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Friday Fun…Key Tales

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Home Stager

Friday Fun…Key Tales

 

Gloria Todor wrote an excellent post about Keys recently that reminded me of a few (well, slightly more than a few) times when we have been locked out. 

Keys are such small things and the power they hold over us is interesting. 

 

 

When we moved to Leesburg, VA, I was still living in FL, waiting for the movers. We closed on the house and Larry headed there to spend the night there.  You know how it is…new home and you’re still figuring out where light switches are.

He stepped outside for a minute and OOPS…he was locked out. All he had (thank goodness) was his phone. Thank goodness, our agent lived in the same community and still had the keys to the house. AGENT to the rescue!

 

In FL, I was previewing a property with an agent who was considering having it staged.  We went out to look at the pool and ….YES we were locked out.  She’d left her phone in the home but I had mine so we could call her office. It wasn’t too bad, though…the weather was sunny and we sat by the pool to wait for a key!!!

 

 

That was not the first or last time we’ve been locked out. 

 

We now have a lockbox outside for that NEXT time!!!  (and yes, we’ve already had to use it!)  You can get these on Amazon or your local hardware store. 

 

What about you?  Do you have any favorite/funny KEYS stories? 

Posted by

Kathy Streib
Retired Home Stager
and Interior Redesign

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Comments(17)

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Doug Rogers
RE/MAX Coastal Properties - Destin, FL
Your Real Estate Resource!

Early on in my career I was working with this buyer with a tight schedule. We ended up looking at SEVEN homes spread over 20 miles. I was super nervous to make sure everything went well. 

As a got home that night I felt something in my pocket. It was a key to one of the listings, and I had no clue which one...

Jan 17, 2025 04:45 AM
Kathy Streib

Doug Rogers oh my gosh!!!! So how many houses did you have to go back to before you found the right house????

Jan 17, 2025 01:01 PM
Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400
The Top Team @ Charles Rutenberg Realty 255 Executive Dr, Plainview NY 11803 - Plainview, NY
Long Island Condo and Home Specialists

Kathy, After the buyers left, a windstorm slammed the door shut and ended up chatting with the neighbors while waiting for homeowners to return. They became great referral sources!

Jan 17, 2025 04:47 AM
Kathy Streib

Lawrence "Larry" & Sheila Agranoff. Cell: 631-805-4400 wow!!!   Now that's making lemonade out of lemons!!!

Jan 17, 2025 01:02 PM
Kat Palmiotti
eXp Commercial, Referral Divison - Kalispell, MT
Helping your Montana dreams take root

The only thing that pops into my mind is the time I was showing a house right after a large snowfall. There might have been a foot of snow and I opened the lockbox with frozen hands and the key slid right out into the snow. Then I had to find it which wasn't as easy as it might have sounded.

Oh, and then there was the time I opened the lockbox to find a cracked key. Can't use that!

And the time I was showing a condo and the keys were with the building superintendent and he kept giving me the wrong keys. I think we tried three times before we got in there. And I had to walk all the way back to the start of this big building to find the super. Geez.

That's it for now!

Jan 17, 2025 04:47 AM
Kathy Streib

Kat Palmiotti Oh my gosh!!!! Of the ones you mentioned, I would have been very frustrated having to walk back and forth because of the building superintnedent. 

Jan 17, 2025 01:06 PM
Bill Salvatore - East Valley
Arizona Elite Properties - Chandler, AZ
Realtor - 602-999-0952 / em: golfArizona@cox.net

One of the worst feelings in the world, being locked out of your home.  Thank God the Realtor still had keys. Thanks for sharing, make it a great Friday and enjoy your

weekend!

Bill Salvatore, Realtor- Arizona Elite Properties

Jan 17, 2025 05:06 AM
Kathy Streib

Bill Salvatore - East Valley I agree. Larry didn't know anyone except for a few people in his office. The agent and her family became friends!!!

Jan 17, 2025 01:07 PM
Dorie Dillard Austin TX
Coldwell Banker Realty ~ 512.750.6899 - Austin, TX
NW Austin ~ Canyon Creek and Spicewood/Balcones

Good morning Kathy,

I remember years ago I was showing houses to a mom and her young daughter. We walked out of the game room on the second story to the deck. My phone was on the pool table and I turned around and the little girl was shutting the door before I could say something. Sure enough we were locked out! No was no stairs on the upper deck to the ground. I saw a truck on the side street and began waiving at him and shouting and he saw me. He stopped, pulled up in front of the house, came through the house and opened the door in the game room! I learned some valuable lessons many years ago! Always keep my phone on me and if I walk out on a deck I always check the lock and I don't shut the door!

Jan 17, 2025 05:08 AM
Kathy Streib

Dorie Dillard Austin TX That must have been frightening!!!  Thank goodness you were able to flag down someone!!! When I was staging a vacant home, I always had by phone in my pocket as well as the key to the house. I learned to do this after someone came into the house  after I'd gone out to my SUV to get inventory. 

Jan 17, 2025 01:15 PM
Ed Silva, 203-206-0754
Mapleridge Realty, CT 203-206-0754 - Waterbury, CT
Associate Real Estate Broker

We have all gotten kicked out at one time or other 

so many flower pots placed near a door with a spare within

Jan 17, 2025 05:22 AM
Kathy Streib

Ed Silva, 203-206-0754 first place thieves look, right??!!

Jan 17, 2025 01:17 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Good morning, Kathy. I was out showing a home some years ago and the key in the lockbox did not work on any of the house locks! Unbelievable! So as the house was built close to the ground, I went around the entire home looking for a window that might not be locked... and as luck would have it, I found one and climbed through the window so I could open the door for my clients, who were laughing their heads off and said I might have a good career as a cat burglar!

