Gary Dwyer's Real Estate Blog

Forget a fancy dinner, chocolates, flowers or expensive jewelry.  Man or woman, homeowner or renter -everyone has the same item at the top of their Valentine's Day wish list - a lockbox.

As a buyer agent, I love lock boxes.  It makes a property much more accessible for showings and, particularly when it is the first showing, it can save the listing brokers time if my client doesn't think the property will meet their needs.  If the buyer likes the property, we can always schedule a second showing with the listing broker or follow-up with specific questions after the showing.

I also like lock boxes for after the sale and the buyer has the keys in their hands.  It is not uncommon for a homeowner (or a tenant) to get locked out of their house, thinking that they had the keys in their pocket.  Even worse, realizing that you have lost your keys on a Saturday evening out and it is now 1:30 a.m. and there is no one home to let you in.  Even if someone may have a set of keys for an emergency, the thought (and process) of waking someone up in the middle of the night is not pleasant.  In most cases, it requires the services of a locksmith which can be expensive and time consuming.

The simple solution is a lockbox which can be purchased at many hardware stores and home improvement centers such as Home Depot and Loews.  There are a variety of styles available - from ones that connect to a fence or pole to ones that can be screwed into a wall or fence post.  For $30.00 or so you can save yourself a lot of time, money and aggravation. 

So this year, spread the love on Valentines Day with a lockbox - they may not love you for it that night, but at some point you will be the love of their life!