Selling your home? Electronic lockboxes a must

If you are selling a home, odds are you’ve done everything you can to make the house and property look as good as possible to potential buyers. You’ve decluttered all the rooms, put away your valuables, and put shoe covers out so shoppers don’t drag dirt through the carpet. Your yard is the very definition of curb appeal. You’re all set and now people have been looking at your home. Then your questions start. Who was in my home? How long were they there?

Thanks to the members of Dayton Realtors, these questions can be answered. Until a few years ago, Realtors around the Miami Valley had used mechanical lockboxes to store the key to a home. They used either a dial or push button combination to access the box. While these boxes served their purpose, they also posed some potential security and accountability issues, too. Dayton Realtors looked at the advancements in technology across the country and began rolling out electronic lockboxes. Used by more than 700,000 Realtors in America, these electronic lockboxes are replacing the old combination boxes in our market.

So, what’s different about electronic lockboxes, and why should sellers care what kind of box is on their home?

First, electronic lockboxes provide a security upgrade. Using Bluetooth technology, each Realtor showing the home uses an app on their phone to unlock the box. This provides a unique point of entry to that specific Realtor at that moment, and the box records this information. So now there’s no one single combination that any Realtor can use to access the box at any time. No more scribbled codes on sticky notes or papers means less chance of security risks. No more chance of a potential purchaser seeing the code the agent put in and coming back at a later time without the seller’s or agent’s permission. Sellers and listing agents will know exactly who was in their property and for how long.

Second, when a Realtor unlocks an electronic lockbox, every Realtor’s code is different and the box can account for who opened it and when. Plus, once an electronic lockbox is accessed, the Realtor representing the seller can receive a notification that the box has been accessed. (Notifications to sellers are also available letting the seller know when the showing starts and when the showing ended.) It’s a wonderful accountability feature that can provide valuable data on when a property was viewed and how long the showing lasted. Marketing is king in real estate, so if a seller’s Realtor sees that shoppers are quickly leaving a home, it might mean there’s something about the home that’s turning people away. It gives the seller a chance to get in front of the issue and make some changes.

Third, if a seller has times of the day when a showing would be inconvenient, their Realtor can program the electronic lockbox to NOT open. Allow showings only from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.? Absolutely. No showings after 7 p.m. on Tuesday? Not a problem. Even if someone accidentally shows up, that box is not going to open.

These are just a few of the benefits you receive as the seller when your Realtor uses an electronic lockbox on your home. Each Realtor in the Dayton market has access to the system. Not every one of them has embraced this technology, so if your home sale is important to you, insist that your Realtor uses one on your house.

Your home is the most important investment that you have. It’s worth every effort that you; and your Realtor can take to know as many details of the showings that occur and to have the added security and accountability that an electronic lockbox can provide. If you’re ready to begin the process of selling your home, contact a Realtor today.

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