Last week, the entire nation went into shock when the media reported about attacks on two female property agents in Klang Valley.

One of them, a 34-year-old from Kepong, was called up last Thursday by “prospective clients” who expressed interest in viewing a Mont Kiara condominium unit. There, she was stripped naked, tied up, and raped, while the “couple” who called her up ran away with her mobile phone, laptop, RM200 – with the victim’s Toyota Vios in tow. The woman was rescued by auxiliary policemen.

The other victim, Chen Choi Mooi, a 42-year-old mother from Jinjang, was not so lucky. Her husband reported her missing on last Tuesday, and the next day her car was found with blood stains in the boot at Jalan Ipoh. Her body was found with strangulation marks at Batu Dam in Ulu Yam that night.

According to newspaper reports, the police have not ruled out the possibility of the two attacks being committed by the same perpetrators.

Selling property, as is proven so clearly by these two cases, is definitely not a walk in the park, especially for the women in this business. We are all so busy running the rat race, we forget to take note of the small but essential things we need to survive in a Klang Valley’s dark and often ugly underbelly. Here are some tips and practical steps to take if you are a female property agent always on the go:

The picture says it all

1. Take care of food and nutrition and get some exercise.
- People who are weak are often targeted by perverts and serial murderers, only because they do not have the strength to fight back or escape. Fight or flight is a natural animal instinct, but we can neither fight nor fly away if we are too weak to fend off our perpetrators. A balanced diet and exercise will help keep you healthy, alert and on your toes, and of course the stronger you are, the better you can fight back.

2. Use your “sixth sense” or gut instinct
- Women are famous for their almost psychic gut instinct, which is like a subconscious perspective about a person or a situation. If you are caught in a situation where doubt takes over, or you talk to someone where the person does not look or sound too genuine, the best thing to do is to NOT pursue the deal further. Not even if it is a million-dollar deal. After all, the million dollars will not guarantee your safety – or your life.

3. Be alert
- Sounds easy, doesn’t it? You would be surprised to know that most women are easy targets because they are MULTITASKERS – looking for car keys while talking on the phone, checking for texts and listening to songs on the earphones while crossing the road – you get the idea. Keep your eyes and ears open at all times, and keep your hands free when alone. A handbag is often the first place a rapist or robber would pull, and women have the habit of carrying multiple handbags and practically rendering their hands useless. Use a bag pack to put in all your things if you know you are going out alone – that way your bag can’t be reached, and your hands are free to fight back.

4. Verify customer information
- At the risk of sounding like a stalker, one way of knowing if your customer is genuine is for asking for their work and home numbers, besides the number they provide you, and a physical address. If they cannot do that, then Google will be your best friend. Just type in your client’s name, city and state, something is bound to come up. Try not to meet clients at a property, but ask them to come over to your office, so that you can make a copy of their IC and driving license – “for verification purposes.” Give someone in office your itinerary for the day, and ask them to call you every hour or so.

5. Be lazy
- Sometimes it pays to be lazy, like parking closer to the shopping mall entrance, or even taking the elevator instead of the staircase. We have all seen the B-grade Hollywood horror movies, where the predator waits for his victims in a dark empty stairwell, or behind the thick walls of a shopping mall car park. Unfortunately, these tactics used are quite common, so when you are alone, forget about walking 10,000 steps a day, or getting a quick cardio on the staircase. Being lazy can save your life.

6. Carry your weapon of choice
- Your weapon of choice need not be a gun or a knife. Most women choose pepper spray as their ammo against rapists and serial killers. Get one that hangs on your bag, instead of one that you would have to fish out among the many many things in your bag itself. According to self-defense experts, perpetrators are less likely to attack women who carry umbrellas with them. Carry an umbrella, rain or shine, just in case – you never know when it might come in handy.

7. Escape!
- Watch this video and find out how escaping, instead of fighting, can save your life:
Personal Safety Tips for Women

We at iProperty.com hope that none of you will ever encounter a situation to use any of these tips to fend for your life, but we do hope these steps are taken into consideration and kept in mind, not only for your own safety, but for you to pass on to your family and friends.
Stay safe!

Sources:http://www.thewpsn.com/turning-fear-into-fury.html, http://powertochange.com/life/personalsafetytips/, http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/HealthyWoman/story?id=125859&page=1#.T7WuatmIjFI, http://homebuying.about.com/od/realestatecareers/a/safety_tips.htm, http://www.thesundaily.my/node/98937, http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/real-estate-agent-raped-by-client-1.83217