ROANOKE TIMES 
                      Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times

DATE: Saturday, December 2, 1995             TAG: 9512030015
SECTION: BUSINESS                 PAGE: A-6  EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MAG POFF STAFF WRITER 

REALTORS SET TO CHANGE LOCKS ELECTRONIC MODELS PROVIDE SECURITY

Roanoke Valley real estate agents next week will exchange their mechanical lockboxes for new electronic models, a move that should make home sellers more secure.

About 850 realty agents - members of the Roanoke Valley Association of Realtors - are expected to exchange 6,000 lockboxes next Tuesday and Wednesday at the Salem Civic Center.

The lockboxes have been used in the Roanoke Valley for many years as a means of facilitating the showing and sale of homes, the association said Friday. Lockbox systems allow access to all members of the association's Multiple Listing Service to any home listed for sale that uses a lockbox. Generally a key to unlock the door of that house is kept inside the lockbox.

The association said it chose to switch to new lockboxes partly because the existing mechanical lockboxes are nearing the end of their useful life.

The new electronic system, the Supra Advantage Express KeyBox System, also means member agents and brokers can retrieve by telephone immediate information on the last 43 people who have been in the home, including name, date and time.

Realty agents and homeowners will have proof of how often the house is shown to potential buyers, and any problems, such as the door left ajar or mud on the carpet, can be dealt with immediately on site by the listing agent.

The new system also allows a lockbox to be programmed to restrict access to the house to certain hours, a benefit to those homeowners who work a night shift and sleep during the day.

The single most important benefit of the new system is its security, the association said. A lost or stolen lockbox key does not jeopardize the system's security. Without the agent's private code, the key is useless. In addition, the association can deactivate the key to prevent its further use.

The new system already is being used in Northern Virginia, Richmond and Tidewater.

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