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"Having a Sixth Sense"

Name: Ginger Saavedra

Company: Wynn Realty Group, Las Vegas

Safety Tools: Pocketknife and pepper spray

Saavedra spent 17 years in law enforcement so "my background puts me on heightened alert about personal safety," she says. "I was taught to look at a home and its surroundings for potential threats or unusual activity."

For protection, she carries a pocketknife and pepper spray, and a registered handgun is always accessible.

"Every agent, especially females, should at least carry pepper spray," she says. "It's cheap, easily hidden in your hand, and very effective if you need it."

Saavedra also prefers to meet clients at the listing and shows up early to assess the neighborhood and location.

In one vacant home, she had a feeling something was off as soon as she unlocked the front door. "It turned out three homeless guys were living on the second floor," she says. "I called 911 and had them removed. It was a good neighborhood; they had been there a while but none of the neighbors reported anything. So you just never know."

"Always Be Prepared Ahead of Time"

Name: Stacey Johnson-Cosby, ABR®, SRES

Company: Reece and Nichols, Realtors®, Kansas City, Mo.

Safety Tools: Pepper spray

"You hear of stories and close calls, but fortunately, I've never had any," says Stacey Johnson-Cosby, a senior sales executive. Nevertheless, she's always prepared to protect herself with a can of pepper spray hidden in her hand.

That, along with some standard practices, allows her a certain degree of confidence. "I'll meet new contacts at the office first, and my husband always knows where I'm going, who I'm meeting, and how long I expect to be," she says.

At showings, she turns on all of the lights before clients arrive and encourages them to explore the home on their own. "When I must lead, I never go first," she says. "I also never go into the basement and never allow anyone to get between me and the door. You can do it in a way that people aren't aware you're trying to protect yourself."

"Being on Guard With Defensive Sprays"

Name: Sherry Boyle

Company: California Pacific Brokers, Modesto, Calif.

Safety Tools: Sonic alarm, pepper spray, and wasp spray

"Personal security is always a concern, especially with open houses," says broker-associate Sherry Boyle. She always tries to have someone else along and prefers that visitors take self-guided tours while she keeps a safe distance near an easy exit.

"I always carry a sonic alarm and pepper spray on me," Boyle says. The one problem with pepper spray, she notes, is that you have to be fairly close to an attacker for it to be effective.

Her solution? "I also keep a can of wasp spray on hand. When people see that, they don't think much about it, but it can be just as effective as pepper spray on someone 15 to 20 feet away."

"Simple and Inexpensive Solutions for Peace of Mind"

Name: Liz Harrison

Company: Spruce It Up! Home Staging, Salem, Ore.

Safety Tools: Hat pin and wasp spray

Harrison once worked as a safety manager for the Oregon court system, and her training expert recommended two items that she carries with her: an easily concealed hat pin and wasp spray.

Hat pins "may look decorative, but at five or six inches long, they can deliver a sharp and painful jab," she says. And as for the wasp spray, "it's inexpensive and can bring people to their knees."

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