DALLAS, TX -- Proving once again that Realty Times is an innovative technology solutions provider for Realtors, the company announced today the release of Mobile Callback^TM. Mobile Callback is a personal safety service that works through your mobile phone.

Mobile Callback was created to give Realtors personal security while showing homes, viewing vacant properties, hosting open houses, or other activities during which they may be vulnerable to robberies or attacks.

Once a Realtor has signed up for the service, they have round-the-clock access to a personal protection system. To activate Mobile Callback, the user calls in through their mobile phone and reports their current location.

Mobile Callback calls the Realtor every 15 minutes (or whatever time the user specifies) to check in on their well-being and to confirm their current location. As Realtors frequently change field locations, especially while previewing or showing homes to buyers, the system allows unlimited calls. If at any time, an emergency arises and the Realtor is unable to respond to a callback, the system uses the Realtor's last confirmed location to determine the correct authorities to dispatch. Mobile Callback then calls and reports all of your information to the local authorities and help is dispatched.

"Mobile Callback protects you when you can't call 911." says Jody Lane, founder of Realty Times and co-inventor of the Mobile Callback system. "This isn't a passive monitoring system that only responds to an alarm," says Lane. "You want to be actively watched over, and this system will do that. Simply advertising the fact that you're being monitored by an advanced security system will be enough to deter most potential assailants."

Kate Kemp, Director of Marketing and Sales for Mobile Callback explains other valuable features, “One of the best things about Mobile Callback is that it is inexpensive and you don’t have to buy any additional software for it to work. If you have a mobile phone, you can use Mobile Callback. If you are at an open house and feel uncomfortable with someone who just walked in, you can call the system and converse with a live operator until you feel out of danger or until they initiate an emergency dispatch. Sometimes, you just feel uneasy and want someone there with you. With Mobile Callback, you never have to be alone."

Your safety is everyone's concern, including your office co-workers and family.

Says real estate industry consultant Charles Dahlheimer, "All the press about Realtors being robbed, mugged, even killed while showing homes can have a negative impact not only on a Realtor's performance, but on his or her family members as well. The police officer’s spouse worries while their loved one is on duty. These days, I'd think a Realtor's husband or wife would be a bit concerned when he or she is off meeting a stranger at a vacant house. Knowing that an active security program is in place could make life a whole lot better for everyone concerned."

Agrees Ed DesRoches, publisher and editor of The Real Estate Professional, "Despite constant caveats concerning sales agent safety, tragedies persist. With the launch of Mobile Callback, RealtyTimes has provided a most timely endorsement of the axiom 'An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure'."

"This is a deterrant," says Lane. "You want to tell your prospects that you are being monitored so they will think twice about taking advantage of you."

The amount of information you supply about yourself can only help in the event of an emergency. For the best results, users are encouraged to fill out a personal profile detailing their physical description, car, and other helpful information. This information is relayed to emergency personnel when a call is dispatched.

As with home security systems, there is some potential for false alarms, so the Mobile Callback system will call the Realtors three times in quick succession to make sure that the Realtor didn't put in an incorrect code. If the Realtor doesn't answer or continues to put in the wrong code, the system will contact authorities.

"We are going to err on the side of safety," says Lane, "this person has asked us to look out for them, so we are going to assume that if they don't put in the right code, or don't answer, that they need help."

Safety expert Robert Siciliano says, "It's no secret that Realtors face daily risks of not only talking to strangers, but also going into vacant homes where they are frequently put into isolated and vulnerable situations. In my Realty Security training programs, I always recommend agents have someone call them at a designated time to check in on them to make sure they are safe. Now, Mobile Callback does it for you."

Mobile Callback is available at MobileCallback.com

Published: May 14, 2003

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