{"id":33340,"date":"2019-04-04T11:59:00","date_gmt":"2019-04-04T15:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/?p=33340"},"modified":"2019-04-05T12:26:08","modified_gmt":"2019-04-05T16:26:08","slug":"group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/","title":{"rendered":"Group Forms To Provide Personal Safety Instruction Classes For Real Estate Agents"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_33341\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-33341\" style=\"width: 994px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-33341\" src=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"994\" height=\"740\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc.jpg 994w, https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc-300x223.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc-768x572.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-33341\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Real estate agents participate in a seminar conducted by Personal Safety Services, a group that offers instruction on safety issues including self defense.<br \/>Courtesy Personal Safety Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>By Susan E. Campbell<br \/>\nA group of four Capital District real estate agents is offering personal safety awareness instruction specifically designed for real estate agents\u2014but with a kick.<br \/>\nThe idea for Personal Safety Services started to take root about two years ago when Bruce McClellan, a recently retired Realtor and founder of Pinnacle Realty Saratoga LLC, had a minor health setback that \u201ccaused him to pull away a bit\u201d from his busy real estate practice, according to the group\u2019s operations director and instructor, Genevieve Suguitan of Signature One Group Malta.<!--more--><br \/>\n\u201cHis idea was to offer a personal safety seminar program for Realtors through the area\u2019s major associations, which reach more than 5,000 real estate professionals,\u201d said Suguitan. \u201cThis is one way he felt he could give back to his profession.\u201d<br \/>\nBut first McClellan outlined his curriculum and took it to the National Association of Realtors. That was over a year ago. Suguitan said the seminar was approved for two course credits toward Realtors\u2019 annual continuing education requirements.<br \/>\n\u201cThey also told Bruce that his program was the best realty safety course they had ever seen,\u201d she said.<br \/>\nPersonal Safety Services may be the only program where attendees can gain some simple self-defense skills from a seventh degree black belt. McClellan and Suguitan have had a working relationship for many years, and he called on her organizational skills and real estate background to help implement the program.<br \/>\n\u201cBruce was stuck not quite knowing how to get the seminars started,\u201d she said. \u201cAs a mother of four kids in sports, I knew how to do an event.\u201d<br \/>\nPersonal Safety Services was up and running in a few months. The first seminar drew 12 real estate agents through word of mouth. Meanwhile, McClellan was approaching the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors and, thanks to GCAR\u2019s marketing power, the next seminar in Malta in January sold out within a week, said Suguitan.<br \/>\nReal estate agents who attend the group\u2019s two-hour seminars can acquire an increased awareness of the kinds of safety issues they face and learn about protecting themselves on the job. Suguitan teams with Kathleen Hauser of Roohan Realty, based in Saratoga Springs, preparing and presenting the first hour of the program.<br \/>\nThe content of the second hour makes this program unlike most others, as Shihan Patrick Hussey, chief instructor and founder of the Tenkara Dojo at Saratoga Karate, conducts a hands-on session teaching a few simple self-defense moves.<br \/>\nA former real estate agent, Hussey is in a strong position to teach practical tips so that agents, many of whom are women and often show listings alone, are prepared to ward off danger. Attendees are encouraged to practice the techniques learned at the seminar with their colleagues to stay fresh and alert.<br \/>\n\u201cWe also cover some practical tips such as: do not turn your back on people and how to choose a safer place to park your car,\u201d said Hussey. \u201cWe are custom fit to what the needs are for agents.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cTruth is, we do not want to be exposed to danger,\u201d said Suguitan. \u201cThe one time it happens can be lethal.\u201d<br \/>\nSuguitan said she was once put in a precarious situation after responding to an online lead. Somehow she sensed her safety may be at risk and cancelled her showing with the \u201cprospective buyer.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cEven after cancelling this man was persistent,\u201d she said. \u201cLater I learned he was a predator who had been arrested for domestic violence.\u201d<br \/>\nPart of the objective of these seminars, she said, is about \u201ctrusting your gut\u201d and \u201clearning ways the community of real estate agents can support one another. Our goal is to be the go-to organization supporting best safety practices on the job.\u201d<br \/>\nGCAR will sponsor another seminar this coming fall in Albany. McClellan has also approached Southern Adirondack Association of Realtors, which will be inviting its associates to a spring seminar set for May 15 at the Holiday Inn Express in Queensbury. The price to attend is $25.<br \/>\n\u201cWe are not doing this to make a profit but to share with our colleagues the importance of personal safety,\u201c said Suguitan. \u201cFor me personally, it has completely changed the way I do my business.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Susan E. Campbell A group of four Capital District real estate agents is offering personal safety awareness instruction specifically designed for real estate agents\u2014but with a kick. The idea for Personal Safety Services started to take root about two years ago when Bruce McClellan, a recently retired Realtor and founder of Pinnacle Realty Saratoga [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":196,"featured_media":33341,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-home-real-esate"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\r\n<title>Group Forms To Provide Personal Safety Instruction Classes For Real Estate Agents - Saratoga Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Group Forms To Provide Personal Safety Instruction Classes For Real Estate Agents - Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Susan E. Campbell A group of four Capital District real estate agents is offering personal safety awareness instruction specifically designed for real estate agents\u2014but with a kick. The idea for Personal Safety Services started to take root about two years ago when Bruce McClellan, a recently retired Realtor and founder of Pinnacle Realty Saratoga [&hellip;]\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Saratoga Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-04-04T15:59:00+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2019-04-05T16:26:08+00:00\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc.jpg\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"994\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"740\" \/>\r\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"jessewinters\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\r\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"jessewinters\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/\",\"name\":\"Group Forms To Provide Personal Safety Instruction Classes For Real Estate Agents - Saratoga Business Journal\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-04-04T15:59:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2019-04-05T16:26:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/#\/schema\/person\/b937a48daf87d7a8bd713a73b5d6a1ae\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/2019\/04\/group-forms-to-provide-personal-safety-instruction-classes-for-real-estate-agents\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saratoga.com\/saratogabusinessjournal\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/48\/2019\/04\/safety-services-hc.jpg\",\"width\":994,\"height\":740,\"caption\":\"Real estate agents participate in a seminar conducted by Personal Safety Services, a group that offers instruction on safety issues including self defense. 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