Several years ago one of his agency's real estate agents was overpowered and attacked at a property she was showing.

"In this case, she knew the person fairly well," said Reiss, vice president of the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors. "She let her guard down in this case and wasn't expecting it."

There are documented cases of people cold-calling agents to meet them at a house for a showing, only for the agent to be robbed when they show up.

There have been other cases of criminals targeting their would-be victims based on their photographs in newspaper advertisements, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Real estate agents often face more on-the-job risks than other business professionals because of frequent contact with unfamiliar people, often in isolated locations.

Reiss, broker/owner of Realty 500 Reiss Corp., has policies in place to keep agents safe, but they only work as well as an agent is willing to follow them.

Many real estate agents are open and often are immediately trusting in an effort to strike up a rapport with a potential client. Agents can be particularly vulnerable because their photos and contact information grace business cards, signs and even shopping carts.

"Realtors are so quick to let anyone into their car," Reiss said. "They are going out there for all the right reasons and they are very trusting."

A recent survey by the national association found that more than half of all those who responded said they had experienced safety concerns, incidents or harassing situations on the job, according to an open letter from Al Mansell, president of the association.

The local association provides training for new Realtors, and the national association offers materials and source information for brokers and agents.

There are numerous things that agents can do to protect themselves, Reiss said, including always meeting a new client at your office.

"Whenever an agent is working with someone new, we suggest that their first contact be in our office and that they should make a copy of their driver's license and keep it on file," he said.

There have been some cases in which a client has refused to have their identification copied, Reiss said.

"Then each agent has to determine if this is someone they want to work with," he said. "If they really go through the training and follow our policies, they prequalify them first and know whether they are legitimate before they even get them into the office."

Some other safety tips suggested by the NAR and GLVAR:

• Always keep a mobile phone at your side; program emergency numbers into speed dial.

• Always let someone know where you are going; leave the name and phone number of the client you are meeting.

• Introduce new clients to someone in your office. A would-be assailant does not like to be noticed or receive exposure, knowing a person could pick him/her out of a police lineup.

• Try and call the office once an hour to let people know where you are.

• Limit the amount of personal information you share.

• Use your cell number, not your home phone and your office address rather than your home address.

• Be careful how much personal information you give verbally. Getting to know your client does not need to include giving personal information about your children, where you live and whom you live with.

And finally, establish a voice stress code, a secret word or phrase that is not commonly used but can be worked into any conversation for cases where you feel uncomfortable. Use this if the person you are with can overhear the conversation, but you don't want to alarm them.

Some examples of a distress code:

"Hi, this is Jane. I'm at (address). Could you look up something in the RED FILE for me?" or "I'm with Mr. Henderson, and I just realized that I can't find my BLACKBERRY. Can you see if I left it there?" (Assuming you don't have a Blackberry.)

If you are in immediate danger, stop the car, leave the area or jump out of the car at the next stop. Don't hesitate to call 911 in an emergency.

The National Association of Realtors has more safety tips, downloadable information and forms that can be found at www.Realtor.org/Safety.

In other news:

• Dale Puhl, president and chief executive of Las Vegas-based Southwest Title Co., said the title insurance company has purchased a licensed title company in Arizona. The move follows the expansion of title offices in Laughlin.

The company purchased Sun State Title Co., a title and escrow firm with offices in Maricopa County. Southwest Title plans to expand the business to offer both residential and commercial services in northern and southern Arizona. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

• Mark Reasbeck, owner of Legend Windows for the West, said that his company has a new name, Coyote Springs Window & Door. The company was formed in April 1996.

"The new name is reflecting the direction I want to take my company," he said.

Reasbeck said that he wants to expand his business to Laughlin, Mesquite and Pahrump. A satellite office is planned in the to-be-developed community of Coyote Springs. Reasbeck expects that office to open in fall 2006.

• Eagle View Group, a Las Vegas-based residential and commercial development company, plans to break ground on a residential community in northwest Kingman, Ariz., in October.

The 113-acre community Eagle View Estates will have 396 homes, ranging from 1,600 square feet to 2,750 square feet.

Eagle View Estates is the first of three residential communities slated for development in the Kingman area. High Valley Ranch Estates and La Casa Aquila Estates are scheduled to break ground next year with 900 homes and 1,300 homes, respectively.

Jennifer Shubinski covers real estate and development for In Business Las Vegas and its sister publication, the Las Vegas Sun. She can be reached at (702) 259-8832 or by e-mail at js@lasvegassun.com.