Being a real estate agent belongs to the realm of "dangerous jobs". It carries the risk factors that other jobs have. Many agents feel unease even if they smile at all times.

Seldom does a real estate broker require its agents to leave detailed information on their whereabouts, not in an unoccupied or unfamiliar home. Nowadays, many agents work mostly from their homes. They visit their offices infrequently. A listing agent may call and say that he is standing in front of a house whose for-sale sign has the agent's name and number on it and asks that the agent come over now and show it.

However, Todd Hodgen said that it is not about agents taking risks. He said that there are times that the risks are pushed upon the agents. Todd Hodgen is a Seattle entrepreneur who developed RealGuard. RealGuard is a hand-held alarm that was developed after a colleague of his real estate agent wife was killed on the job in Montreal.

Hesitation among agents may mean a lost deal. Julie Roberts, a St. Petersburg, Fla., agent has an office that firmly but politely enforces an ID requirement among house hunters. She said that she is not alienating buyers but it is only a way of ensuring her safety.

By M. Sese