Joan Malone knows first-hand that intuition can be a valuable tool for survival. She had told her husband that this particular customer made her uncomfortable, but she agreed to show the man more homes despite her foreboding. Hours later she was stabbed repeatedly and left for dead.

Other indicators overwhelmed her sense of fear - she had met with the man twice before, once with his family members present. On the day of the attack in March 1997, she showed the man five homes. Returning to a home they had viewed on another occasion, he suddenly attacked her, stabbing her twice in the chest and once in the neck. He left her for dead.

But Joan Malone is a fighter. Barely conscious and bleeding profusely, she managed to get to a phone and dial 911. Joan was close to death a number of times over the next few days. Her injuries were serious - a broken back, lung punctures and disfigurement.

Her broker, Mark Wolfe of RE/MAX DFW Asssociates recalls the ordeal, "We thought we had lost her."

What happened next is a true study between good and evil. Malone was violently exposed to the worst side of human nature, but the Realtor community rallied to show her the good side. Immediately Realtors in Malone's office began a fund to pay her out-of-pocket expenses with fellow associates covering her office fees (RE/MAX is a 100% commission organization) and covering her business for her.

Real estate boards from as far away as Canada sent donations to assist Malone's recovery. Thousands of flowers and cards poured into the office and her home.

Her attacker was quickly found, identified and put behind bars for 40 years and waived his right to appeal. He is paying a heavy price for physically attacking Malone and stealing her car.

Three months after the attack, Malone jumped back into work full time. "We're in a pretty hot market right now and I just got rolling," she says.

By the end of 1997, Malone had made the RE/MAX 100 Percent Club. In December, she was honored with the True Grit Award from RE/MAX of Texas.

But her experience has put her in the unique position to work actively toward the safety of Realtors. Malone donates $1,000 yearly to the Coppell Police Department to fund a women's self-defense course. She has become an industry spokesperson and advocate for agent safety and has been featured in Agent News on-line and in other industry publications. She has tried but failed so far in her efforts to get clients to submit to a criminal background check as a further protection for agents.

"People need to be aware," says Malone, who now works only by referral. "that when they leave the house in the morning, there's no guarantee they'll come back."

"The nature of our business puts us in a very vulnerable situation. The one thing I could say to people is if you have a bad feeling, don't second guess what it's telling you. Listen to your gut feeling and protect yourself."

Published: October 26, 1998

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