I've noticed a curious phenomenon lately. On a recent short sale listing, I've noticed buyer's agents calling my cell phone wanting to make an appointment to see the house. Which made me wonder. It made me wonder so much in fact that I decided to check online what "Call First Lockbox" means.

Here it is: "Usually the phone listed is the seller's. The buyer's agent calls and establishes a mutually agreeable arrival time. If no one answers the phone, the agent leaves a message and goes directly to the home without further communication attempts, unless the seller calls the agent to reschedule." This is a direct quote from About.com. Read the entire column here.

Why am I getting the calls? Is it the MLS update which makes it hard to find the seller's phone number? Or are agents just not bothering to check the MLS and just calling the number on the sign?