It’s September and that means RMLS™ fourth quarter subscription dues and key fees will soon be invoiced.
But wait! Won’t there be a conversion this fall to SentriLock, you might ask? Why, yes there will.
What does that mean for your bill? Let me give you a little bit of information.
Since we are converting mid-quarter, fourth quarter invoices will look a bit different. Subscribers will still have two invoices on their statement—but if you pay for a key your key invoice will have two lines for key service instead of one:
- Supra Key Lease charge for October (the rate will vary based on your key type)
- $22.00 SentriLock service charge for November and December 2013.
Beginning in the first quarter of 2014 (which will be invoiced December 1, 2013) the new quarterly cost for SentriLock service will be $33.00.
If you have any questions, contact RMLS™ Accounting at (503) 872-8003 or leave a comment!
I’m an appraiser and I currently maintain a lock box key for 2 reasons; #1 so I can be more flexible when it comes to inspecting the listed property which means it will get done faster and if there is something that needed fixed or wasn’t complete and I have to reinspect, I can go there NOW and get the report back to the lender within a couple hours. And #2 It keeps the realtors from having to schedule and drive to the subject property just to let me in.
Most of our work is refinances so sometimes I go multiple months without using the key. If the fees are going up for appraisers too, I’ll probably be giving mine back.
Realtors are always happy when they hear me say I’ve got a key. I’m sorry that might change.
Thank you for explaining the importance of accessing lockboxes in your business. The price difference is minimal for ActiveKey holders as the increase is $1.20 per quarter for the new SentriCard. For eKey Basic holders there is a decrease of $7.50 per quarter and for eKey Professional holders there is a decrease of $34.35 per quarter. I hope this helps you in your decision making process.
Isn’t part of the point of the SentriLock that the Realtor can program a one-time code to let someone in without a key?
Hi Charles,
Yes, one of the methods to access the key container will be one-day or one-hour codes, but this is up to the brokers and brokerages to determine whether they will allow that access or not. So, this shouldn’t be seen as a reliable method to access a property.
Many agents may turn the one-day/one-hour codes off, so it will still be strongly advisable to carry a key in order to access properties when you need to.
As John said, don’t rely on being able to use a one day code. Great as a possible second way to access if you have key issues but if the listing agent is out of the office or hasn’t retrieved them then you would be out of luck. If you have a key issue or forget to take it with you for some reason (like driving a second car) you can still use a new phone app to get a working code. I don’t believe the option will be available for anyone not leasing a key though. Keys are cheap so there isn’t any reason not to have one.
The current lock boxes are just fine. The new ones look clumsier and heavier. Why the change?
Hello Rich,
The decision to change was made by the Board of Directors earlier this year. Our Supra contract is coming to an end and the Board did an extensive comparison of the 2 systems and ultimately decided to change to SentriLock. To view more information about the change please visit http://rmlscentral.com/2013/08/30/sentrilock-conversion-subscriber-questions-and-answers/.
The new Supra boxes are also larger (much taller) and heavier. There isn’t any other way to make more key room.
Well it seems obvious that RMLS in their “extensive comparison” must have seen something that benefited them rather than the agents. The new boxes are so cumbersome you have to close them when you open the door to keep from damaging the doorjam. Access takes about twice as long as the Supra Boxes, so where is the benefit? Maybe it would be nice,
since we as agents pay the bills, that we have more input into what the tools of our trade offer.
Hi Barbara,
Thank you for the comment. The main benefit that the board saw in their comparisons is that there are multiple ways to get a lockbox open, and to hopefully eliminate the situation where you are stuck in front of a lockbox with clients, with no way to open the box. Another benefit is that the costs of the system are lower, which we were able to pass on to subscribers with lower key fees, and lower lockbox costs. In early 2014 we will be publishing a blog post regarding how RMLS™ is governed, and how subscribers can get involved.
Thanks,
John
Hi Barbara, I stop watched both boxes trying to open them each as fast as I could using the RAD and the Supra Active key. Times were nearly identical between 10 and 15 seconds from first hitting a button. I don’t find it difficult at all moving the box away from the jam with my finger when closing a door and like not having to have to worry about where I set the key holder. I think I will look into the boxbelt though. There are so many more options and features with Sentrilock.