At Columbus REALTORS®, we take the safety of our members and their clients/customers extremely seriously. As a real estate association, we feel it only appropriate that we share some safety tips and protocols with you on this issue. We hope that you find these useful and informative!
Masks
Recently, Columbus REALTORS® has received reports of agents not properly wearing masks when showing homes or interacting with others during business. While we realize that masks might make communication a bit more difficult, we encourage all agents to observe the mandates put in place by the state of Ohio concerning the wearing of masks. This is important in order for the real estate industry to continue to be deemed an “essential” service in Ohio.
As an independent contractor and entrepreneur, we celebrate your successes. We ask that our members also follow the governmental mandates concerning masks, as well as heeding the CDC’s own recommendations, as you go about your business. A REALTOR® upholds high standards of conduct and keeps a constant regard for the experiences of others through the process of buying and selling homes. For that reason, we know our members will keep their masks on and remain socially distanced while conducting their work.
LOCKBOX & KEY SAFETY
Columbus REALTORS® has also received word from agents that occasionally when leaving a property after a showing, agents arriving for the next scheduled showing are asking that the previous agent pass them the key to the property, rather than the key being returned to the lockbox and then subsequently removed using the proper access code.
While perhaps convenient, the lockbox rules and regulations prohibit such a practice. As a matter of security, when any agent concludes a showing, they must replace the key back into the lockbox they retrieved it from.
Why not simply hand the key over to the next agent to show the property? First, they might be lying about their identity. There is a sad possibility that someone who is not an agent could claim to be one in order to get a key to the residence. These individuals might pose as REALTORS® to get easy access to the valuables inside a listing. Of course, putting the key back inside the lockbox will prevent this, since only REALTORS® have full access to the electronic lockbox system we have in place.
The second reason ties in directly with our current electronic lockbox system. Each Supra lockbox keeps a log of every individual who removes a key from the lockbox. This includes the user’s serial number, name, and the time they removed and returned the key. If an agent hands the key off to the next agent showing the property, the lockbox will not have a record of that second agent who entered the property, since they never removed the key from the lockbox themselves. Should something go wrong later, the incomplete records may not be able to establish an accurate timeline of who entered when. This reduces accountability and puts the listing at risk.
The rules and regulations concerning the lockboxes and the keys exist so that sellers can feel secure about the individuals entering their home for showings and that listing agents can keep an accurate record of those individuals. Everyone who enters a listing for the purpose of showing the home must be a licensed real estate agent, and having records of their showing makes everyone’s lives easier. After each showing, please be sure that you put the key to each home you show back in the lockbox you retrieved it from, even if another agent is waiting outside the residence. We know this protocol might slow things down just a touch, but it grants piece of mind to you, the seller, and your clients.
