Best of 2016: 5 Things You Didn't Know Your Lockbox Could Do

We're continuing an annual tradition of counting down our top 10 articles of the year. The following article was originally published back in July and is #3 in our countdown. See #4 here.

A new partnership between two NAR Realtor benefits is making it easier for agents to impress buyers during a showing.

Sentrilock has teamed up with Realtor's Property Resource to offer agents one-click access to RPR property data from the SentriSmart mobile app. According to a post on the RPR blog, "When opening a SentriLock box, the SentriSmart app will ask users if they would like to view the property by way of the RPR app. Choosing yes will open the RPR app seamlessly."

That means that Realtors can open the front door and immediately pull up data on the home, and easily answer buyer questions throughout a showing.

We think that's pretty neat, and it got us thinking about other cool things that lockboxes and their mobile apps can do. So we took a look at Sentrilock, the lockbox solution highlighted in our free, annual Technology Guide. Here are the top five things you may not know your lockbox can do:

1. Get text alerts when your listing is shown - Set up showing notifications to find out when a listing is being shown, right as it's happening! This feature will send you a text or email when your lockbox is opened by another Realtor. If you prefer getting a summary of showings at the end of the day, rather than real-time alerts, you can opt for a daily digest instead.

2. Send automatic feedback requests to showing agents - RPR isn't the only app that Sentrilock plays nice with. It also integrates with showing software, like Showing Sync from Showing Suite, which automatically sends feedback requests to the Realtor who opened your lockbox. (It works with Supra lockboxes, too.)

3. Text one-day codes (with instructions!) to contractors - Need to give non-Realtors, like contractors and photographers, access to your listing? You can set up codes that are valid for one day only from the SentriSmart app. The app also lets you text or email the code to the necessary party, complete with a pre-written message with the code and access instructions.

4. Alert team members to showings - Want to keep your assistant, team members, or broker in the loop about showings to your listing? When you set up showing notifications, you can also opt to send a copy of the notice to a secondary email address.

5. Use Bluetooth to release a lockbox shackle - Sidestep the manual struggle of removing a lockbox from a listing. Use the SentriSmart mobile app to use your smartphone to automatically release the shackle of Bluetooth-enabled lockboxes (the app can assist in unshackling non-Bluetooth boxes, too). The shackle releases immediately, so make sure you're there to grab it!

"Lockboxes" are just one category of real estate tech products highlighted in our 2016-17 Technology Guide. Download your copy today to learn more about all the technology that can make running your business easier!