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Giving SentriLock Credit

By
Real Estate Agent with RLAH@Properties AB95346

Here in the Washington metro area, we are going through yet another lockbox conversion - you know, the kind of new box where it's too complicated to just read the directions - you have to sit through a class to figure it out!

Well, the agents here in our nation's capital were appalled to learn that this new lockbox, this incredible piece of technology that raises access to listings to an art form, was run by a program that was not Mac friendly.  And of course, we all bitched and moaned at the instruction class.  And the poor guy doing the introduction suffered a lot of abuse when he actually suggested that we all go out and get Parallels for our Macs - although, I want you to know that I was pretty quiet during our session.

Anyway, the new president of GCAAR (the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors®), Joe Himali, went to bat for us.  Everything else we do is Mac compatible.  MRIS is Mac friendly, and even ZipForms came around with a Mac version.  These days it's pretty easy with the new Mac operating systems.

So SentriLock put the wheels in motion - a Mac version should be out in no time at all.  And until then, they've figured out a way to let us updated our cards via the telephone.

At the end of the day, we realized that almost a third of the GCAAR members use Macs.  These little machines have gotten so fast and so good that they are no longer a sort of quirky, not to mention tiny, part of the computer market! 

So thank you, SentriLock!  This is a nice little Christmas present to all of the DC Area Mac using Realtors®!

Comments (15)

Thom Abbott
MyMidtownMojo.com |770.713.1505 | Intown Atlanta GA Condo Living - Atlanta, GA
Midtown Atlanta GA Condos For Sale

Pat...I guess they have to do something to keep themselves in business. We just got new keys this past year...now they are wireless! Don't have to put them in a cradle, connected to a phone line everynight to update them. Now it's all wireless! In fact, you get immediate notification on your key when one of your lockboxes is opened! Pretty cool!

Since we have to buy our own lockbocks at $100 a piece (our broker does NOT provide them!)I hope there is no change anytime in the near future....unless we get credit for the ones we have now!

Happy Holidays!

Dec 22, 2008 04:54 PM
Ginger S
Wilkinson & Associates, Wilmington NC - Wilmington, NC
Wilmington NC Real Estate & Relocation~

That's great news Pat! Is your MLS compatible with Firefox browser?? We use Rapatoni and it is not. They need to get with the program! Merry Christmas to you, my friend!

Dec 22, 2008 04:55 PM
Paula Swayne
Dunnigan, Realtors, Sacramento (916) 425-9715 - Sacramento, CA
Realtor-Land Park, East Sac & Curtis Park -Dunniga

Congrats on a great president to go to bat for you and some great lobbying!

Dec 22, 2008 05:03 PM
Steve Shatsky
Dallas, TX

Hi Pat... The Power and the Voice of the people seems to be a recurring theme this year, in politics and real estate!  Congrats on being heard bySentriLock!

Dec 22, 2008 06:07 PM
Alan Gross
PrimeLending, A PlainsCapital Company, Equal Housing Lender - Bethesda, MD
Loan Consultant

I was in the Apple Store in Montgomery Mall the other day and it was packed. People were looking at MAC's, iPhones, iPods and accessories. It's hard to believe that anyone would ignore that segment of the market.

Have a great holiday season!

Dec 22, 2008 07:27 PM
Lenn Harley
Lenn Harley, Homefinders.com, MD & VA Homes and Real Estate - Leesburg, VA
Real Estate Broker - Virginia & Maryland

I fully expect the next access system to be a chip implanted in the real estate agent's brain.  Line up and get your implant inserted in your brain. 

These systems are the biggest scam in the history of real estate brokerage.  They sell the system through fear.  Geez.  Do they seriously believe that seeing one of these monstrosities on a door is really going to stop someone from breaking into a property??? 

Be careful.  If you ever drop one of these things on your foot, you'd probably break several metatarsal bones. 

Dec 22, 2008 09:12 PM
Richard Iarossi
Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage - Crofton, MD
Crofton MD Real Estate, Annapolis MD Real Estate

Pat,

It was wonderful seeing you yesterday at the Annapolis AR lunch. MACs have broken through as serious business machines. I had to give mine up years ago in the corporate environment because it didn't play too well with the PCs. I'll have to rethink that now.

I'm glad to see that SentriLock has been responsive to the MAC community. We've had ours a bit longer than you and so far, very few problems.

Rich

Dec 22, 2008 09:36 PM
Cynthia Tilghman, RealtorĀ® Onslow County NC Home Specialist
Kingsbridge Realty, Inc - Hubert, NC

Hi Pat,
We switched to SentriLock this past Spring--I can't believe I have not heard about this from some local Mac users.  I just don't understand why programmers do not anticipate these things????

Here's wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with good health and lots of closed deals.

Dec 22, 2008 09:43 PM
Don Rogers
Keller Williams Realty Chesterfield - O'Fallon, MO
Realtor, Broker, CDPE, GRI, OnullFallon MO & St Charles County MO homes

Pat,

Even tho I do not have a Mac, I am glad to hear that they are going to do something fot the Mac user.  Good on SentriLock.

Merry Christmas ma'am.

Dec 22, 2008 09:57 PM
The Somers Team
The Somers Team at KW Philadelphia - Philadelphia, PA
Delivering Real Estate Happiness

Pat, it is the little victories in life that sometimes make us the happiest !  Glad they worked it out for you.  In Philly, there are kinds of lockboxes out there.  Most of the center city are just your regular lock boxes and out in the suburbs, it is electronic.

Dec 22, 2008 11:52 PM
Ken Montville
RE/MAX United Real Estate - College Park, MD
The MD Suburbs of DC

No, Pat, THANK YOU and the rest of the Mac-ites (or whatever you fanatics are called) for putting the right kind of pressure on a vendor that is making puh-lenty of money from us.

Dec 23, 2008 06:23 AM
James Downing - Metro DC Houses Team REALTORSĀ®, CRS, GRI, ABR,MRP, MilRes
Real Living | At Home - Washington, DC
When Looking to Buy or Sell - Make the Right Move

Well Pat; having turned to the MAC side this past year I am thrilled!  I am also completely appalled that GCAAR let this new lockbox system roll out to us; without making sure it would work for all (or at least most of) its members. You are giving them more credit than they deserve.

But in the spirit of the holiday... I can forgive this HUGE oversight.  :-)  Merry Merry!  

Dec 24, 2008 01:31 PM
Ellie McIntire
Ellicott City Clarksville Howard County Maryland Real Estate - Ellicott City, MD
Luxury service in Central Maryland

Pat. It's good to know that they listened to you and took action. But why do your boxes look different to ours?

Dec 25, 2008 02:36 PM
Alan May
Jameson Sotheby's International Realty - Evanston, IL
Home is where the hearth is.

That's nice to know.

Dec 27, 2008 02:35 PM
Barry Allbright
Keller Williams Realty - Reston, VA

Maybe now you can get them to come out with a true wireless system to let us know who is showing our properties within minutes.  Plus, a system that does not require updating via a card reader.  Wireless?  I don't think it is in the cards.

Barry Allbright

Keller Williams Realty  Reston, VA

Jan 19, 2009 12:38 PM