Especially with as many "competing" listings as are on the market today, to get your home SOLD quickly, it’s important that other agents in the area show it to as many potential buyers as possible. The first thing a good agent will do when working with buyers is talk to the buyer and learn what kind of home they are looking for. Then the agent will search all the available homes for those most closely matching what the buyer wants. Next, the agent puts together a list of the best matches to go show to the buyer. When a busy agent is compiling a list of homes to show a buyer, the agent will naturally tend to show those houses that are easiest to gain access to first.

The easiest homes to show are the ones that have “lock boxes” on them. The lock box is a secure, electronic device which registers and transmits the showing agent's name, office affiliation, office phone number, the time of day the box was accessed and the time the key was returned. The lockbox is basically a "keysafe" which holds the key(s) to the home, that only qualified local agents can access. It will NOT interfere with your doorknob, nor the normal use of your keys. Further, security provisions require frequent "updating" of the keypad by agents on a regualr basis to prevent unauthorized use. Mine is actually combined with my "smart phone" and all now keypads use infra-red beams for access. The new electronic "keys" have replaced the old "mechanical" keys, which provided basically no record of who was in the home, not any security if the key was lost, etc.

Homes that are listed as being “lock box, no appointment needed” will get shown more often than homes listed as “agent has key, call for appointment”. If at all possible, you should let your agent put a lock box on your home for easier showing.

If you can’t do a lock box, you need to be sure that you make it as convenient and easy as possible for other agents to show your home.  If they call, do whatever you have to do to accommodate letting them show your home to buyers on their schedule.  If you don’t, the agent will probably show the buyer other homes, and if that buyer makes an offer on one of them, you’ve just lost a great opportunity.

It’s best if you can leave when the agent and buyer arrive to see your home.  Buyers won’t feel comfortable with you there, and it could sour an otherwise good impression.