Fab Real Estate Blog: How Not to Sell a Home

I have come up on a listing that  says vacant - lock-box then you get to the house after two days of calling agent to confirm only to find it on a combination lock box. want makes it even more madding is when I call the broker and they don't they must have combination. I so wish that if a licenced agent holds the listing then they must spend the money to have a supra (ekey) lock-box.

Yes, I dealt with a similar problem on Friday on a house that had a combination lockbox.  My realtor and I went to the house with the code and it wouldn't work no matter how many things we tried.  Called the agent and didn't get any help.  We left to run some errants and got a call that the agent just remembered that his partner had changed the code.  We had to go back a second time for success.  Offered on the house that afternoon and the bank accepted this morning.

I totally dislike combination lockboxes, fortunatly I don't see many. It only happens when an agent is from out area and dosen't belong to the local board.  

I use a combination box and so do most other agents (at least on the properties I've seen).  I don't know anything about the supra keys or any of that.

Eric - there is no reason not to use the electronic lockboxes - other than they're expensive.  But, it's a cost of doing business.  Some foreclosure properties do require combo lockboxes.  Then, we just have to suffer with it. But - make the combination available to your fellow agents!

Robert - Sorry you had to deal with trying to see a home without the combination for the lockbox.  It is very frustrating.  Glad to hear your offer was accepted - banks usually are taking much, much longer to accept offers these days.

Maria - The electronic lockboxes are now being used (almost) statewide here in Connecticut.  A few areas have their own lockboxes, but those agents have learned that need to put both lockboxes on their listings so that all agents have access.

Jennifer - The Supra electronic lockboxes are great.  We each have our own key, which is updated daily for security.  Or, we can use certain SmartPhones in place of the key - this is an additional service we can opt for.  I'm surprised that your part of the state isn't using them yet.

I prefer the Supra lockboxes since I can track who is going in and out of my listings.  Thankfully my company provides the lockboxes to us so we don't have to buy them. 

Many of the bank owned properties require combo lockboxes though since they need to provide access to realtors, trash out, inspections, etc.  and that is quite frustrating.  Thankfully with that many of the people are now using a Showing service and they have the codes which makes things a  bit easier.

Stacy - I've been fortunate in that with my foreclosure listings, I've requested - and been allowed - to use both their combo lockbox and an electronic lockbox.  But I am noticing more and more foreclosure listings with only the combo lockbox.  Showing services are not common around here.

Don....that drives me absolutley insane!!!! I can't imagine making a home difficult to show in this market

Cherimie - Exactly!  Homes need to be accessible, especially in this market.