Keeping Your Home Safe When It’s Listed for Sale

One concern many homeowners have when selling their house is security. When your home is listed on the market, multiple agents and buyers may be touring the property, which raises an important question:

How do you keep your home secure during the selling process?

As a listing agent, protecting my clients and their property is one of my most important responsibilities. While it’s impossible to prevent every potential issue, there are several steps we take to significantly reduce risk and keep your home safe while it’s on the market.

The Importance of a Secure Lockbox

One of the most important tools we use is called a Supra lockbox. This lockbox system is widely used by professional real estate agents and is designed specifically to protect homeowners while their property is listed.

The Supra lockbox is the blue box you often see hanging on the front door of homes for sale, but it is much more secure than a standard combination lockbox.

Unlike traditional dial lockboxes, a Supra lockbox can only be opened using a secure app on a licensed real estate agent’s phone.

For the app to work, the agent must:

• Be a licensed real estate agent

• Be an active member of the local Realtor association

• Have their professional dues paid and account in good standing

This means the general public cannot access the key stored inside the lockbox.

Full Access Tracking for Your Home

Another major benefit of the Supra system is that it keeps a detailed log of every agent who opens the lockbox.

If a homeowner ever suspects that someone entered their property without an appointment, we can immediately check the lockbox activity and see:

• Which agent accessed the property

• The exact date and time the lockbox was opened

That level of tracking creates accountability and provides an added layer of protection for homeowners.

Why Combination Lockboxes Are Less Secure

Some homes are still listed with traditional combination lockboxes that use a numeric code.

While these boxes may seem convenient, they come with several security risks.

Access codes are often written down by agents on printed MLS sheets or showing instructions. Sometimes those papers are thrown away or lost, which means the code could potentially fall into the wrong hands.

If someone were to obtain the code and the address, they could open the lockbox and enter the property — and there would be no way to track who accessed the home.

While situations like this are rare, it’s simply not a risk worth taking.

Protecting Sellers Throughout the Listing Process

When you list your home, your agent’s job goes beyond marketing and negotiating offers. A major part of the role is ensuring that your home is protected throughout the showing process.

Choosing a secure lockbox system may seem like a small detail, but it plays a major role in protecting both the homeowner and the property.

What Sellers Should Know Before Listing Their Home

When preparing to sell a home in the Twin Cities real estate market, it’s important to work with an agent who takes both marketing and security seriously.

Every detail matters — from how showings are scheduled to the technology used to control access to your home.

If you’re considering selling and want to discuss how to prepare your home for the market while keeping it safe and secure, feel free to reach out.

Text HOMES to 952-994-7204 and I’ll be happy to answer your questions.