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Realtor Robin Harrington was showing a house to a client last year when she realized how vulnerable people who work in real estate can be to crime. Now, she and her friend Sharon Sirkis have formed a self-defense company to help others protect themselves.

Harrington was showing the man the basement when he disappeared from sight and reappeared behind her. Rattled, she concluded the tour.

"In that really brief moment I'm thinking, ‘He's in front of the stairs, I've got 4-inch heels on and all of my jewelry,' and for a brief moment, I was terrified," said Harrington, 50, of Laytonsville, who was shocked to learn the following week that a jogger had been raped in front of the house in a separate incident that day. Her daughter in college had a close call around the same time when someone began pounding on her door while she was home alone.

Harrington and Sirkis, who also has a daughter in college, began researching self-defense products and decided to start Hidden Treasures, to teach others about what they learned.

The friends sell products such as pepper sprays, portable alarms and stun guns that look like cell phones through their Web site, www.ladiesfightback.com. They also sell products at self-defense classes like a more modern version of Tupperware or Mary Kay parties.

"It makes no difference who you are, where you are, you could always be a target. The key is to focus in on your surroundings," said Sirkis, 52, of Gaithersburg, a communications specialist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "It has to become a habit," Harrington said.

Hidden Treasures hosted a class for Keller Williams Realty in Gaithersburg last week, one of its first events. Realtors are frequent targets because they are often alone with clients, said Harrington, a Keller Williams Realtor, and open houses can be tempting to burglars.

County police have not observed any trends of real estate agents being targeted by criminals, but Realtors should exercise caution due to the nature of their work, according to Montgomery County Police spokesman Lt. Paul Starks.

Laws about self-defense weapons vary by — and sometimes within — jurisdictions, Sirkis said. For instance, some college campuses ban self-defense products like stun guns. Hidden Treasures' manufacturers do not ship products to jurisdictions where they are illegal, she said, and Tasers, which are not permitted in Annapolis, Baltimore and Howard County, must be registered with the company by the owner before they are activated, according to the company's Web site.

State law prohibits juveniles from possessing pepper spray, and it is illegal to carry with the intent to injure someone in an unlawful manner, according to Starks. State law does not address Tasers or stun guns.

About 10 people attended the class at Keller Williams, where they learned how to effectively use pepper spray and Tasers. Beverley Barros of Silver Spring, a former self-defense teacher, demonstrated self-defense moves and gave safety tips.

"When you're at an open house and you're all by yourself, it's scary," said Kathy Constantinou of Gaithersburg, an associate broker who always meets potential buyers at her office before showing them a house. "You can never be too careful."

REALTOR SAFETY

Never host an open house alone, show properties at night or advertise properties as vacant.

Always carry a cell phone.

Walk behind potential buyers when showing a house.

Inform neighbors about open houses and ask them to keep an eye out for anything suspicious.

Check all rooms before an open house and familiarize yourself with exits.

Always take your own car to showings.

Meet potential buyers at your office, make a copy of their ID and introduce them to a co-worker.

Source: National Association of Realtors