to the growing threat of identity fraud to agents. The app monitors your credit and bank account and alerts users of potential threats and suspicious activity. If, unfortunately, you become a victim of identity theft, LifeLock provides access to specialists who can help you recover your identity.
11. Google’s Find My Device / Apple’s Find My
-
Best for: Locating your device; sharing your location -
Cost: Free -
Available on:
While primarily known for their device-tracking feature, Find My Device on Android and Find My on iOS can also be reliable real estate safety apps. Agents can use this built-in feature to share their location with contacts during property showings or when driving to a remote location. These apps can also remotely lock your phone to prevent someone from using it. The best thing about these apps? They’re free!
According to NAR, 67% of Realtors use safety apps to monitor their whereabouts and alert colleagues in an emergency. Their most commonly used apps are—you guessed it—Find My Device and Find My iPhone.
FAQs: Realtor Safety App
Who can benefit from using realtor safety apps?
Anyone in the real estate industry can benefit from using realtor safety apps. Agents, brokers, buyers, sellers, property managers, and inspectors can all take advantage of the added layer of security and peace of mind from using a safety app for realtors.
How much does a realtor safety app cost?
Some realtor safety apps are free, while others have paid subscription plans. Some require a one-time payment, while others require monthly or annual fees. My tip? Ensure you get an app that suits your safety needs and budget. If you need a curated list of guides and tools on real estate safety, check out our article on Realtor Resources for Agents, Teams, and Brokerages.
How reliable are realtor safety apps in emergency situations?
I can’t say they’re 100% reliable! It depends on many factors, including network connectivity, device battery life, the user’s familiarity with the real estate agent safety app, and, of course, emergency services’ response times. Real estate agents should still remain vigilant at all times.
Bringing It All Together
Ensuring realtor security is crucial to becoming a successful real estate agent. You should always be aware of the latest safety tools and technologies that you can use to enhance your safety. While the real estate safety apps mentioned here are some of my top picks, there may be other apps that agents have found helpful in their day-to-day lives. Are you using a realtor safety app that’s not on this list? Share your experience with safety apps in the comments!
Tell us about you so we know what to send.
