A demanding profession
Real estate is a demanding job for those professionals that make a career out of it. To be a successful realtor, you need to juggle many elements. Detailed documents, marketing technology, self-promotion, meetings, emails, and especially, the often conflicting schedules of property owners, clients, and vendors.
And since most realtor jobs are 100% commission-based, there are naturally good and bad months. With such significant income variations, controlling professional expenses is critical for a realtor’s financial well-being.Â
Time is money
So for realtors, maybe more than other professions, time is money. And a lot of their time is spent on the road. Some estimates reveal that the average realtor drives 3,000 to 10,000 miles a year. Realtor travel to attend meetings, host open houses, show homes, and allow vendors into homes for repairs and photography.
Additionally, with today’s high gas prices, many realtors are finding that transportation is an increasing portion of their business costs. Therefore, finding a solution that provides access to properties for customers and vendors makes economic sense.Â
An access solution
A solution that has been around for some time and remains somewhat controversial is lockboxes. They allow realtors to access the property to a potential customer or service provider by sharing a code. Then, depending on the technology employed, the code releases a traditional key or unlocks the door.Â
Some homeowners and realtors have trust issues with lockboxes. They’re worried about squatter invasions and theft. Realtors appreciate flexibility but miss the chance of personal contact with potential buyers.Â
Lately, lockbox models are digitally enabled to track who and when visits a property. And that includes all kinds of service providers, including professional real estate photographers.Â
Trust is needed
Shooting a property can sometimes be complicated to schedule. Not only are there human schedules to fix, some homes only show their full beauty at specific times of the day and under certain weather conditions that allow twilight photography or aerial photos to happen.Â
Using a lockbox to allow professional photographers complete access to a property can be one less headache and conducive to stunning photography and video for your listings. In WALKINTOURⓇ, all our photographers are trustworthy professionals with experience in using all kinds of lockboxes, and have the training to notify clients of a job’s start and end. So if you want to simplify your job and go lockbox, you can count on us to support your decision.Â