To Lockbox or Not To Lockbox?

Agree with you. Often times when a home has no lock box it never gets shown. It is so much easier to show a home when it has a box.

I totally agree, you are lessing the number of showings by not having a lock box!  I know from being a listing agent, the difficulties I see when a seller doesn't want one for whatever reason, and I know from being a showing agent, that sometimes a property is cut from a list to show because of difficulties getting into the place (ie: not having a lock box)..

In this market you must do everything you can to get agents with the buyers IN THE DOOR, and not make it harder than the others on the list!

I have noticed Matthew likes writing inflamatory posts, or should I say ones that really get some conversation going!  I think many times it is tongue in cheek, but not all readers get that...

Ditto... I agree.  There are soooo many house on the market that if we can not coordinate with the listing agent then we move on the the next.  By the time we can coordinate the buyers have found something else.

Jon,

I don't believe that Matthew actually practices real estate any longer. Many buyers who have any difficulty getting into a listing at all will just say...next. It's not like there isn't enough inventory to look at these days.

Rich

And another good post rebutting the ridiculous lockbox debate. Real Simple, if you don't have a lockbox, I will take my buyer somewhere else. I will talk to you (Seller's Agent) if my buyers interested or if they have a question I can't answer for them. Don't play the lock box silliness.

Thank you (once again) for being someone who gets it!

No lockbox is like a 2% buyer agent payout-

it means the property is not getting shown- regardless what the seller thinks will work.

Hi Jon... You make very solid points... I thoght many of the same things when I read Matthew's post ealier. The bottom line is that I know of many agents who will not show properties without a lockbox, so not having one limits the marketability of the listing.

Jon,

The lock box is the only way to go to much trouble to get the listing agent meet you there

not even fond of the combination boxes prefer the electronic with all the properties

on market it would have to be very special for me to consider.

Jon,

Thanks for taking the time to rebuff Matthew's post.

I like Matthew, but he is wrong about his recent blog post.

I think more than anything he overlooked that this is a buyer's market - not a seller's market.

And as such, it's not about making the seller's happy or trying to "sell" the buyer.  It's about what the buyer wants and that means seeing the home when they want to and having the privacy to discover the home on their own - without a tour guide blitzing them with questions.

Of course use a lockbox. The name of the game is to get the house shown. The easier it is to show the more people who will see it, and the greater the chance that someone will buy.

Immediately remove all combination boxes - before the sellers learn of the liability of having them on their property - and replace them with Supra electronic boxes

Just got an e-mail from our local board. 

After months of horror stories regarding combination lock boxes, the RAMB Residential Board has voted to initiate a campaign telling sellers they should immediately have any combination lock boxes removed from their property and replaced with Supra electronic boxes.Public Campaign:  The public will be informed of the liability and dangers of combination lock boxes and the security of Supra electronic boxes.  The public campaign will also tell buyers to be sure to work with RAMB MEMBERS who have Supra electronic keys for more access to more properties - and sellers to sell their homes faster.

Agents:  Immediately remove all combination boxes - before the sellers learn of the liability of having them on their property - and replace them with Supra electronic boxes.  This is the official advance notice to RAMB Members before the public campaign begins.

Brokers & Managers:  Please contact your agents to make sure they take action ASAP.  This liability must be eliminated for you, your agents and your sellers.

What should we do? Remove all combination boxes ?