The real estate industry changed after an agent was killed on the job — but safety threats remain

The fatal shooting of a 27-year-old real estate agent during an Iowa open house in 2011 shook her industry, which responded with a slate of measures aimed at keeping others in the profession safe

The fatal shooting of a 27-year-old real estate agent during an Iowa open house in 2011 shook her industry, which responded with a slate of measures aimed at keeping others in the profession safe.

But in interviews with NBC News after an arrest last week in the long-dormant case, some in the industry said the barrage of threats and risks persist and not enough has been done to protect agents.

Gavin Blair, CEO of the Iowa Association of Realtors, described Ashley Okland’s killing as a “worst case scenario” that pushed the industry to confront the sometimes dangerous reality of real estate work with a “safety pledge” of best practices.

What emerged in the years after Okland’s death is a job that, in some ways, might be unrecognizable to past generations of agents. Many now carry guns or other means of self-protection, according to a survey released two years ago by the nation’s largest real estate trade organization, the National Association of Realtors.

West Des Moines Assistant Police Chief Jody Hayes speaks about the arrest of Kristin Ramsey in the 2011 shooting death of Ashley Okland.Zach Boyden-Holmes / Zach Boyden-Holmes/The Register/ USA Today Network via Imagn Images fileIn interviews, some agents said they screen would-be clients with a background check service before they ever speak. Some require identification for showings ahead of time and refuse to park in driveways to prevent being boxed in by a possible assailant. Such measures are included in the pledge.