Its just like any other late October evening in this small suburban community. The moon is full as it rises above the tree line on this perfectly clear night. There is a noticeable chill in the air as autumn gives way to winter. It is 8:15 pm.
Carla is a single mother, making her way through life as a real estate agent. She has always been independent and determined to make it on her own. After only a few months, she has blossomed into a very capable sales person. Her career is beginning to take off, as her confidence continues to grow.
On this night she is showing an unoccupied home, in a somewhat rundown condition, to a young couple looking for just the right fixer upper. As the evening wears on Carla has finished her presentation and a possible sale looms as the couple has agreed to meet her at her office the next day. After an exchange of pleasantries her clients walk to their car as Carla begins to turn off the lights and lock up. It is now 9:25 pm.
As Carla closes the garage door she hears her clients driving away. She takes the key out of the door and turns to walk away and there he stands. All 6 foot tall 200 lbs of him. A horrifying figure silhouetted in full moonlight. At first he says nothing. He just stares at her with steel gray eyes of evil. She begins to tremble uncontrollably and starts to say something. He says ” don’t make a sound, if you don’t fight me I wont hurt you”. Yea right! Carla knows what’s about to happen. This piece of human debris is going to rape her and if she’s lucky, might let her live. He reaches out with both hands and gently grabs the lapels of her coat. She knows she is in grave danger.
Carla made several critical mistakes in this scenario. She shouldn’t have gone out on a sales call without someone accompanying her, especially at night. If she has no one with her she should never have let her clients leave before she was ready to leave. Lastly, Carla didn’t tell anyone where she was going and what time to expect her back.
And now, as an old friend once said, here is the rest of the story.
As this punk begins to pull her closer, she knows its now or never. Carla reaches into her coat pocket and grabs her personal stun gun, flicks off the safety, and touches her attacker just below his rib cage and fires a burst of approximately 900,000 volts of electricity into his body. His knees buckle and as he falls to the floor he is still able to hang onto her coat with one hand. In an almost unbelievable state of panic she touches the stun gun to his neck and unleashes another charge. This finishes her attacker as she leaps over his lifeless body and runs, as fast as her legs would carry her, to her car. After the frantic escape Carla calls the police and reports her attack.
In less than 5 minutes the police arrive and Carla returns to the scene to find her assailant, wallowing around in his own urine. He was completely disoriented as the police were trying to get him to his feet. This guy certainly got some of what he deserved.
Carla was lucky in the fact that several months earlier her boss had the fore thought to supply his agents with stun guns. From his years of experience he knew, now more than ever, that being a real estate agent has become a dangerous job. Just a few short years ago the average Realtor would not have equated his or her job with other dangerous professions. That connection is quickly changing and only getting worse.
It pays to take steps to protect yourself, including the use of cell phones, plans of action and carrying personal defense items such as pepper sprays, stun guns and the like.
Go with your gut feeling! Don’t consider yourself paranoid or worrying needlessly regarding your safety – especially in situations when you get a sixth sense that something is wrong. Remember the old adage: If a situation looks bad and feels bad, it probably is a situation you need to excuse yourself from.
Being prepared is the best personal defense – so you can escape to sell another day!
Self Defense For Women - Real Estate Agents at Risk of Attack - How to Stay Safe
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