MY CLIENT, MY PREDATOR

REAL ESTATE AGENTS OFTEN WORK ALONE-AND SCARED

- Debra Kamin

Sara Ghodsi sold auto parts before moving to San Diego and becoming a real estate agent. She didn't have to sit in an office all day, made a good income and had the freedom to work on her own schedule, all of which she enjoyed.

But Ghodsi also understood it was a very competitive field, as the number of real estate agents across the country had swelled to a record high. So when a homeowner in the nearby town of Oceanside called and said he would consider selling, Ghodsi, eager to find a property for her client, agreed to meet him at his condominium-alone.

As they talked that afternoon in August 2021, the man began inching his chair closer to hers. Then he reached out, groped her thigh and forcefully kissed her.

"I kind of blacked out a little," Ghodsi, 37, recalled. "I was trying to be calm and collected because I was by myself in a stranger's house. The door was maybe 5 feet away, but I had no idea what this guy was capable of doing."

Across the nation, the majority of real estate agents are women-and they are vulnerable to abuse in an industry that offers few protections, demands that they meet clients alone in empty homes and encourages them to use their appearance to help bring in buyers. Reports of harassment and occasionally physical violence, including rape and even murder, highlight the risks they face.

The National Association of Realtors represent(NAR), a trade organization ing 1.5 million members, reports that 62% of its members are women. Many were attracted to the field for the same reasons as Ghodsi: flexible schedules, a workplace that's almost entirely remote, and a licensing process that can be completed in as little as a few weeks.