From Staff
Five days and a small army of workers is what it took to replace 18,000 lockboxes on for-sale homes in Northeast Florida.
The Northeast Florida Association of Realtors in August brought 18,000 new Supra lockboxes to the Greater Jacksonville Fair and Expo Center for members to swap out with their older ones.
It’s the group’s first lockbox update since 2003.
NEFAR members are not required to use the association’s lockboxes, but many do for liability reasons, said Glenn East, the group’s executive director. The lockboxes electronically track all key holders who have accessed a house.
NEFAR offered the lockbox exchange because batteries on its old lockboxes were only guaranteed for six years and some had begun to fail, East said.
Also the new lockboxes use Bluetooth, rather than the old infrared, technology. That gives agents the option of accessing the lockboxes with an app, instead of a fob, on newer smartphones.
Suzanne Kitchens of Harris Real Estate said she liked the new box’s larger size – big enough to hold extra keys and also key access cards. Also, the shackle is completely removable, making it easier to place around doorknobs.
The lock boxes cost $100 each, plus a monthly or yearly fee for key service, depending on the service option chosen.