See the title of this blog? That has been my attitude of late. I think I may need an attitude adjustment..probably like a few of you out there. I'm really working on it,but here's the problem I'm having-
What do you do when you've moved from a very progressive,fast paced city, with a Realtors assoc. that is on the cutting edge of every new technology to a very,shall we say "relaxed" .. but very charming,slow paced smaller city? The latest technology is not a priority with them. Don't get me wrong. One of the reasons I moved this past Summer was to get back to a "simpler" life, to smell the roses, walk a little more on the beach,enjoy my family. But now that I am in "the simpler life", it is not as "simple" as I thought it would be.
My problem lately has been with a very "simple" thing- an electronic lockbox. To me, it's a must for a Realtor. How many Realtors out there use the electronic lock boxes to put on their listings? I own at least 20 of these nifty things. Where I came from, most of the Realtors use these..even the part-timers! In my new town, most don't use them, and when you tell the Realtors that your listing has a very safe and secure lockbox, I invariably hear a big sigh from the other end of the phone. I have taken this problem on, as my own personal war, against the dreaded combos. How can they not see that using a "combo" from the local hardware store is not safe,smart or professional? And the final straw, was the other day when I heard from a very high source at the local association, that they would probably be doing away completely with the whole electronic lockbox "thing" countywide, because there was so little (may I say NONE?) support.
Maybe I was in the big city too long, and the water got to me..but, we are in 2009, fellow Realtors! And we are swimming against the current, with our life vests unfastened, and the rip currents are taking us out further. Especially in this market, shouldn't we be using every professional and technological advancement to show our clients that we are the best choice to get the job done for them? We are taking no chances by using old-fashioned combos,because this allows anyone to access their properties, without appointments ,and with the possibility of "sharing" codes. This stuff happens..even in small,charming towns.
Just recently, I put a very nice,well priced home on the market. Several calls from Realtors to show it. One comment from one, was to do myself a favor and get a combo for that house, because if other agents can't access it,they won't show it. When I told him/her that I had put a electronic box on, they said "Most of us don't use those things."
Anyone else run into this kind of a thing? How do you deal with it? I really don't want to fall in line behind the others, and conform! It's not my thing. But I do want to "play nice."
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