Jan 17, 2025 05:28 AM
Kathy Streib

Ah ha Nina Hollander, Broker quite the skills!  From a former life????   Were the sellers informed that they'd left a back window open???  Our neighbor did that a few years ago, but she'd leave the window unlocked on purpose! 

Jan 17, 2025 01:19 PM
Nina Hollander, Broker

Kathy Streib I have no clue, Kathy. I reported the key glitch to the listing agent and told her how we got in, but as my clients did not buy that house that was the last I heard.

Jan 17, 2025 01:24 PM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543
Realty ONE Group Advocates 484-237-2055 - Downingtown, PA
Selling the Main Line & Chester County

I usually let clients go through a door first, was showing a home with a deck and opened the slider and the cleint waved me through and pulled the slider shut, locked out, luckily I had the front door key on me, so I hoped over the deck railing and walked around to open the door from the inside. Have never made that mistake again. I also broker a key off in the lock of a listing once, that was embarrassing, did not know my own strength.

Jan 17, 2025 07:14 AM
Kathy Streib

Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543 it's a good thing the deck wasn't up high like Dorie Dillard Austin TX mentioned in her post. 

Jan 17, 2025 01:22 PM
Nick Vandekar, 610-203-4543

Kathy Streib it was up a but not real high, and I was younger.

Jan 17, 2025 01:26 PM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Kathy - accessibility is certainly appropriate for real estate practice as well as everyday life.  And I have stories that "fit" both situations.  And isn't that the key to a long life on this planet - learning along the way even if making the same mistakes more than once, twice or even thrice happens.  Even if I could write memorable lyrics, I doubt I could reach the right key.  Yes, some things seem to come together.  Just like that.   🔑🔐🗝

Jan 17, 2025 08:39 AM
Kathy Streib

Michael Jacobs The KEY is that I'll wager that every agent has been locked out at least once!!! 

Jan 17, 2025 01:24 PM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten
Retired Broker/Owner - Phoenix, AZ
602-380-4886

Kathy I've never been locked out that I recall, thank goodness.  What I do remember about keys is when I first started in the RE Business we had to physically go to each office of the listings we were going to show and pick up keys and then return them all.  What a zoo that could be!  Within a year or so they came out with the early rendition of a lockbox that had a universal key so that was a big improvement. No more running around picking up and dropping off keys!!

Jan 17, 2025 09:27 AM
Anna "Banana" Kruchten

OMG now that's a nightmare!  Thank goodness we never did that!!

Jan 17, 2025 02:50 PM
Kathy Streib

Anna "Banana" Kruchten I vaguely remember reading here, I think, maybe not, of an agent who had all of the keys to her listings with her. She kept them in a box and brought them home with her. One time she'd left them on top of her car...and you can figure out the rest. 

Jan 17, 2025 01:25 PM
Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty
Waves Realty - Melbourne, FL
Florida Space Coast Homes

It is the worst. I have been locked out a couple of times...it is simply the most embarrassing thing ever.

Jan 17, 2025 10:40 AM
Kathy Streib

Jeffrey DiMuria 321.223.6253 Waves Realty I'll bet your clients laughed with you!!!!

Jan 17, 2025 01:29 PM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

Having a lockbox is a good idea. I should have kept one of the lockboxes when I retired.

Jan 17, 2025 01:31 PM
Gloria Todor
Premier Property Sales & Rentals - Springfield, PA
& Doug Durren (484) 431-3686 in SE PA

Kathy, Thank you for the mention, glad it inspired your post.

What comes to mind for me is, years ago when it was a very strong buyers' market, we were given the location of a lockbox for a condo.  But the instructions failed to give us any unique feature about the lockbox which would have helped immensely, like a ribbon or x on box, because when we looked at the fence full of lockboxes it was impossible to find the one with the key we needed.  I called the agent for help, to no avail.

Jan 17, 2025 01:57 PM
Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Funny the other day Diane got locked out in the back yard... needless to say we have a secret key stashed away for this occasion and she was able to come in... she said I locked her out:))))Endre

Jan 17, 2025 10:01 PM
Aura Alex
Seattle, WA
Retired Real Estate Pro

Hi Kathy,

I wish I had some thrilling, edge-of-your-seat key stories to share from my career, but alas, as a listing agent, I spent most of my time showcasing homes rather than unlocking them.

However, I have one unforgettable "key" adventure" in my personal life. My husband, bless his heart, struggled with early onset Alzheimer's and had a habit of misplacing his car keys (he no longer drives today).

Every time they went missing, it became a scavenger hunt that would have made Sherlock Holmes proud. The twist? The keys often turned up in the freezer, chilling next to the frozen waffles as if they belonged there. Who knew keys needed cooling off after a long day?😅

Jan 17, 2025 11:16 PM
Brian England
Ambrose Realty Management LLC - Gilbert, AZ
MBA, GRI, REALTOR® Real Estate in East Valley AZ

I enjoyed that post from Gloria Todor and I rarely even use keys these days, haha.  I don't carry any with me on a daily basis, but I keep a set in my vehicle in case I need one of them, haha.

Jan 18, 2025 05:26 AM
Jeff Dowler, CRS
eXp Realty of California, Inc. - Carlsbad, CA
The Southern California Relocation Dude

Kathy:

We have a key in a lock box on the hose bib just in case.

Years ago I previewed a property quite a distance from my home. When done I locked the door but stuck the key in my pocket as I was on the phone and forgot to put it in the lock box, It was a long trip back with the key when I got home and realized I had it in my pocket. I was sure embarrassed especially since I called the listing agent to let them know what had happened.

Jeff

Jan 18, 2025 04:44 PM