Agents:The Door Can Smell Your Fear
Photo Credit: Mario Heller
Reading time: 3 minutes
“Whenever I try to open that door, it’s like I go into a fourth dimension. All sense of time and space is altered. It’s like I just stepped into Narnia. Everything goes blank.”
That was my ops manager talking about a listing with an excruciatingly difficult key-and-lock duo. With a combination of determination and composure she quickly learned the lock’s special language. But now she was spending a lot of time on the phone talking showing agents off the proverbial ledge as they struggled to open the door themselves.
Door opening is part and parcel of everyday Realtor life, but it never gets mentioned in agent school, licensing exams or brokerage onboarding. There’s no standard lock-and-key handbook. And laypersons have no clue about this peculiar and delicate aspect of agent service.
I call it “fun with keys” and it comes in many forms. These are all actual scenarios I’ve encountered:
The key copy is bad (though the listing agent, without further clarification, insists it works).
The keys aren’t in the lockbox.
The lockbox code is wrong.
The wrong keys are in the lockbox.
The batteries are dead on the digital lock.
The listing agent forgot the code for the digital lock. (“It’s either 2354 or 5423, or something like that.”)
You’re told to go through the garage, using a code, and then go up the exterior stairs to enter via the unlocked back door but – whoops! – it’s locked.
You’ve been instructed to never lock the bottom doorknob lock but the last showing agent must have locked it anyway and the listing agent doesn’t have a key (nor does the seller).
You need to pull the door toward you and then crank the key strongly to the right. (“But take care not to break the key!”)
You must push hard on the door with your foot while inserting the key and then pulling back on it. (“Just edge it out ever so slightly. Not too much. Play with it a while and you’ll get it.”)
There’s a security system but the listing agent is pretty sure it’s not engaged. (“Call me if the alarm goes off.”)
The seller isn’t giving anyone keys, so “when you arrive they’ll leave and when you leave just lock the door behind you.”
You’re reminded, “If you go up to the roof deck be careful not to let the door close behind you because it will automatically lock you out on the roof.” (Did I mention it’s a high-rise building so being stuck on the roof would be, uh, inconvenient?)
The lockbox is not on the property but attached near the bottom of a chain link fence behind a hedge located just a half block to the east. (“Sometimes dogs ‘go’ there, so watch your step when you’re reaching into the hedge.”)
Of course, you’re almost always under pressure to get the door open quickly. You’re wanting to prepare for an open house by turning on all the lights and putting your sandwich signs out before people show up. Once there is an audience – would-be buyers or other agents standing behind you on the doorstep – you’ll begin trembling and sweating like a Mission Impossible agent defusing a bomb.
My advice is to remember that the lock is like a wild animal, and the door can sense your fear. If you’re having trouble with a key that is supposed to work, take a small time out. Remove your hands from the doorknob and the lock. Ground yourself by breathing into the soles of your feet and belly for at least one long inhale and exhale. Feeling calmer? Now. Ready. Set. Go.
There’s a promise in every key and every showing of a property. But the road from showing to closing is long. Try not to freak out if you’re having trouble just getting through the first portal. You WILL get there. Eventually.
Author and RealEstateTherapy curator Cynthia Cummins has been devoted to homeowners and homebuyers for three decades and counting. Visit KindredSFhomes.com for more information on San Francisco real estate.
