What’s With the Special Lockboxes?

What are they?

A Sentrilock lockbox is typically installed (with your permission) on your property by your listing agent for the duration of your home sale.  This provides access to contractors/photographer (if needed, with your permission) prior to going on the market, to agents while on the market, as well as while your home is pending sale, after you’ve accepted an offer. These lockboxes are integrated with the MLS, which means the lockbox is specifically assigned to your home.  They are also connected to an app which allows licensed agents to access keys via these boxes.  They were a new innovation about 20 years ago, and are now ubiquitous in the industry.

Are they secure?

There are some features of these lockboxes that make them especially secure and useful for real estate!

• The data from the lockbox is transmitted to the mobile app, allowing listing agents to keep track of who is accessing your home, and when.  This proves especially helpful in the rare case when an agent accidentally walks away with your key in their pocket, since we can easily see who last accessed the box.  It also makes it simple to follow up with agents who have shown your home to buyer clients.
• It is easy for a listing agent to provide a ‘one day code’ to allow someone not licensed as an agent to open the box, like a contractor or cleaning service.  This date specific code will only work on that occasion, and new codes will be generated if needed.  This is safer than having one code that many parties may have used and may use again.
• Sentrilock boxes in each region provide general information on how often lockboxes are accessed, how long buyers stay at homes, etc. to provide unique data on the current market and activity, which helps us to be responsive to the market.
• These lockboxes are designed to be difficult to remove, and difficult to break into. While not impossible, they are tough.  While you may typically see them hung on doorknobs, they can also be installed in another secure location on your property, if the front door knob is not your preference.

Lita Batho

Broker | OR & WA

She/Her

Lita has a genuine enthusiasm for navigating home purchases and sales with the intention of outperforming the market and making the process stress free and transparent for her clients...

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• litabatho@livingroomre.com