Combos are becoming the norm even when they cost the same. I’m not sure why, but you make an excellent point about security, although we do use a showing service for all our listings.

On the other hand, I have heard of homes accessed even with an electronic lockbox.

Very few Realtors are using the Supra box anymore and we were one of their first clients. When IDX came in and boards around us didn’t use electronic lockboxes, it died a slow death.

Supra is “suppose” to be coming up with a solution but as time has gone on, more agents are turning in the lockboxes.

I showed 10 houses a couple of weeks ago. Only one required my E-Key.

To answer your question, not very. An REO agent in our market rarely puts an electronic lock box on, wait a sec… never. If you show one of their properties you know the combo is the same for all 150 of the agents listings. And if you just happen to be on that email list for investors that the REO agent shoots out before the property hits the MLS, well then you know all those investors might know the code.

Last weekend while showing some a property in the $1.2 mil range there was a push button lock box sitting on a bench outside the listing. The email notification didn’t have the lock box code so I took a stab at the number, first try and got it.

What’s a lockbox? Ha, ha.

Seriously, I’ve been in the biz for 30 years. I remember the days and have worked in markets (Aspen) where you had to go to the listing agents office to pick up keys. I remember when we used the boxes with the long medal key and you had to move the metal tabs to line up with your key code.

In our market we use the electronic boxes and if we need to put on a combo for REO vendors, repair people, we do that too.

Enhanced security and safety for the seller should completely and obviously overwhelm the desire to save a few dollars for the agents.

Cheers