Lockbox? What's that?

When your home is listed for sale with a Realtor®, other Realtors® will be interested in showing your home to their prospective buyers. It is best that you are not at home during any showing. If you’re in your home during a showing, the prospective buyer will feel uncomfortable about the intrusion into your home, even if it was cleared by their Realtor®. The best way for a showing to occur is for you to allow the placement of a secure lockbox on your home.

In the Saline and Ann Arbor area, there are a couple of lockbox options which most Realtors® use on a regular basis. The first option is an electronic lockbox (which most Realtors® refer to as an “iBox”).

iBox Supra electronic KeyBoxes are used on over 2.3 million homes nationwide.

The iBox works as follows:
1. It usually hangs on your front door knob, or a secure home feature near the front door (perhaps a water faucet or a porch railing).
2. One of your front door keys is kept inside the lockbox.
3. Realtors® will open the iBox using their own security device. The security device must be updated each day by the Realtor®, so you are assured that only a Realtor® can open the lockbox.
4. After the showing, the Realtor® will replace your home key inside the iBox, so it is available for the next showing.

The next option is a combination lockbox. There are several types of combo boxes – alphabetic rotating dials, numeric rotating dials, and numeric push buttons.

Supra - Push Button Portable Lockbox -- Push-button key boxes make access easier, Codes are easily changed, Great during escrow for appraiser, termite, repair, etc. Trusted by real estate agents for over 40 years.

The combo boxes work as follows:
1. As with the iBox, it usually hangs on your front door knob.
2. One of your front door keys is kept inside the lockbox.
3. Realtors® will open the combo box using the combo provided by the listing Realtor®. Note that once an agent knows the combo for the lockbox on your home, they can re-enter at any time. Note also, though, that no right-minded Realtor® would ever jeopardize their professional status by an un-authorized entry of your home.
4. After the showing, the Realtor® will replace your home key inside the iBox, so it is available for the next showing.

So when it comes to putting your home up for sale, be sure to ask your Realtor® about the lockbox they will be using on your home.