When Access Issues Are Listing Agent Issues

Pat I see this in Sherman Oaks,CA a lot... makes me wonder of the lack of.... on the listing agent's part....then of course take the same scenario and the buyer's agent not putting the keys back in the right boxes... there is always two sides...Endre

How frustrating for agents!  I have experienced this in Dallas as well.

Yes, that does sound like a simple solution.  Plus, some extra free advertising.

Such an easy solution, but proof that common sense isn't so common these days.

It looks like that one bridge in Paris . . ..   

Patricia, I had a similar experience yesterday and was going to write a post about it. There were 2 units in the same building that I was going to show and did not want to place the wrong key in the box when I returned so I had my client hold one set of keys and told them to remember the unit number . I was going to show 6 units in the community and was shocked that many locboxes were abandoned lockboxes they were coroded and looked like they were there for years. The listing agnet never tok them off when it expired or sold.

Good morning Patricia Kennedy ,

OMG..what a dilemma that is so easily solved..labeling and removing lock-boxes when the listing is over! Indeed a no brainer!!!

Oh my goodness. That's several lockboxes more than I've seen at any one time. Bingo. You've hit upon a workable solution.

This drives me crazy and happens here too. When i  List in situations like this i have ny card attached to the back. We have 1 large complex that cuts all boxes that dont have an agents contact name and number on them

Patricia - what a nightmare! Sounds like you found a good labeling solution for your own listings at least. Maybe the other agents will learn from you!

Seriously, that's crazy. what a joke. I thought the agency owned these. Wouldn't they at some point run out of boxes?

There is a outdoor camping rule to remove all evidence of your visit when you leave. This is so the next guy can experience Nature not you...

Thanks for speaking out, Patricia, about one of my pet peeves!  This happens to me all the time when I show condos, and I do what you do, but it's no fun when you've got several to show in different complexes.

Great suggestions:

I tape my business card to the outside of each of my lock boxes.  On the inside of the box, I have the key tagged with my name and the unit number.  That way, no fuss.  No muss.  No bother.  No guesswork.  And no worrying about some Realtor in her (or his) dotage mixing up the boxes. 

Patricia Kennedy Every one of our Supra and Vendor lockboxes has a full color identifying permanent weatherproof label attached to it.

Patricia, This picture and the explanation that you provide is among the many reasons why the industry has such a bad reputation.  It is so pathetic.  Are agents really that stupid ... or just too lazy?  I dunno. 

Oh cool, lockboxes and signs and stuff must not cost much if agents leave them behind will-nilly. Good news for the penny-pinching agent-to-be. Wuuu! {see, we can find the good in any situation, yes?}

Are agents so successful they can afford to just abandon lockboxes after one use?  

Hi Pat - That's a funny picture. Those things cost money, especially the electronic ones, so I don't know why they'd be abandoned. And your ideas are all excellent ones - thanks.

Oh, yes, been there a few times. I actually counted them on one gate to a condo complex because I was astounded (20 plus) and there was no way to figure it out. As I recall there were only a couple with any ID at all, and most were Sentrilock. Guess the L.A.s did not want their homes shown.