Why This Sacramento Agent Carries a Display Key

There are days in Sacramento real estate when it seems like one just can’t use enough technology or have enough electronic gizmos at one’s disposal. The gift of magic always come with a price, though. Sometimes digital wonders don’t work. They can go haywire. Or, something else malfunctions. Like the other day when gmail went down and thousands of gmail users went bonkers.

As a Sacramento real estate agent, I maintain a half dozen email accounts through various service providers and online sites, yet I take great precautions that no one will ever find my email address online. I utilize a variety of devices to access the Internet, and I have more than a few ways to get online, which means short of an asteroid hitting the Earth and wiping out all communications, I can always reach out and touch someone.

This is why I don’t subscribe to an eKey through my cellphone. I don’t like putting all of my eggs into one basket. If it doesn’t work, I’m hosed. Agents need either an eKey or display key to access a Supra lockbox, which contain keys for showing a home. An agent on another website wrote a cute blog yesterday about playing an online game and in order to earn extra points, had set his cellphone clock ahead by 24 hours. Then, he tried to show homes to a busload of passengers and his eKey would not work.

Hey, a person can drop his cellphone into the toilet or she can flip it out the car window. What happens if the cell tower is down or a Sacramento agent is showing a home in the foothills without cellphone coverage? There are must too many variables. For me, it’s much safer to just subscribe to a display key and forget about using my cellphone to access a lockbox. That way, if I experience a little hiccup, I can call the Supra toll-free number and an extremely patient person will explain how to straighten a paperclip, stick it into the hole in the back to reset the display key, and all is well with the world.

To have it not work once is too many times. Yeah, it might cost a little bit more, but this Sacramento agent prefers to be safe than sorry.