Tris Norton

Why would you want to negotiate with the seller's agent? The seller has agreed to pay his/her agent for marketing the property and facilitating the transaction. That has little to do with you, especially if you found the property due to the marketing efforts of the seller's agent. Furthermore, very few buyer's agents are actually compensated by the buyer. Informed buyers take advantage of professional representation at little or no extra cost to them. Please tell me that you realize it's unwise to make offers on more than one property unless you intend to buy more than one. - Mon May 12 2008, 06:36

There are pros and cons to both. The electronic lockboxes like the e-key and Sentrilock provide information relative to who has accessed the box and when, as well as provide a website to enable easy tracking and reporting. The flip side of electronic boxes is that, as with any type of technology, there are times when they don't necessarily work as intended. There have been a few times where the box just wouldn't open, with my key or anyone else's(three times in nearly seven years, though). Agents have inadvertently put them on "do not disturb" making them only accessible by the listing agent.
The combination boxes generally do not have problems opening when the agent has the correct combination. However, if they are placed where they can get wet, then the temperature drops below freezing, they can be very difficult to open. Also, if someone other than an agent knows the combination, they have access to the home. I like to use electronic boxes except for on homes located where two or more MLS areas overlap, which eliminates problems with card or key reciprocity. - Fri May 9 2008, 06:42

The easiest thing to do would be to contact a local real estate professional. They have experience in finding this type of information and if you are truthful with them, may not mind helping you out. REALTORS also provide services such as buyer representation which enables them to contact the owner of a home that may be suitable for their client whether it is currently for sale or not. Buyer's agents also negotiate on behalf of their clients as well as help facilitate the transaction. - Fri May 9 2008, 06:21