I picked up an expired listing a couple of days ago. Nice home, owners are great and we are all ready to go. The only problem is that the agent prior still has not removed her lock box or yard sign. I'm a new agent and not sure how to handle this. Is it OK to send an email to the prior listing agent asking them nicely to come get their stuff? We are already under contract and go on the MLS this week. Listing expired on the 17th, so I feel she had more than enough time to clear it out.

Thanks.

Give a call, also send an email, and also a fax (and keep the fax receipt along with a copy of the email and write down the time/date of the phone call.) Tell her that the sign will be behind the house (or garage) and that she needs to pick up her lockbox within 2 days. Or 3 if you want to be nice.

Then if she still does not come, tell her you are going to remove the lock box yourself; that may require ruining it with bolt cutters and will be expensive for her to replace.

Me, I would just return them to the listing agents office. Most of the time there was not a big problem in removing them. I noticed a lot of expired listing agents were embarrassed and did not want to run into their former client, and kept putting it off.

If not I would just give them a quick call every night at home, and a reminder every morning, surprisingly when they realize your going to bug the hell out of them until it's done, how quickly it gets done. Just make sure to remove the keys to the property first thing. And request any spare keys at their office be returned to me. The seller will appreciate it.

Just once did I have a problem, I removed the keys and attached a sign saying this lock-box belongs to... they have had since... to remove it and haven't done so. If they can't perform this simple task do you really think you should use them to buy or sell a home, or do a co-op deal with them? Soon received an angry call saying it was now removed and what a horrible thing to do, blah, blah, blah. The real kicker is the former listing agent only lived one block over and passed by this home at least twice a day.

Call the managing broker. It is technically his/her listing.

Heavens!!! This reminds me of being in a town several hours away (for personal but just for the day) and my seller calling me to mention that our listing agreement had expired several days ago. I can still remember telling her "really?!!!". Never did get that home sold (wouldn't lower the price). One of my For Sale riders was missing and I drove all over the neighborhood looking for it as some of the agents' signs were nearly identical. Mine all have my initials pounded into the steel for easier identification when stolen.

Since this person is a newbie - get used to calling agents who aren't performing their duties. Heck there's one that was the sole listing broker for HUD and he STILL has the prior listings in my MLS that didn't sell when he had the exclusive HUD contract.

Thanks for the advice. She finally got the lock box off today but the sign remains. We will be pulling it up and putting it on the side of the home for mine to be put in tomorrow.

I remember back when I first started, I was at the office and took a call from a buyer (and his last name was really Byers) complaining that the Supra was still on the property and he was going to cut it off with bolt cutters. It was the broker's listing and she was out of town (this was day of closong), so I went over and took it off. This was one of those pre-historic Supras with the keypad that had to be placed into slot on the lockbox. I asked the buyer why he couldn't wait until the broker came back to remove it and he really didn't know, except he didn't like it on his front door.

Around here you just can't take the electronic lockboxes off. You have to have the shackle code.

HA HA HA!!!!

Why can't they be cut off?

I was responding to Bay Area Brian who said he just delivers them to the office, and I assumed he meant in 1 piece, nicely, like a favor, rather than in pieces.

I wouldn't just cut a $250 lockbox off without giving some kind of warning, hence, my original advice to say "Please remove by (date) or it will be cut off."

In Vermont, we're prohibited from allowing the For Sale sign to linger more than 24 hours after the Listing has Expired or after it has Sold. It is not allowed to continue advertising after the product is no longer available; nor are we allowed to use a sign to say "Pending" or "Sold" . . . . that's absolutely verboten.

If a frame is frozen into the ground, we're required to remove the panel . . . . and the frame can stay there until Spring or Summer or leave it there for Eternity if that counts.

Licensees are disciplined with Fines and required to take additional Continuing Education for failure to comply. Other Agents will gleefully report these criminals to the Authorities . . . . anonymously; but always in the Spirit of Professional Camaraderie. You just submit a dated photo and a copy of the Expired (or Sold) MLS Fact Sheet.

We don't have a Rule regarding Lock Boxes . . . . but I'd imagine that such a Rule will be forthcoming.

Rather than cutting a Lock Box's shackle, can't the new Owner or the new Listing Agent just remove the lockset for a moment, take the knob off, remove the Lock Box . . . . and then re-install the lockset? Maybe it's affixed to something less flexible.

Some of our larger Agencies have big scrap heaps of their competitors' signs out back, a haven for the scrap metal dealers. They're just being helpful. With permission, you can go, hat in hand, and visit the scrap yard to rummage through the piles of old cast off signs that represent so much wasted effort and advertising dollars spent on listings that didn't sell. It's kinda' sad, it is.

Only you, Vermont, could turn something so mundane into something so...poetic.

Oh geeze . . . . you actually read right to the end. Thank you !

I liken that pile of Signs to a battlefield graveyard for fallen warriors. They did their part, 24/7. I won't allow my enemies to have the pleasure of removing my Signs from the battlefield. (Nor do I want to be cited by the Goon Squad !)

I skip over many posts from various users Vermont, but NEVER yours. You'res are ALWAYS well worth the reed.

If you had a blog, and if I knew about it, I'd be your biggest fan.

I realize that sounds stalker-ish and creepy, but I'm not a creepy stalker, I promise. I just enjoy when folks have a way with words. LOL