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A Simple Way To Sell Your Home --- Let Us Get Inside.....

By Michael Jacobs

Industry Observer CalDRE #01165532

August 19, 2011 04:47 PM

A Simple Way To See Your Home --- Let Us Get Inside.....

There are a lot of posts regarding making sure your home is easily available to see when it is on the market. What if the lights are on, background music set, the stage is perfectly set for visitors but.......

You can't get inside the house....because the key in the lockbox is not correct or is difficult to operate.

This week --- I had three different occurences while previewing properties in advance of showing them to clients.

One was a lockbox issue with a bank owned property. The supra lockbox had been tampered and the listing office said, oh so sorry, we won't be able to have anyone out there to repair(repair---how about switching it out??) until Monday(this was on Wednesday). Hmmm, cross that one off the list ---- and 171 days on the market....

Two others were keys that did operate correctly. I had to use WD-40 to loosen it from the keyhole(not a great first impression) and the second(four keys in the lockbox and three of them seem to work fine but the last one was very sticky a fact confirmed by the listing agent....oh, yeah, I've been meaning to get that fixed).

So, here's a simple way to help sell your home.....

Let Us Get Inside

Michael Jacobs is a Realtor who serves the Pasadena/San Gabriel Valley as well as the northeast foothill communties within the city of Los Angeles and can be reached at 818.516.4393 cell or michaeljacobs@coldwellbanker.com

call michael jacobs 818.516.4393

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Gladys Webb

Kreative Realty LLC - Tuscaloosa, AL

Michael, it is very imbarassing, and it makes us look unprofessional not up on our game so to speak....Its extra time and gas but I've learned to just do a quick drive by the day before if at all possible to view the inside myself, and check for issues such as this, it happens here too!

Aug 19, 2011 04:54 PM

Pamela Seley

West Coast Realty Division - Murrieta, CA

Residential Real Estate Agent serving SW RivCo CA

Michael, I have to laugh because this happens more than it should! I love the response I get when I tell the LA the key is missing, or some such thing. (I get the impression they know.)

Aug 19, 2011 05:16 PM

Barbara Hensley

RE/MAX Properties - Rockwall, TX

Homes for Sale in Rockwall County, Texas

Michael - it happens all the time! Too bad that the home owners do not know how many showing they may have missed because of keybox not working properly, a key that won't work, etc.

Aug 19, 2011 05:25 PM

Roger D. Mucci

Shaken...with a Twist 216.633.2092 - Euclid, OH

Lets shake things up at your home today!

Well that had to be most frustrating Michael..........kind of hard to sell a house if you can't get inside! Yikes!

Aug 20, 2011 12:11 AM

Michael Jacobs

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Gladys --- very embarrasing had I been with a client. I was doing the review/preview to make sure everything would be set to show my client(s).

Pamela -- exactly! When I told the listing agent(of one of the situations), she said, I know it's so frustrating.,,,Yeah, you think????

Barbara -- Unfortunately, I know it is not uncommon. If only sellers knew what sometimes goes on --- "why aren't we getting more showings??"

Roger -- if only the listing agent takes a minute to test the keys/lockbox. Put yourself in the role of the agent who will be showing the home. What will make that experience of trying to show(and sell) the home easier.

Aug 20, 2011 02:02 AM

Not a real person

San Diego, CA

You're quite demanding! lol

Hope you have a most wonderful weekend!

Aug 20, 2011 04:51 AM

Belinda Spillman

Aspen Lane Real Estate Colorful Colorado - Aurora, CO

Colorado Living!

Michael. That is a very common problem. Don't you wonder if the homeowner and/or listing agent even try the key before they put it in the lockbox. Its like they run to Home Depot and get a spare cut and never even try it. Yikes!

Aug 20, 2011 07:09 AM

Don Sabinske

Don Sabinske, Sabinske & Associates Inc. - Zimmerman, MN

Sabinske & Associates Inc.

Michael, I find this amusing to some extent. I have had the same problems with property, too. It helps to have some alternatives in your arsenal.....

Aug 20, 2011 08:56 AM

Russel - Yeah, I guess so --- in fact, you betcha.

Belinda - yes, so simple to test the key, test the lockbox, yada, yada, yada....

Don - amusing yet frustrating ---- amusement must be while remembering, right?

Aug 20, 2011 01:07 PM

Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP

DFW FINE PROPERTIES - Flower Mound, TX

Selling Homes Changing Lives

Michael,

I've had that happen to me way to many times and it's embarrassing when you're clients are with you. Keeping your emotions in check can be very challenging when their patience is low and their on a time line too.

I wish SUPRA would come up with a way to give us a code so that we can get in; but then again, it's not always the box, sometimes the key isn't there, or a key is there, but it's not the right one.

Agents, bad agents...

Aug 20, 2011 04:03 PM

Patricia - I share your pain. You're right, most of the times the issue is not with the SUPRA box but with the contents and in some cases the lack of the correct contents. Most of the time, there's no issue but when it happens, it certainly can be frustrating, very frustrating.

Aug 21, 2011 04:08 AM

Jane Peters

Home Jane Realty - Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles real estate concierge services

That's definitely a duh.

Aug 21, 2011 07:02 PM

Jane - definitely.

Aug 22, 2011 02:48 AM

Adrian Willanger

206 909-7536 AdrianWillanger-broker.com - Seattle, WA

Profit from my two decades of experience

Michael, never hurts to have WD40 in your tool box! My all time favorite is when the key-box are put in a place you can't find.

Best

Aug 28, 2011 12:43 AM

Adrian - good advice and I have used the WD-40 from my car in the last week to help with a unresponsive key in a door and you are right about the lockboxes in "mysterious" places.

Aug 28, 2011 03:23 AM

A Simple Way To Sell Your Home --- Let Us Get Inside.....

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