If your seller fears that having an electronic real estate box on their home may expose them to unscheduled showings, you can insure against that by programming a CBS code. CBS means Call Before Showing, and using a CBS code insures that an unwitting real estate agent will not invade an occupant's privacy without making an appointment first.
Ekeys will not work on a CBS protected lockbox, until AFTER the CBS code has been entered. Showing agents, then, are given that code when they make the appointment for the showing. An agent who just happens by the house will find that their ekey does not work. No more "dropping in" when they see the Supra box and then assume the home is empty.
I know some agents who give the Supra box to the owner (or tenant) to be put outside the house only after an appointment is made. While that is a perfect system most of the time, you will lose showings when the owner cannot get back in time to put out the lockbox or when they are out of town. Often, the owner is not home but the house is show ready and all would be "go" except for the fact that the lockbox is locked INSIDE the house. CBS code to the rescue, because the lockbox is outside the house all of the time--inoperable to all except those who have an appointment (and, thus, have the code).
I find that the biggest obstacle to using CBS codes on my occupied listings is OTHER agents who have never encountered one. I am shocked by the reluctance of seemingly otherwise tech-savvy agents who tremble at the thought of navigating the steps to use a CBS code. Following are some illustrations to alleviate that fear:
STEP 1: Navigate to your ekey program as you normally would. Choose the ENTER CBS CODE option first and then follow the prompts to enter the 7 digit code that was given to you when you called for the appointment.
STEP 2: After you have entered the CBS code, you will be redirected to the familiar spot where you usually enter your user passcode. Proceed as you usually would.
It is all so embarrassingly simple that I do not know why more agents don't program all of their occupied listings with the codes. My daughter and I seem to be the only two agents in my market who actually use the codes. I am mystified by that fact.
*No more missed showings because the occupant forgot to put out the lockbox before rushing out of the house.
*No more missed opportunities when the occupant is out shopping or at work and the house could have been shown.
*And no more embarrassing moments when an agent opens the door of a house that is still occupied by someone who did not hear the doorbell because she was in the shower!
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