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home security

Where Does the Realtor Lockbox Go?

How Not to Distract From a $5k Front Door Where does the lockbox go? That one seems like a no-brainer:  doesn’t it always go on the front door? Usually, but not always. Exceptions to Rule If you’ve never bought or sold a house, the lockbox is the device that stores the house key(s) and lets...
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Home Security: Back to the Future (No Monthly Subscription Required)

A Win For the Luddites (or, ARE They??) What if there was a home security system that had all of the following virtues: it was simple and easy-to-use; (very) cheap; crash-proof; hack-proof; and never needed a software patch, update, or monthly subscription? (see, “very cheap”). Fortunately, there is. Give up? It’s called, “a key” (or,...
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Every Home Seller’s Worst Nightmare — and How to Prevent It

The Opposite of “Home Alone” It’s every home seller’s worst nightmare:  they return home long after a scheduled showing, only to find strangers in their Living Room(!). With no Realtor in sight. While it’s an extremely rare occurrence — and an automatic $1,000 fine for the Buyer’s agent — that makes it no less upsetting for the owner. Buyer’s...
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“Smart” Home, Dumb Former Owner — & New Minnesota Real Estate Form Language

“Anti-Home Hacking Clause” Added to Minnesota Purchase Agreement Scarcely a month ago, I wrote about the case of a disgruntled Minnesota home Seller who exacted their revenge on their Buyer, post-closing, by remotely hacking into the home’s Nest thermostat (the story is that they waited for the new owner to go on vacation last winter, then...
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New Homeowner “To Do” List: Change Locks, Meet Neighbors, Reprogram “Nest” (Huh??)

Analog vs. Virtual Unlocked Doors Once upon a time, standard Realtor advice to new homeowners, post-closing, was to change the locks:  even if the Seller delivered all known keys to the Buyer, there was always the possibility of neighbors or friends possessing a “stray.” Now, thanks to smart homes — and specifically, Nest thermostats — there’s...
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Lazy Lockbox Codes

What’s the Listing Agent’s Defense If There’s a Security Issue? If you had a briefcase — does anyone anymore?? — you probably wouldn’t walk around with the latch code set to “0-0-0-0” (the factory setting). So, it’s always a bit of a head scratcher as a Buyer’s agent to request a home showing, then receive...
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