The 10 best real estate safety apps

Selling real estate can be much more dangerous than the average consumer might think. We’re meeting strangers in unoccupied houses and broadcasting our whereabouts all over social media (every open house post tells people when and where you’ll be). Thankfully, there are many apps designed to help keep agents safe. Check out our top 10 favorite safety apps for real estate agents.

1. Forewarn

Cost: $20/month

Forewarn allows you to verify a prospect’s identity and check to see if they have a criminal background, as well as confirm their financial data and assets. You only need to input a person’s phone number; no name or email is required. Many local associations provide Forwarn at no cost to their members, so check to see if you already have access to this great tool.

Best features:

• Only requires a phone number to verify an identity
• Instant data delivered to you
• Pulls criminal history information

Visit Forewarn

3. SentriLock

Cost: Varies depending on your MLS,
free to $200/year

SentriLock is a much more secure system than using a traditional lockbox, allowing you to protect your listings and only permit licensed real estate agents access. SentriLock is the only lockbox company owned by NAR. It has many additional features, such as granting temporary access to contractors and allowing you to alert the system if you feel unsafe during a showing.

Best features:

• Control access to your listings
• Safety alert system
• Large lockboxes that hold multiple keys

Visit SentriLock

4. RealSafeAgent

Cost: $4.99/month

Real Safe Agent was designed specifically for real estate agents out in the field. It’s meant to use predictive analytics and encourage agents to take proactive action to actually prevent crimes before they happen.

Best features:

• On-demand “Drop In” feature – allows you to request someone from your community to come to a showing or open house if you’re feeling unsafe
• Allows you to see if your prospect is using a prepaid phone
• “Accompany Me” pairs you up with another local agent to avoid going on appointments alone

Visit RealSafeAgent

5. My SOS Family

Cost: 14-day free trial, then $3.49/month

One of the most personalized real estate agent safety tools is the My SOS Family app. Input your own emergency contacts (your spouse/partner, co-workers, local friends, neighbors) who would be alerted if you were ever in need. The app calls and texts them with your location, message, photo and video.

Best features:

• Choose your network that will act as your personal response team
• Free trial and low monthly cost

Visit My SOS Family

6. People Smart

Cost: 7-day $1 or $5 trial, then $39/month

People Smart is a useful app for verifying the identity of your prospective clients. Quickly and easily look up who’s calling you to make sure you’re talking to who you think you’re talking to. When an unknown number calls you, simply enter the number into People Smart’s reverse phone lookup feature. You’ll not only get their name, but you’ll also receive their location and any other available information, such as whether they’re already on a list of scam numbers.

Best features:

• Over 100 million emails and phone numbers in their database
• Reverse phone lookup 
• Money-back guarantee if you aren’t satisfied

Visit People Smart

7. Citizen

Cost: Free, upgrade to Premium for $39/month

The Citizen app provides real-time safety alerts for your local area. It’s available in over 60 major cities throughout the United States and is a great way to stay informed about incidents and emergency 911 calls in the areas you’re conducting your real estate business.

Best features:

• Hyper-local crime data
• Alerts for emergency 911 calls 
• Registered offender search

Visit Citizen

8. ShowingTime

Cost: Free through many MLSs

Use the ShowingTime website and app to safely schedule showings for your buyers and monitor showing access on your listings. This is also a great tool for receiving feedback on your listings and saving time scheduling showings. As a real estate agent myself, I personally love using ShowingTime to keep track of showings on my listings.

Best features:

• Feedback request post-showing
• Homeowners can approve or decline showings
• Creates a record of each showing

Visit ShowingTime

9. Rescu

Cost: 14-day free trial,
then $9.99/month (paid annually)

While not exclusive to the real estate industry, the Rescu app is one of the best real estate safety apps. With just two taps on your phone or smart watch, Rescu allows you to connect instantly with emergency services: police, fire and ambulance. This app could be a lifesaver in an emergency. All you have to do is tap twice on the app, and emergency services will be contacted even if you’re not present on the scene.

Best features:

• Alerts your emergency contacts, if you want to keep them in the loop
• GPS technology
• Live chat with dispatchers in real time

Visit Rescu

10. bSafe

Cost: $2/month, discount if you pay annually

Another helpful personal safety app, bSafe is great for real estate agents meeting new clients or hosting open houses. One of the best features is the auto-record feature: when the app is activated in an emergency, it knows where you are through GPS and will automatically start recording and live-streaming.

Best features:

• SOS activation by touch or voice
• Live auto-recording & GPS tracking
• Alert your network in an emergency

Visit bSafe

The full picture

Our hope is that you’re never in a situation where you need emergency assistance, but it’s much better to be prepared just in case. Real estate is an unpredictable industry. Arm yourself with the best safety apps for real estate agents and confidently conduct your business knowing you have the tools you need if you’re ever in danger.