In the past two weeks, I have shown up at two vacant homes in Fairfax, Virginia with clients wanting to take a look-see, only to find that the SentriLock lock-boxes did not work. You know, SentriLock’s are the little blue boxes on the front door handles of homes for sale.
In the Washington D.C. metro area, we have Realtor Associations in Maryland, D.C., and Virginia, plus many Realtor sub-associations in each state. Some agents get licensed in all three jurisdictions which also means they need to join each association (yes, it does sound like a racket to me too). But, this is where some agents may be trying to skip a step when working on the other side of the river.
Well, the first time the box did not work I just called the agent and left a message. The second time I left a message too. I figured out the Maryland connection through a little detective work… their telephone numbers were area code 301.
Maybe a trench coat would help my business? Or maybe that’s a 301 redirect (too geeky?)
Silence.
No response, no thank you’s, and no call saying that they changed the box so please come back.
They did not care about the situation… probably because driving from Maryland into Northern Virginia almost requires you to go through Tysons Corner where the Capital Beltway is torn up and traffic is snarled 18-hours a day.
The lesson for the Sellers: If your agent installs an out of area lock-box, then you have a gross negligence case.
Maybe it’s time to find someone who cares about selling your home!
