Should You Allow Your Realtor® to Use a Lock Box on your Atlanta Georgia home

What is it and why is it useful ?

     A "Lockbox" is essentilly a "locked box" within which there is a key to your home. Lockboxes come in a variety of types from the older mechanical type to more modern electronic units that provide your Realtor® with information as to who showed your home and when.

     The electronic types are in most common use in Atlanta today and they are generally placed on your front door or somewhere easily located by a Realtor® who wants to show your home to a propsective buyer. Only someone with a Realtor's "electronic key" can open the lockbox, retrieve the key and thereby, enter your home to show it. These "electronic keys" are closely controlled by your local Real Estate Board to assure that only active Realtors® have them.

     Having a lockbox available at your house makes it convenient for other Realtors® to get access to your house to show it.

     Without a lockbox in place on your home, a Realtor representing a buyer would need to arrange to have either you or your Listing Agent Realtor® meet him or her at the property so he could gain access and show your home. That may not sound like a big deal, but a Realtor® cannot know in advance just how much time his Buyer prospect will want to spend at each home he shows them in the Tampa Florida area. So, while he may arrange with your Listing agent to be there within a 2 hour window, he cannot be much more specific than that. So you, or your Listing agent is forced to stay at the home for an extended period awaiting the Buyer's agent Realtor® and his prospect(s). That is not very convenient for either you or your Listing agent.

     Finally, consider this. Almost every other home for sale in the Tampa real estate market will have a lockbox available, so if you do not allow one, many Realtors® will simply not show your property. You will miss out on lots of potential buyers.

     Your in the Atlanta Georgia listing contract specifies whether or not you will allow the use of a lockboxt. If you still have questions or concerns about the use of a lock box, ask your Realtor® to demonstrate one to you. If you want your home sold at a good price in a reasonable amount of time, it is best to allow your Listing Agent to install a lockbox.