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What Does Call First Lockbox Mean for a Sacramento Listing?
Call first lockbox does not mean call the listing agent.
Call First Lockbox. What does that mean? My sellers know know what it means. They also know that I track activity, all the comings and goings at their home. That’s one of the reasons to use a lockbox. The little infrared gizmo beams all agent access info directly to a website for me. As a Sacramento Realtor I follow up on my listings. I email agents who show and ask if they have questions. It gives me an excellent way to obtain buyer feedback for my sellers as well.
When a seller emailed to say he had an evening showing a while back, I looked up the agent information in MLS so I could contact her. She didn’t use the lockbox, and she didn’t have a business card. I warn sellers to not let people into their homes who do not produce a business card. All agents, when they are working, should carry business cards.
You’d be astonished at what people say when I throw out this scenario: Say, a For Sale sign goes into the yard and a nice looking couple knocks at your door. They say they spotted the For Sale sign and want to know if your home is for sale. What do you do? Nine out of 10 people say they would let these people in and show them around. No, no, no, you do NOT let strangers into your home. An agent would show you a business card. No card, no entry. Besides, most showings require an appointment or at the very least a phone call.
But this guy felt OK about it because the agent called him beforehand to let him know when she was coming over. The listing was put into MLS as: Call First Lockbox. Some agents think Call First Lockbox means call the listing agent. Other agents think it means call the seller and make an appointment. It really means call the seller, tell the seller when the agent will show the home and . . . GO. This way, a seller needs only to return the call if the time is inconvenient to show. This is standard showing practice in Sacramento.
If we wanted agents to make an appointment, we would have entered the listing into MLS as Appointment with Seller. If we wanted agents to call the listing agent, we would have entered the listing into MLS as Call Listing Agent. This is an important item for buyer’s agents to know, especially in this sizzling hot Sacramento market. Buyers are practically breaking down doors to get in. They are lined up for showings.
The home that my seller showed to the agent without a business card? It sold to somebody else. This happened when other agents were calling and leaving a message, asking the seller to call them back. They didn’t get a call back from the seller. They didn’t get a call back because it was listed: Call First Lockbox. The seller was too busy accommodating agents who showed up after leaving a message to bother calling back those who did not understand MLS directions.
Buyers, if you wanted to buy a home in Sacramento lately but couldn’t get in to see it, perhaps this is why.
Reasons to Review Sacramento MLS Before Showing
Always review MLS for status before showing
The good news is this morning the elk head that was sitting in my family room has gone to its new home at the Elk’s Lodge in Sacramento. Sometimes I feel like my life is a TV sitcom. As though I am but a mere viewer, sitting on a stool at a bar, glass of bourbon in hand, neat, and watching the goofy antics of some other Sacramento Realtor and not myself.
The bad news is I had 2 cancellations to deal with before the sun rose, but like my blog of yesterday, good news is often on the tail end of bad, and one of those cancellations is back in escrow with a new buyer. That home never saw the light of day back in MLS because I keep meticulous records of interested parties. When one collapses, another can slide right in.
My client who shot the elk will get a nice donation letter from the Elk’s Lodge, which she can most likely use as a tax deduction on her income taxes because she technically made a contribution to a charitable organization. Even if the elk did park itself temporarily to live on my family room floor. And thousands of US Service women and men can now appreciate Elkie daily. It is a fitting home for him.
I wish I could solve all of the problems we face in Sacramento real estate like this. The most pressing issue lately has been real estate agents and Sacramento REALTORS who do not read the MLS property information sheets they print. It seems like such a simple thing to do, just read the property data and the confidential remarks. If there are attachments to MLS, download them by clicking on the paperclip. Yet, I’d venture to guess that at least 1 out of every 3 agents do not.
The worst violation is showing instructions. They don’t seem to know that Call First Lockbox means call the seller (and not the agent) when the seller’s name and number are listed. If we meant Call Listing Agent, then that box would be checked instead, and the instructions would be Call Listing Agent. But that can be ambiguous if the listing agent doesn’t complete the listing correctly as well. The worst showing instruction violation, though, is when the buyer’s agent just sails into the house without calling, and it’s occupied. Hello?
I want to get down on my hands and knees and plead, please please read MLS showing instructions. Don’t use the Supra lockbox and unlock the door if you haven’t read the instructions for showing. Because you know who the seller blames when this happens? I lost a listing last week because a seller completely freaked out when an agent did not call and tried to enter his home unannounced. It almost makes me want to go back to the days of no lockboxes, when you had to pick up a key at the listing office.
If in doubt, review the MLS before entering a home. It’s that simple. Just double check yourself. While you’re standing near the lockbox, read the instructions one more time. I realize the MLS app for the iPhone 6 Plus seems messed up but it can work in a browser window like Safari. Believe it, many buyer’s agents are using worthless apps to access information from their mobile devices (like Trulia and Zillow), but only MLS shows the correct information. Please use it.
